An act of worship...

 I never thought I'd be writing a post that puts Dolly Parton in the same bracket as Elizabeth 1st, yet here I am. Bear with me...

A few weeks ago I began a new embroidery portrait of Dolly as I'd wanted to create a 'sister piece' to the Joan Collins one I did a year or so ago.

Why these two?

I am drawn to people who use glamour as a way to express an identity yet stay completely true to themselves. People who know who they are, stay grounded, yet project a sense of genuine fantasy. I don't mean your average face of make up, they seem to be fulfilling something real but extra about themselves. These people are ambassadors of success through the created image. It's a very special trait, that to me, makes for a fascinating person and I want to capture some of what I feel through my work.

Each embroidery takes hours, and I mean hours to do. Stitch after stitch, sometimes unpicking whole sections in order to redo them. I fall into a kind of meditative state as I stare intently at Dolly Parton's face, all the while stitching with conviction... because I think she's great.

Then a friend pointed out the simple fact that there's no irony to what I'm doing; my work is in a sense, an act of worship. Suddenly I had an epiphany, like Dolly herself had reached down from the heavens and touched me!

My friend was right, these portraits encompass so much of what is important to me, ideas of identity, artifice and story telling. They speak of personal empowerment, celebration and a type of truth. They are my way of giving something usually thought of as trivial, sometimes even faintly ridiculous (Dolly would be the first to revel in her ridiculousness), a sense of gravity.

It was like a window opened up in my head...

...and that's where Elizabeth 1st comes into it...

A couple of weeks ago I happened across a video about a richly embroidered antique altar cloth which had been framed and hung in a small village church for decades. It was thought to have been dedicated to the church by one of Queen Elizabeth's 1st's servants, however on closer inspection, it turned out to be a dress that had been gifted to the servant by the queen and turned into an altar cloth. It is the only known surviving example of the monarch's clothing.

There is so much to unpack here; Firstly, the idea that the queen was held in such high regard by her people that her very garb was used as part of a religious act and given the highest honour.

During her reign Elizabeth constructed a powerful image for herself playing on the concept of the 'Virgin Queen', a being who blurred the lines of reality and myth to became an icon in her lifetime. She did this not just through her actions and words but through a very clever branding scheme that used cosmetics and clothing to speak the language of superiority and 'otherness'

Using the tools available to her as a woman to stake her claim, Elizabeth invested in the same balance of fantasy and truth that I venerate in Dolly and Joan.

There's also the fact the dress/altar cloth was hand embroidered. Elizabeth's women in waiting and servants would have stitched the fabric as their own acts of worship to the living icon, taking hours in doing so.

Both these acts of artifice and craftsmanship are generally regarded as female pursuits in the wider world and as such are not given the credence they deserve, yet they helped to cement Elizabeth in our minds as one of England's greatest monarchs.

There's a layering of ideas here where the similarities peak in the work I have been doing on my portraits. They speak the same language of glamour and female weighted craft both cosmetic and textile. This is something I really want to look deeper into.

I want to explore the language of worship through hand crafted images looking into how they have been used in the past and the present. I want to know why 'women's pursuits' such as needlework and beautifying have been down graded in importance and if they are now being embraced by a wider culture where gender fluidity is more accepted. With a glut of make up guru's across the gender spectrum ruling Youtube, are attitudes really changing?

I want to take a deep dive into the world of cosmetics and ask how making up helps and hinders the individual while closer examining the power of the artistry that can be created.

Not least of all I want to celebrate those individuals who inspire because of the 'otherness' they project through their flair for fantasy and finesse and try to pin down something of the essence that makes them the icons they are. 

In doing all of this I intend to expand upon the work I've been doing finding new ways to frame it's meaning.

This is a very exciting project to me and I'll be posting about it as I go, so join me next time to see where the glamour takes us...

MM Personal

As my online serial 'Mrs Brown's Diary' draws closer to it's final post this coming Sunday, it seems fitting that I have just finshed reading the book which inspired my project in the first place.

I first became aware of the existance of the book, 'MM Personal' when I read an article in Vanity Fair called 'The Things She Left behind'. The article covered the hidden cache of treasures left behind by Marilyn Monroe which had previously been unseen.

