Us art lovers often have favorite painters--artists we read about and whose artwork stops us in our tracks as we wander through museums and art galleries. For me, Mark Rothko is this artist. I have always been drawn to his large-scale masterpieces and the Rothko Room at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. may be one of my favorite places to admire his work.
Art often inspires my fashion design work so it is no surprise that I have designed and sewn a dress based on one of Rothko's beautifully colorful paintings. I admire his understanding of colors and their interactions.
Art often inspires my fashion design work so it is no surprise that I have designed and sewn a dress based on one of Rothko's beautifully colorful paintings. I admire his understanding of colors and their interactions.
 | When I first saw this art piece and started thinking of designing a dress referencing the colors in this painting, I was a little intimidated. Would dark blue, vivid red, and bright orange work in a dress? Yes, they would! Rothko knew the power of color. Take a look below at my sketchbook and the finished design. I love wearing this dress! "Blue, Orange, Red" by Mark Rothko. 1961. Saatchi Collection, London, UK. |
I wanted to honor Rothko's use of proportions in the painting so the blue fabric is prominent in my design. Red made it into a thin belt and the bright orange beautifully frames the skirt hem.
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The dress is easy to slip into as it has a full-length zipper on the back. And what a fun zipper! I love the red in the painting and decided to go with a bright red zipper in my dress. It makes a wonderfully visually-appalling statement.
You can see the close relation art and fashion can have. It always makes me happy to explore this interaction as it continues to prompt ideas for my fashion design work.
Do you have an artist you admire? Has a piece of art inspired something you created? Let me know!
Do you have an artist you admire? Has a piece of art inspired something you created? Let me know!