When Melissa made that gorgeous Cecilia Beaux-inspired dress earlier this spring, I could not stop thinking about the dress and the concept. Melissa and I talked on the phone for a long time about all of the amazing paintings that would be so fun and challenging to try and translate into small clothes - the colors, the textures of the brush strokes, the lines. The possibilities and inspiration are endless. Here is my first attempt with a little gem of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh that I find myself coming back to again and again. It's called "Sprig of Flowering Almond in a Glass,", painted in 1888 while Van Gogh was living in Arles. It was a gift for his brother Theo and sister-in-law Johanna and they hung it above their bed. When I was working on this dress I was trying to catch some of the freshness of a little cup with a flower in it, and also the vertical brush strokes. (Incidentally there is a great book about Van Gogh for children that is part of a series called Smart About Art, available on Amazon for $5.99 each. My kids LOVE it. They are really fascinated about why he would ever cut off his ear. Me too.)
On that note, I hope you had a great mother's day! I feel so blessed to have been raised by a wonderful, loving, creative mother whom I reference every day, all day in my own mothering. And now I am blessed with the best husband, who makes my every day great, and hilarious sweet sometimes very strange children. I am so lucky...
36 comments:
oh i just love the idea of translating paintings until little dresses...so romantic and unique.
love this dress and the little yellow sash -- such a nice interpretation.
happy mother's day ladies!
What a beautiful dress. I think it's perfect for your little flower!
Becky
Beautifully done! And your daughter looks like the flower in the vase! I just love the concept of translating paintings into clothing...LOVE! I'm glad to hear we may be seeing more of this. I had never seen this little painting but it is beautiful. Oh to paint like that!
Stunning as usual!
I always get so excited to see "Sugar City Journal" appear on my Bloglines. It is always the first blog of the list that I go to.
I love white this time of year especially offset by a beautiful yellow sash. I bet the pleats were a headache but worth it. My favorite part is the unfinished hem. Very summer beachy feel! Nice touch.
Really lovely!
Absolutely stunning and inspiring! Well done.
What a great way to spice up the sometimes overwhelming task of deciding what to sew next!
Wonderful job on the interpretation.
LOVE this dress - especially the contrast of the white fabric with the gold sash. BTW your kids might like to know that Vangogh went crazy because he had too much contact with the paints he used - they were toxic.
(you could apply this generally to a lot of other things)
I also echo your shout out to mom - she is the best!!
That dress is literally breathtaking. I actually gasped when I saw it. LOVELY.
Love the dress. Great detail with the pintucks and sash. Absolutely stunning.
The dress is beautiful. Simply beautiful!
wow, such a pretty interpretation. i look forward to future results of the idea of painting inspired clothes.
when i saw this entry on my Google Reader, I just had to share it. Thanks for the burst of sunshine.
Another masterpiece both dress and picture.
Love the white and yellow sash! Do you design all of the dresses yourself, or do you use patterns for inspiration? Whatever the answer, your work really is lovely!
Wonderful interpretation! Sweet little dress.
Just beautiful! I love the way you interpreted the painting.
how sweet
your daughter looks lovely in it as well
i love this concept you two have been working on
Absolutely gorgeous!
Adorable - and so light and airy - just like the picture. Perfect for spring. Baby A is priceless in it. Mothering continues to the grave - it just molts and changes.
the dress is beautiful.
What a gorgeous little dress! So inspiring! I love the tip on the art books as well -- will definitely check those out!
So sweet Lynne. I love the translation of the vertical lines into pintucks. The photo captures the softness of the painting too. Well done!
Oh my goodness Lynne. That dress is so amazingly beautiful! It takes my breath away: your description, the photo, the brush strokes and soft colors. You've really captured the painting in such a fresh and beautiful way.
Oh yes, and I'm completely inspired by the orange belt that corresponds with the orange horizontal line in the painting.
This is a beatiful dress, it looks fantastic.I love the colors and the idea.
As far as Van Gogh and his ear.....I read somewhere that the chemicals in the paints used in those days were believed to have caused brain damage. Supposedly, this is why so many artists were considered "crazy". Also, the chemicals Milliners (sp?) used were toxic as well, hence the phrase "Mad as a hatter"
Absolutely love it...so crisp! I love hearing about your inspirations.
I love that concept. Wonderful interpretation!!
ok, that belt is just perfect for that crisp white dress in every way. gorgeous again!
I must say Lynne. I've been thinking about this dress for days, ever since I first saw it. It really is so beautiful.
Lynne, this is the sweetest little dress. I love this concept too. I'm thinking something by Cezanne...
Absolutely gorgeous Lynne! And I don't say that just because I was an Art History major and completely love Van Gogh. This little painting is a true gem. The sash and pleating are perfect. This concept you two conjured up is clever indeed.
so simple, but so beautiful...the yellow makes it so lovely. You ladies do such amazing dresses. I am inspired!
I also like the "Touch the Art" board book series for very young children. Great blog! Anne Marie in IA
How I love this idea and this little dress!!! YOU MUST, absolutely must start selling patterns!!!! I've been trying to just "make" stuff for my little girl, and she can wear it... but it does not turn out so fetching... perhaps I need a little more artistic influence.
Sew it in tiny stitches just near the top of the Hogan , but take care not to sew into the vamp elastic. Keep your stitches neat and tidy but invisible from the outside of the Hogan scarpe uomo , and make your beginning and ending knots inside the Hogan uomo .
Post a Comment