Creative Collaborations

by Fay Picardi

One of my favorite ways to create is collaboratively.  As both an artist and a poet, I delight in exploring the myriad of possibilities for combining disciplines.  Case in point is The Transformations project of several years back where 13 artists and 13 poets worked together to inspire each other and produce new works for a museum show and book at the Foosaner Art Museum.  

This current collaboration is of another type.  Let me explain. The whole concept started when I was given an exceptional work of art by my sister. Originally a gift from her to my mother, the large pot shown below is an early piece by Paul Chaleff, a world renowned ceramicist and teacher whose works are in major museums.

This piece is extraordinary on its own. Perhaps I should have left it that way. However, I started on this adventure by deciding that it needed “a little something.” A few Bird of Paradise leaves???

But, NO. I wanted something unique and colorful. Something worthy of being called ART, too. 

Kathy Garvey, a fellow Pieces of 8 whom I had met working on Transformations, came to the rescue and volunteered to help me! Kathy suggested we design and print fabric leaves at Spoonflower. (Spoonflower prints fabric for artists, designers and fabricators all over the world.)  Plus, she had created artificial butterflies for florists, so she knew the tools and techniques needed. Great!

I wanted the leaves to be spectacular (of course)! Also I wanted them to coordinate with the other beautiful artworks in the room, so I sent Kathy some inspiration pictures and a color chart.

Kathy took these ideas and photos of three of my favorite paintings in the room (Hot Horizon and Evening Glow by George Snyder, and L'eau de Nil by Denette Schweikert), put them into Adobe Illustrator and built some swatches from all the colors.

Then, Kathy started filling her sketchbooks with some early ideas for our leaves.

She did a color test for my approval…shown below with notes.

Next, Kathy tested our idea by creating some leaves in her favorite colors, printing them at Spoonflower and assembling them. Her production sheet and finished leaves are below.

Beautiful! Now we just had to come up with something that worked for my living space!

After much deliberation, Kathy presented some "cartoons" of banana like leaves with each one representing a different artist involved in the project; poetry for me, cutouts from the paintings by Denette for her, stripes for George, and a few critters for herself.

The designs were perfect! Kathy worked up one of the cartoons in Illustrator in full color and we used Photoshop to play other color options. Below is the test production sheet we had printed. 

Next, we each cut, stitched up several prototypes and discussed the colors that would work.

Kathy created the remaining three leaves, the largest, based on my input. They are shown below so that you can see some of the details. Mine is on the top with a Nautilus and lines from my poetry. Denette's is in the middle with details from her paintings and Kathy's is on the bottom with a snail, butterfly and bug. Touches of George Snyder's colors and composition can be seen throughout.

Below is the fabric printed by Spoonflower to their sumptuous fake suede. 

Now, for my part: cut, back, sew, turn, arrange!

I first cut the fabric,

                                                      then the lining.

To finish, I sewed, clipped, turned and finished the leaves. After, I wired and covered the stems.

Finally, I arranged the leaves in Paul Chaleff’s pot.

 

                  

Et, voila! Our collaborative artistic masterpieces in a master ceramist's pot.
I love them both! Thank you, Kathy!

Another of my favorite collaborations was the publication, The Stones Speak. This work presented Cindy Michaud's artwork along with my poems. Kathy did the extraordinary layout and design for this book. She also edited and formatted my chapbook, Nana's Sunday Dance, and my novel, Simonetta. Without Kathy Garvey (on Etsy, on Spoonflower), none of these works would have come to fruition! No wonder I like collaboration! Thanks again, Kathy.  

An Invitation to a Unique Book Launching November 6!

Thanks, Cindy, for your enthusiastic and entertaining post about my new book and the launching party to celebrate it. To have the Pieces producing such intriguing and varied representations of Simonetta Vespucci for my upcoming book launching party is so exciting. The evening promises to be an extraordinary gathering of artists, writers and fun-loving followers. I can't wait! I hope you each can come! Bring friends, hubbies, other family!

