The Crossroads

The Crossroads

Holly B with Celeste in her Sausalito, CA studio

The Crossroads

Having finished clearing out my mom’s apartment I have started the process of clearing my own space. I can hardly walk into my studio. I don’t know where to start. And I realize I don’t have the bandwidth or strength to work as I have all my life. I’m not interested in production and I’m not sure there is still a market for “wearable art” like in the past.

So I have to search my soul and see what I can let go of. One of the key things about sorting and clearing is: where is it going to go? Most of what I want to shed is white fabric that can be dyed or painted. So that’s what I’ve been doing. Measuring, bundling and tagging all the white fabric I am not ever going to get to. I have one woman who I took an eco printing class with who is taking some. That gives me great satisfaction, knowing where it’s going and what marvelous things can happen to those yards of silk, wool, linen and misc.!

I have to search my soul and see what I can let go of.

In my mind’s eye everything I see has potential, rusty bottle caps on the street, papers of all sorts, plastic bags. And fabric. Getting rid of white fabric allows me to shop for Guatemalan cortes (skirts), and African indigos, and kantha blankets. In order to get current with myself, and what I want to be doing, it helps to go through all the bins of fabrics and reorder them, see them.

I love making clothes. I love dressing. I love color. And I love the scraps in my cutting wastebasket and the little swirls of thread on the floor that magically make a neat composition. I want to explore all of the magic and potential that my studio contains. Now I have time. I can make my own schedule. I can ask myself-what will give me pleasure and take my art to the next level?

Stay tuned. And if you want some fabric let me know!

Greetings Textilians & Lovers of Beauty

Greetings Textilians & Lovers of Beauty

Holly B with Celeste in her Sausalito, CA studio

Greetings Textilians & Lovers of Beauty

I am not having a holiday show this year so I wanted to reach out to say Happy Holidays! We have all been hunkered down and dealing with this Pandemic in our own ways. I have been doing studio-lite, some small production for the Santa Fe Weaving Gallery.

Playing with Kantha blankets

My latest excitement has been playing with Indian Kantha blankets to create Jackets and Vests. It’s a fun patchwork puzzle and quite satisfying. My brother Marcus took some crazy fun pictures of us jumping for colorful joy in the new pieces.

Marj City by Holly Badgley, Size: 36”x24”

 Assemblages

At the beginning of last year I took an assemblage class, through City College . It was thrilling to learn how to construct  trash to make 3-D art, glueing and bolting my way to bliss. Oh my, that was sooo fun.  It is a medium that suits me. I love to compose using my intuition to combine the disparate elements the teacher provided.  I aim to get back into doing more explorations with all the treasures I have accumulated over the years.

Holly Badgley discussing her textile art at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Holly Badgley discussing her textile art at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Holly Badgley discussing her textile art at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts

  Painting…

I started painting a number of years ago in oil. I had two teachers that specialized in plein air-outdoor painting. My current teacher, Carol Myer, ran a class a couple of towns up the highway in a large open studio. She taught me the fundamentals of painting still life. I love her use of color and brushwork. When we started shelter in place she resorted to Zoom check-ins and classes and an occasional outdoor class. So, I have also been able to keep some continuity in my practice. It is challenging and enlivening to be a beginner again.

 Virtual Rack Tours

If you hanker for something to give you cheer and to wear on your zoom calls, I am available to do a virtual studio/rack tour. Click on the button and we can arrange to connect up via FaceTime or Duo and I can give you a tour of my full rack. I have something for every season in many gorgeous fabrics and styles.

Or if you live in the vicinity I can accommodate a one-at-a-time visit to my studio. (After this latest shelter in place order that is.)

Also, check out what’s at the Santa Fe Weaving Gallery. I have worked with the Weaving Gallery since 1993 or so. They are very supportive and have great taste. I send them some of my favorites pieces!  I am grateful to have a store in one of my favorite places.

Happiest New Year!

I hope each one of you is finding a silver lining in this wild period we are in. We will endure and flourish! May this New Year bring all that you need for a fulfilling life!

 

Resources Mentioned in this Blog Post

Badgley Photography

Santa Fe
Weaving Gallery

Yemi & The Photoshoot

Yemi & The Photoshoot

Yemi & The Photoshoot

It had been a long time since I organized a photo shoot. It’s difficult to find a model who would resonate with my clothing, a photographer who has a feel for the clothing along with an eye for design.