I found flicking throught the beautiful photos of everyday items like reciepts, perfume bottles and jewellery fascinating and I began to formulate the idea of basing an art work around belongings that told a story. I started by looking into female ephemera; the hub or altar of artifice, the dressing table. Readers sent in photos of their own dressing tables for me to display in the 'Dressing Table Gallery' and from there I went on to try and decypher the meanings and stories each photo hinted towards.

The gallery was excellent research for my collaborative project with Stoke Potteries Museum and Art Gallery where I was invited to give my response to the Decorative Arts collection housed in the museum. I knew straight away I wanted to create a 'room' with objects which told a story. What better room for gorgeous belongings and hidden meanings than a dressing room? The subsequent display has been on show at the museum since March and also finishes this coming Sunday, 11th September.

The objects took the lead in telling the story which is now transcribed in 'Mrs Brown's Diary', Mrs Brown being the fictitious owner of the dressing room, revealing it's secrets through her private musings.

I found MM Personal a wonderful insight into Marilyn's life, but also from an artists point of view found it creates an illustration of Marilyn without Marilyn, she is obviously absent but strangely present. Her choices, likes, dislikes and actions are in every document and item. 

It is my hope that the dressing room at Stoke's museum has a simlar atmosphere, and that Mrs Brown's Diary completes an evocative picture of an individual and a time inspired by objects.

Image by Mark Anderson www.markandersonphoto.com

 

Marilyn has once again been an inspirartion, this time not just because of her sex appeal or her acting work, but literally because of the things she left behind. Her half used Chanel No5 photographed so lovingly shows how the idea of a person could be transferred so eloquently onto objects. How a story can be contructed through clues left within belongings.

Dressing table gallery

Back again, this week's dressing table is from Alison Jayne Caddick from Manchester and I think it's a beauty!

This is one of those dressing tables a girl can't help but stare at because of all the lovely stuff piled onto it. A product junkie is how I'd describe Alison, with an extravert flair judging by the feathers and flamingoes. I think it creates a lovely personal portrait. Alison says of her dressing table;

'I only bought it in January when I moved into my first place. Wanted something really girly and big enough to make a mess on. Love the whole ritual of getting ready and felt this was adding to the fun'

Women of the web, I need YOU!

Yes, that's right, I need your help to begin an new art project that will take place on this very blog! As you may know, I am a fine artist and I specialise in celebrating femininity. My favourite subjects include vintage styles, pin -ups, films and burlesque. Over time I've delved into many facets exploring the nature of femininity through showmanship and theatrics.

I now want to begin a new study into that very same subject, but on a level which most women adhere to. Ladies, I want your dressing tables!

Well, actually I want photos of your dressing tables: To a degree many women put on a level of 'show' by transforming their appearance from day to day. I am a huge fan of cosmetics, and costume, and I live by the mantra I inherited from Dita Von Teese, 'Never underestimate the power of artifice'!

I have a new series of paintings in mind where it is the apparell and belongings of the subject which tell the story. But in order to gain a good insight into how this might work I want to begin by looking at the starting point of many women's days, the makeup station. The place where the magic happens! Just think what clues a ladies dressing table may tell about her!

I don't want images of perfection, I want photos which show how you left your dressing table this morning, your hair brush, make up brushes, lotions and potions, nic nacs and gee-gaws!

I then intend to post your photos weekly on this blog and build up a collection of images which might say more about you than any portrait ever could! This could be a really fun interactive project and I would love for you to get involved!

If you would like to participate I need these things:

A good quality photo of your dressing table ( It's completely up to you how you photo it )

Your name ( you will be credited for you image )

Your country of residence

And your age (but that is not compulsory!)

If you have a blog or website please also send the link which I will post alongside your photo

Send all images and info to: gemma-parker@hotmail.co.uk

Please be aware your photo could be posted on my blog available to view by everyone on the web! If you are uncomfortable with this let me know. All photos will be part of research for my paintings so elements of them may appear in forthcoming art work.

One last thing: Thank you!