Lifestyles Magazine

Wearable Art – Some Art is Meant to be Worn

Story By Beth Stewart

This year, make a resolution to publically express your creative side.
Just as art on the walls of your home or office personalizes your space, wearable art customizes your appearance. It announces to the world you are not a slave to fashion; you are a trendsetter.
Eschew the buying-off-the-rack mentality and stave off the fashion doldrums with hand-made garments, purses, hats, scarves and jewellery.
Patricia Richardson is a Canadian textile artist and the lead organizer of London’s fall Wearable Art Sale which brings together a passel of individual crafters including five listed below.
Richardson studied fashion design, fabric design, embroidery and millinery at various institutions. She pursued a career as a costume designer before narrowing her focus a few years ago to hats and accessories.

Richardson built her creations from the bottom on up. She dyes and paints fabrics and then, working from her own patterns and designs, cuts and manipulates them into shapes. These she embellishes with beading, embroidery and pleating to create unique pieces of wearable art.
Mary Louise White is a woman of many talents. When she applies her considerable skills to the process of making jewellery, something magical happens. Working with glass, White conjures one-of-a-kind pendants and earrings that shimmer and shine.
Jessie Gussack’s Jersey Lovey label was born when the designer wanted something fun to wear. She made her first infinity scarf and soon found everyone wanted one. Gussack works from a range of fabrics to create fluid pieces that add a dash of colour to any ensemble.

Feeling buggy? Debra Jeffries of Debra’s Divine Designs produces recycled, genuine butterfly and insect wing pendants, earrings and more. Her ethically farmed butterfly and insect specimens are purchased from a licensed supplier. Jeffries also uses a variety of recycled metals in her pieces including sterling silver and copper wire.
Lisa and Pete Wright of Wright by Design are business – as well as life – partners. They channel Peter’s 25 years as a master furrier and Lisa’s fashion and theatrical wardrobe background into the creation of up-cycled fur hats and bags and fur-trimmed clothing.
Jeanne-Marie Urbach, who produces colourful scarves and knit shawls, describes her work as running the gamut from practical to zany. She is inspired by nature and fabric. Says Urbach: “Wearable art appeals to my practical side while allowing for limitless creativity.”
Wandering away from the Wearable Art Sale gang, one finds Colleen Turner and Anne-Marie Chagnon.
Turner, of Part Crow Custom Handmade Jewelry, addresses her own love of shiny things by working with sterling silver, pewter, semi-precious stones, shell and coral, as well as pearls and crystals from all over the world to produce finely crafted jewellery.
Montreal-based designer Chagnon’s work can be seen in London at the Framing and Art Centre. Her playful pewter, wood, resin and glass pieces have a decidedly primitive feel. Some are designed to be transformed at the whim of the wearer from necklace to bracelet to earrings – the ultimate tribute to personal expression.
There you have it, eight innovative ways to express yourself in style in 2014 – with a little help from Canadian artisans. Now that’s an easy resolution to keep

Carmina De Young

 Carmina De Young is a Canadian company specializing in luxury fashion that explores their client’s personal style, offering both business wear and evening wear.

Valerie Sweet- The London Jewellery Company

I love the feel of real stones and have been designing jewellery for several years. I also enjoy creating one of a kind hats. Come and try one on.

Elan Knits- Ellen Mallet

I am a published knitwear designer. I sell my original knitwear and
knitting patterns. Inspiration comes from literature, pop culture and
the world of teens that constantly surrounds me at home and at work.
I am the wardrobe mistress for Original Kids Theatre Company
and when time  allows am happy to accommodate custom requests.
Costume requests at the  theatre have resulted in some of my most creative designs.

malletellen@gmail.com

Paddy K

Patricia Richardson is a Canadian textile artist, born in the Niagara Peninsula. Following studies in fashion design, fabric design, embroidery and millinery at various institutions such as The Academy, Sheridan, Fanshawe and George Brown Colleges and attaining a BA from Western University, she pursued a career as a costume designer. In this field she grew practiced in a wide variety of artistic textile techniques. A few years ago, Patricia turned her hand to millinery and accessories. Using her own patterns and designs, Patricia dyes and paints the fabrics, cuts and manipulates them into shape and combines them with techniques such as embroidery, beading and pleating into unique wearable art pieces. All of Patricia's items are individually hand made in her sunny studio in London, Ontario.

