Much has happened in the past few years. My husband passed away and my son and I now live together in the house we lived in years ago. I have a great little workroom in our new/old home and my most recent works are small skeletal wire figures. I’m planning to feature them in a display for the South Pas Library in October. 

two more recent automata experiments

 

 I am taking a break from shoe making, whether permanent or temporary remains to be seen. For new inspiration I am experimenting with automata.  This simple Halloween inspired piece is my second automaton and my first original piece.  Making it was a great experience and more challenging than I expected.

 The shoes are back in the South Pas Library for the next 2 months.

 I forgot to post last year that just before lockdown I visited an exhibition, 'A Step Beyond: Contemporary Footwear, Functional to Fashionable' at the Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis Parsons and met the curator, Jo Lauria, who was giving a tour to a group of friends.  As I was the only other person in the gallery she invited me to join them. That evening I sent her an email to thank her for including me and mentioned, somewhat sheepishly, that I made miniature shoes. To my astonishment she replied that she had heard of me from shoemaker Chris Francis and had hoped to contact me to include some of my work in the exhibition but had been unable to find me on social media.  Quel dommage!  It would have been an honor to be a part of that show.

 I love this face.  But I think it will remain an unfinished idea. Creative work has been hard to keep in focus as my husband's cancer progresses.  I work in fits and starts.  

I am not at all inclined to make shoes now but that may make room for new inspiration in the future, perhaps for something completely different. 

This is an introspective time, very rich in unexpected ways but circumscribed.  So be it.

playing with dolls

When I first began making miniature shoes it 

was a result of experiments with doll making. 

The impulse to make small figures receded but 

percolated in the background.  Now it has 

resurfaced and I am happily playing with ideas. 

We'll see where (if anywhere) it leads.

 

    

'ephemera'

My sister suggested naming it 'Be what you is'
which I thought was an excellent name. But once
it was finished I thought it needed a name that
reflected its fragility. It could easily disintegrate.

This upper was made like paper mache but with dried skeletal leaves. I kept wanting it to be more complex or more colorful or just more...
But I finally decided to let it be.

'virology'

Wood platform dotted with
brass and copper brads.

The shoe is copper treated with
vinegar, salt and ammonia.

I love the blue patina

pandemic

The South Pas Library is closing so I will retrieve my shoes in a day or two. I expect to reinstall the  collection later in the year when things settle down.

back in south pas

I installed the collection in the South Pasadena Library today but forgot to photograph the display. There are now more than 40 and they still fit in a very easy to carry sample case.  There is certainly an advantage to working in miniature.

It's good to see them gathered together.  I don't display them at home so it's like seeing old friends.

'Earthbound'

A galaxy tethered to terra firma

Chopine #2 .

Papier mache, wire, 

wood, acrylic paint.

Next stop, 

South Pas Library 

in March.

'Ringmaster'

Chopine #1

My chopine inspired roller skate.
It may require explanation...
but I don't have one.
LOL

Form

Design

      An idea in the making.
      A chopine inspired
      roller skate???

chopines

Once again using the small lasts plus a new last in the making.

I'm beginning an experiment with chopines, the bizarre but intriguing platform shoes in fashion in 15th-17th century Venice. Historic examples are inspiring me but will not dictate what I do. I may try inlay, or perhaps embroidery or painting?

There is another historic style that interests me called a slap sole. I may try that later with the larger lasts.    We'll see...

papier mache #3

The tiny pink flowers were picked and pressed
in Death valley

The third and last of this 'triplet'.
I like that the side photo shows light
shining through the paper. I may try
more experiments with paper after I
retrieve my larger lasts from the library.
  

papier mache #2

Papier Mache #2
I'm going to make one more and call
them triplets. Fraternal of course :)

papier mache

This is the result of an experiment with
papier mache. There are also leather and
polymer clay elements.  Making these small
heels is the biggest challenge.

I used one of these small lasts. I'm undecided
whether the experiment was successful
but I enjoyed it.

'serpentine 2.0'

I don't generally make a shoe (or pair of shoes) twice but I liked the previous ones enough to want a pair for the collection.  These are styled a little differently and I'm pleased with them.  The toes are asymmetrical and I wish I had delineated that more distinctly because the subtlety gives an impression that may appear unintentional.
No matter.

'serpentine'

Another pair from the small lasts.  This is genuine snakeskin from a small piece I acquired years ago from a barrel of scraps at Tandy Leather. I made these as a gift which is something I seldom do and they will be a little hard to let go of.  But we are planning a road trip to Montana and I think the friends there will appreciate the gesture.