 

 If you have read Cindy's post published on October 23rd about my book, you know now why I have not produced much art in the last year or so. My head and heart have been concentrated on Miss Vespucci. And I must say, I am very glad she is finally ready for her debut.

Please check out the following! And don't forget, since the Pieces are not having their annual Christmas sale this year, what better gift is there to give than an autographed book or an iconic image of Venus.

 

See you at the party! Fay

                                     Simonetta by Fay Picardi 

 

 An Invitation to a Unique Book Launching Party!

 

Come to Simonetta's launching party at the awesome, edgy Derek Gores Gallery at 587 Eau Gallie Blvd., Melbourne on November 6th from 5:30 to 7:30.  The Pieces of Eight will debut their interpretive representations of Simonetta Vespucci. Author Fay Picardi and her mystery guest will give a short reading at 6:30. The gallery is currently hosting an extraordinary exhibit by fashion photographer Michael Giragosian. As always, Derek's own internationally known works will be on display in this urban chic contemporary gallery which is home to the Not Quite right Comedy Improv Troupe. This event is attracting art lovers from as far away as Washington and New York.

Don't miss this exciting happening!!! 

Fay Picardi’s book, Simonetta, published by Burnt Umber Press is available at the launching or by e-mail at SimonettaV@earthlink.net. through Nov. 6 for a special price of $10 plus shipping, if applicable. Also available on Amazon.com and www.createspace.com/5321329. Learn more about Simonetta at faypicardi.weebly.com. or facebook.com/thesimonettastory.

My Nautilus Collage: Art, Poetry, and Memory

by Fay Picardi

As many of you already know, The Pieces of Eight has one member who is both an established poet and an aspiring artist. That member is me, Fay Picardi. I feel very honored to be a member of this group of creative, talented, and supportive women. And now the time has come that I must venture forth to do my first post.

Here goes!

For years I have been fascinated by the Chambered Nautilus or nautilus pompilius (I had to look that one up). My first introduction to this mollusk was in my English class when I was a Junior in high school. The poem was The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes. During my quite extensive stint as an American Literature teacher, I found and used as a prop for explaining the imagery in this poem to my students. It was a center cut pearl shell left somewhere in the world by a nautilus, beautiful in its iridescence. I would have it still, decades later, if it had not cracked and I had not thrown it away, promising myself I would buy another. As with many things we try to duplicate, I was never able to find one that was a perfect replacement. For years now I have been treasuring instead a tear-out from a magazine which looks as close to the original as I have been able to find, even though it does not have the tiny passageways by which the nautilus moved from chamber to chamber.

 

(I usually have hung it sideways with the words "evolved thinking" vertical instead of horizontal.)

With the above photo's image burnt into my mind and the inspiration of the last verse of Holme's poem, The Chambered Nautilus, which I post below, I decided I must try to create a nautilus of my own. I must try to capture the feel of the movement from chamber to chamber and the final hallelujah the last line.

Here's my effort! I have made changes from my original plan. I did not print the words of the poem on the ridges of the shell. I did not make the ridges black. I was not able to make each section a wholly independent work of art. But I am very satisfied with the result. I do believe there is a hallelujah in there somewhere!

The Chambered Nautilus

The Chambered Nautilus

By Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. 1809–1894 Oliver Wendell Holmes

This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,

   Sails the unshadowed main,—

   The venturous bark that flings

On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings

In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,

   And coral reefs lie bare,

Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;

   Wrecked is the ship of pearl!

   And every chambered cell,

Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,

As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,

   Before thee lies revealed,—

Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!

Year after year beheld the silent toil

   That spread his lustrous coil;

   Still, as the spiral grew,

He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,

Stole with soft step its shining archway through,

   Built up its idle door,

Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.

Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,

   Child of the wandering sea,

   Cast from her lap, forlorn!

From thy dead lips a clearer note is born

Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!

   While on mine ear it rings,

Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,

   As the swift seasons roll!

   Leave thy low-vaulted past!

Let each new temple, nobler than the last,

Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,

   Till thou at length art free,

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!