Victorian Mourning Exhibition Update - Current Projects in Progress

Updated July 17, 2010. Click on the image to go to my Yahoo album.

Sally Norton, Alexandria Volk, Shelley Monson, Aurie Bradley and myself were discussing the possibility of mounting another Victorian Mourning Exhibit. At the present time, the project has been turned over to Alexandria, due to health issues.

I sincerely hope the project goes forward and that I may be a part of it eventually. In the meantime I have been able to add to my personal mourning collection considerably and I am excited about sharing these lovely and very unusual items with you. If I can, I will put some photographs up here or in my Yahoo albums. They've come from all over the world, including Australia! 

I also began designing a mourning gown for the event. I've found some wonderful material at my favorite fabric shop; Silk Road in Downtown Oakland. The swatch is in my sketchbook.

I acquired two books on Mourning Artifacts at Costume Con 22. They are quite extensive and have values as well as information. One of the authors lives in the Bay Area and I am hoping we can contact her. I will put up the book titles and ISBN numbers as soon as I can so you can share in the beauty and pathos of these wonderful artifacts.

Update on Current Projects

Many of you may have wondered what I've been doing since I dropped out of sight a few years ago. I certainly have not been idle, but my health has interfered in all aspects of my social and creative life. As I said, though, I have not been idle. I have returned to my study of Japanese/Chinese Calligraphy and expanded to Western Calligraphy and illumination. My collection of inkstones, ink, quills, sealing wax and other accoutremants has expanded accordingly.

I am also studying drawing again. I am hoping that I can learn to draw some decent costume designs as well as progress in my unique portrait style.I'm putting together very extensive reference files of faces and other images to use as starting points for drawing. I'm also going through all of my fashion magazines and taking out the wonderful stuff, which then goes into clear pages in three ring binders according to subject. I should end up with a pretty wonderful reference library on couture, make-up and high fashion.

I'm reading, studying and writing fiction, and beginning to take some finished peices and make them into books. I'm hoping to start a regular blog soon. It would cover a lot of my interests, but would mostly be an urban artist's guide to my local discoveries. I've also become very interested in extreme glamour make-up, and I'm hoping to write reviews about drug store make-up both for use in period costuming and in extreme fashion.

Sadly, I had to stop performing with Bella Donna several years ago. I miss them all very much, but they are thriving under Shawna Spiteri's excellent leadership. They were awarded "Best Stage Act" by the Rennaissance Symposium a couple of years ago. Kendra and Jennifer have both won awards for their lovely costumes on The Realm of Venus web site where I won the Golden Rose award for Seresina's gown in 2003. I'll add a link soon.

You can find out about Bella Donna at their official web site  www.belladonnacourtesans.com.

You can also keep up to date with the Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild  www.gbacg.org If you are in the Northern Californian Bay Area and are not yet a member, I encourage you to join. There are many kindred spirits there with a love of costume, and their events and inspired. You also get discounts on tickets to other Period Organizations funtions like the Art Deco Society, The Bay Area English Regency Society and Period Events and Entertainment Society.

The Costume Clinics are still admirably run by Lisa Swehla. You can find out more at the revamped GBACG website www.gbacg.org The Costume Clinics are now known as Costume Salons and are quite interesting and welcoming to newcomers. If you haven't checked them out yet, I encourage you to do so. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed and costumes are not required to attend.