Meeting Chloe

"Discovering an unexpected treasure" were not just words from a fortune cookie, but also the complete center of the experience of creating this piece for CORE: art & design of the torso. 

Painting directly on to a female form (and not on a flat canvas), with all it's curves is one adjustment, but because this dress form came from a warehouse somewhere in New Jersey, and looked like she had hung out in some department store a time or 32, and looked like she had lived in some scary warehouses in her life, and was quite anatomically specific, I knew for sure this was going to be a whole new world for me. She was pitted and dinged, and a little sticky with something I tried not to think too hard about, and her left shoulder looked like something had leaned against her and left a mark, and unlike many of the other artists' dress forms, she had very specifically formed breasts, as well as a bum, and an indent of a belly button. When I set her up on her stand, she was (even without arms, legs or a head) well she was a presence, and she was Chloe.

Layers of papier mache, and sanding began. But the layering and the sanding all turned very different when it got to sanding her breasts. The fact that she's made of some artificial-polymer-coated-meshy substance, didn't change the fact that I was sanding breasts, and a bum (a very nice bum too) and laying more paper on, and sanding again. At one point in this layering-sanding process I glanced out my studio window - which looks directly down into our neighbor's garden - and there was one of our neighbors (very new to us neighbors too) looking up at me with both eyebrows raised very high on his forehead. I thought about opening the window to say, well to say what, really?  "This is for a show"? or "I'm an artist"? So I just thought to myself "oh well" and kept working.

So now I had two levels of thought going on as I worked: 1) All the things I think and feel and struggle with about my body, about who I am in this body, about how I carry this body, about what other people think of me and this body, all those body things; and 2) now I am thinking about what my neighbor must be thinking about who I am and what I am doing and if there is a neighborhood get-together in the future, will he look at me again the same way he was just looking at me? 

So, in the end, I kept the sanding to a minimum. I thought some more about some of the reasons I am uncomfortable with my own body as I smoothed out some of the worst pits on Chloe's shoulder and crotch (yes, crotch). I thought about how much easier it would be to leave the negative feelings about myself on the floor along with the dust from the sanding, and I applied another layer of matte medium. I thought about practicing looking in the mirror and not letting the negative voice loose, and then I applied a gold patina to Chloe's whole body. 

She still has some dents and many imperfections, and yet, I find her irresistibly beautiful. So I'm going to think about that for a little while longer. And in the meanwhile:

* * * * * * *

CORE: art & design of the torso
a folk & fable open studio event

Saturday November 7 
6 - 10 PM

822 Wall Street, 2nd Floor
Downtown Los Angeles 90015
Music by KCRW's Anne Litt

Christine Mason Miller, Marisa Haedike, Kelly Barton, Jessica Seaton, Pixie Campbell, Sarah Ahearn, Karin Collins, Mati Rose McDonough, Carla Terwilliger, Nicol Ragland, Outi Harma, Linda Esterly, Anne Carmack, and Me.

Comments

[Swirly]

I am so fascinated by everyone's experience of working with this form. I had no idea it would be such a powerful experience for everyone. Thank you so much for sharing this...I can't wait to see her!

[Pippin Schupbach]

I just discovered your work, and it's beautiful! I simply love your style and use of color!! I hope you teach workshops, because I would love to attend one. Would also love to attend the art show tomorrow night, but I live in San Diego and I hate LA traffic! Good luck tomorrow!
Happy creating!
Pippin

[kelly barton]

i love you love you love you.

[Faith]

This was a really funny post..the whole neighbor thing, ha! It totally makes sense that working with Chloe's form would feel so intimate, and bring up thoughts about being in your own body. You explained that very well. I really want to see all these forms that people are posting about on their blogs! The shows sounds really exciting.

[Niya Sisk]

I think she finds you irresistibly beautiful too!!!

Beautiful Lizzie...soooo moving.

Love you. Niya

[Valentina]

I *LOVE* your work very very very much!

[aimee]

oh, to see the entire piece! (will we?) the process sounds beautiful, introspective, daunting all rolled together! what a great idea for an exhibit - all created on the same form, but in totally different ways...

[darlene]

oh ... the process sounds so amazing, i love that you shared it because lately i have become obsessed with the doing, the process over the end result though i think your end result is quite spectacular, xo