Wisdom Wraps by Ardath Finnbogason-Hill

 Ardath Finnbogason-Hill

As a creative processor, Ardath’s experimentation with fibres textures, colours and techniques has been evolving over many years. She believes that we are all creative Be-ings and she loves to experience the discovery of hidden talents with women who participate in her Feelings and Fibres workshops. Through the sharing of stories, experience, imagination, yarns and memories,beautiful art pieces are knit into existence.

Ardath’s knitted garments are fanciful and mysteriously beautiful. The imagery of art has been influenced by her Icelandic heritage, her readings, travels, her women’s circles and her own spiritual journey. Ardath’s creations have been displayed at numerous art shows. Her commissioned pieces are seen in several countries. One highlight was the creation of a Wrap entitled Fire Ice and Mother Sea for the first woman to become President of Iceland. In her imagery, there has been a consistent message of empowerment, guidance and reassurance.

Ardath creates art that tells a story...either from her own imagination or from her clients. Creative knitting, as a story telling process, will be experienced during the workshop series. Another of her recent artistic endeavours combines fi bre and poetry in water colour paintings. Her art is featured on cards, prints and posters.

She lives in London with her life partner and son.

Tracy Sweet- Eco Luxe Furs

I make fur bags and blankets out of the most luxurious fur coats, only the finest most supple furs are chosen to make these fur bags.

Jeanne-Marie Urbach

With my fine art background, including textile studies, I use my love of nature and fabric for inspiration. Wearable art appeals to my practical side while allowing for limitless creativity. The enjoyment I receive from revamping memorabilia and recyclables into practicalities is a challenge as fulfilling as creating anew. my work is anywhere from practical to zany. Jeanne - Marie

Anna K

"Jewellery is my latest creative expression. The materials such as crystals, pearls , assorted beads, silver and gold are so beautiful, they inspire me to create sculptured earrings, colourful bracelets and pendants that glitter. There is plenty of attention to detail and co-ordination to the patterns and arrangement of each finished piece. Yet, the joy of it all is in wearing the jewellery."

 

Jersey Lovey by Jessie Gussack

Jessie Gussack--owner and creator of Jersey Lovey. I am a work at home mom with a love for quilting--the Jersey Lovey was born when I wanted something fun to wear that I could make. Then everyone wanted one... I have been quilting for almost five years and making Jersey Loveys for about three years. I love working with fabrics and making both the quilts and the scarves give me a great range of fabrics to work with. I teach the occasional quilting workshop and complete quilting commissions. The scarves are a great distraction and are fun to make.

Fran Selinger

After working as a library assistant for ten years, I had to change directions due to health reasons. A friend introduced me to beading and I’ve been addicted ever since.

I gravitate toward natural components. Semi-precious stones are a favourite, especially Jasper, Tiger Eye and Turquoise. I also have a line of pieces that use tropical tree seeds from my second home in Grenada, West Indies. My personal style tends toward the casual and uncomplicated and I love greens, blues, pinks and oranges. As a result, my jewelry is earthy and elemental, yet elegant at the same time.

Two years ago, I started experimenting with bead weaving. I really liked the look and feel of these tiny seed beads woven into patterns and the possibilities for jewelry pieces are endless.

But that’s me. It’s also about you. I love to do custom work. I work together with my client to create a meaningful piece of jewelry that is designed to reflect their unique sense of self.

selingerf@gmail.com

Wright by Design

Lisa and Pete are life partners as well as business partners.

Having apprenticed under a master furrier, Peter has worked in the industry for over 25 years.

Lisa has a vast theatrical wardrobe background. She has a diploma in fashion design. Lisa has worked at Livent, Banff Theatre Centre and The Stratford Festival as a Master Tailor. Lisa is presently Head of Wardrobe at The Grand Theatre

Lisa and Pete have combined their expertise to create fine fabric, fur and upcycled fur creations.
Custom work can be done in their in house studio.