A while back some girlfriends and I visited G-rdano a local designer’s shop in Sausalito and there was a striking young woman working in the back, cutting yardage. She was a good height, had a modern flair, and a lively presence. She said she did some modeling. Hooray! Info was exchanged.

But I didn’t call for a while for lack of pieces on the rack. So when I worked up a new group of pieces I Had the forethought to give her a call. We did a pretty informal shoot with my camera and afternoon light, which, it turns out, in my building just doesn’t cut it. Plus my camera is slow, too little resolution, etc. The photos were pixilated and unusable. I had to reshoot the pieces on the mannequin.

However, my brother said he’d be willing to come down and do the shoot for me. Now, Mark does my website, all the evites for my shows and the designers shows. He’s got vision in terms of trends and an eye for composition. I just needed to make something to shoot!

 

Getting ready for the last Acqua show I was steaming-cooking with gas as they say. Pieces fell into place.

The day was clear, the light divine. Mark and I scout a couple of locations inside and outside the building. Yemi arrives.

She has left her hair natural. It has volume and life. It frames her face, highlighting her large and beautiful eyes. I got excited. She was in a very spunky mood. Mark couldn’t keep up with her as she kept doing these rapid moves that were so fun and versatile.

A while back some girlfriends and I visited G-rdano a local designer’s shop in Sausalito and there was a striking young woman working in the back, cutting yardage. She was a good height, had a modern flair, and a lively presence. She said she did some modeling. Hooray! Info was exchanged.

Having a great model makes the clothing come alive. Yemi knows how to move her body to enhance the drape and cut of the cloth. The way she wears the pieces gives them a timeless and almost spiritual quality. This is clothing for all ages of women, offering beauty and style. I am grateful for my newfound team!

Summer Cleaning:

Summer Cleaning:

Summer Cleaning:

You know when you can’t get anything done, can’t find parts for your projects, that it’s time to take matters in hand. Stashes start to multiply like loaves. When first you had one solid wall of snap-on boxes, now the fabric is spilling out making another wall and a half. Too much.

Can I rid myself of these “babies”? No. They just get encapsulated, the little inner voice reassuring you this project will get done soon-ish. Mending, reconstructing, repurposing. Fodder for fun or mass to weigh you down? These are the universal questions of the sewer/creator of textilian wonders.

And no, I haven’t read the Japanese woman’s book about decluttering. Nice concept. Can do maybe 40% reduction, on a good day. I’m open to feedback. Let me know your philosophy on the matter of stash vs. less stash. I don’t agree, by the way, about the person having the largest one when we die wins. I’m committed to working it out: reduce recycle, reuse…

 

Before & After

Welcome to the New Year!

Welcome to the New Year!

Welcome to the New Year!

In keeping the creativity in the family, my daughter Tamara and I spent a child free day at the studio dyeing onesies. It was a smooth day, though I am terrible giving oral directions as I tried also to get something done. But after 37 years of trying to interpret her mother she got what I was saying and produced a mass of wonderful colorful onesies for grandson Cyrus and 2 other babies in our clan…A good start to the year.

Also, this month since having good shows this fall I am going to designate some time to do a couple of fiber projects I have on the shelf. Looking forward to a different emphasis in my work, an expanded mind space as it were…

Showtime: Palo Alto Style 2014

Showtime: Palo Alto Style 2014

The process of preparing for a show is as follows:

Months and months before the show there is the perception of having endless amounts of time…I work diligently, but life of course is ever present, nipping at my heels.

Midway through, say a month before the show, I am at the height of my creative flow and juiciness, working like a bee, fertilizing the new garments with beautiful touches.

Two weeks before, time suddenly comes into focus. I see I can’t finish all the re-dos I bought a week ago at the Salvation Army! I am getting mad at myself for not being more productive. I am frantically trying to prioritize what I think I can realistically make before then. Counting the actual days I have to work. My energy getting more drained the more stressed I become.

The week of the show I start to let go. Still trying to whip myself up into a semi-frenzy, but knowing that it won’t do any good. Now is the time to get my ducks in a row. And not get sick.

A calm and more grounded mindset sets in and I am printing out my mapquests of where I am headed, counting out vitamins and visualizing good sales and happy camaraderie with the other designers and artists.