Design

justiceSwagga, by Rae Mayfield Godson

vocafeminadmin — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:03:23 +0000

Rae Mayfield Godson is a designer of unique fashions for women. She lives and works in the Phoenix, AZ, area. About her work Rae writes,

My therapist said I should get a hobby and I was stumped cause I’m not real ‘hobbyish.’ I saw a book about altering t-shirts and I said, ‘hmmmm…’ So I practiced using those old vacation shirts girls get and only wear to sleep in. I began ripping, tying, shredding until I was comfy enough to try my ‘hobby’ on THE 2Pac Shirt… I had it on one day and a store owner asked where I got the shirt, I gave the Readers Digest Version, brought some into his store… The Blue Jean Buyers Vintage T-shirt to sell…was asked what my ‘Label’ was… didn’t have one, but good thing the Superbowl Party we’d gone to had us giver ‘Stage Names’ for their bid board and mine was justiceSwagga. The owner of 7th Heaven saw my stuff in the first store and called me, so I now have them there too. It’s been crazy, outta control, never would’ve thought ….

One thing’s for sure~Strippers and Sorority Girlz LOVE’EM

…which is one reason I chose to donate 10% of every sale, to an organization whose sole mission is to STOP Human Trafficking in the Sex Trade.

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Unpacking, by Charlotte Butler Sulafia

vocafeminadmin — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:02:25 +0000

My artwork takes me back to college when I recently left home and started unpacking all that I had learned. I created the outside of each piece first and then used a tool to dig out the inside. Then I used earthy rubs on each one before it was fired. I wanted it to have a “found object” or “artifact” feel to it.

I’m a wife and mom of a blended family, I run a home business as well as a coaching program for moms to assist them to find balance in life and to pursue their passions.

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Magic Carpet Dance Arts Pendant, by Cynthia Smith Topp

vocafeminadmin — Fri, 14 May 2010 22:00:27 +0000

Cynthia Smith Topp is a writer, world-traveler, belly dancer and outdoors woman, living in Arvada, Colorado. Check out her etsy shop: Magic Carpet Dance Art, or check out her tribal fusion belly dance group on Facebook – Anam Cara Dance Company.

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I am a belly dancer, a writer, a traveler, and an artist. I love the culture of the Silk Road lands, from China, Mongolia, and India, through Central Asia, and on to Turkey and North Africa. I’ve watched Uzbek women weave traditional carpets, tying knot after knot of silk. I’ve danced with my Turkish friends in their homes to music blaring from their version of MTV. I’ve been captivated by painted tiles I’ve seen in mosques. The intricate swirls and paisleys of a bride’s henna-painted hands awaken my imagination.

I work out of my home, with my sewing machine often on our dining room table, my jeweler’s workbench in the garage, and squeezing time from between a full-time job for a land conservation agency, and my other favorite pursuits: rock-climbing, mountain biking, bird watching, and cross-country skiing. All my pieces, whether textiles or metalwork, are inspired by the patterns and designs of the Silk Road. May they inspire you to dance and live with grace and beauty.

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Case for Dresses, by Melody Epperson

vocafeminadmin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:24:57 +0000

Melody Epperson is an interdisciplinary artist working in Arvada Colorado. She teaches art, music and drama at Jefferson County Open School to elementary aged children. She combines sound, visual art, video, performance art and dance to ask questions such as: What does it mean to dance alone and with others? What endures? What is a woman? Where is the journey taking me? What is connection? What is good and evil? View more of her thematic approach to creating at her website: web.me.com/melodyepperson/Site/Welcome.html.

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Leathercraft Messenger Bag, by Bobbie Jo Morrell

vocafeminadmin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:48:41 +0000

Bobbie Jo Morrell is a mountain woman, poet, writer, leather crafter, rustic furniture builder, cat owner, technical writer, website designer. She says, “Colorado’s Front Range, with the smell of pine trees in the cool air of morning, is my home.” Her blog address: http://soulscompass.blogspot.com/.

___________________________________________________________________________________________Back in the late 1940′s my mom learned leathercrafting–because she decided to take shop instead of home economics in high school. In the 1970′s I found her box of tools, and began to learn the craft from her. My dad, resourceful man, made me many tools out of nails, and I bought books about figure carving on leather from that reliable font of leather, Tandy.

When I left for college I left the leather behind. But about 10 years ago my mom discovered the box of leather crafting tools again in her closet and brought them to me. Since then my love of leather carving has been renewed and I have very much enjoyed experimenting with designs, techniques, and low-tech leather cases for high-tech gadgets. I still have some items that my mom made when she was in high school. Leather is tough and durable, and a perfect medium for long lasting and practical art.

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Self-Portrait of Anyone, by Jennifer Herrick

vocafeminadmin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:09:29 +0000

Jennifer Herrick is a visual artist, designer, photographer and writer, who has a home studio in Thornton, CO. She is a co-founder of Voca Femina and the designer of this website.

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This mosaic piece was conceived as a self-portrait of anyone. It’s a mixed-media piece with mixed messages! The mirrored part reflects our image and perhaps our almost automatic thoughts of ourselves. Surrounding the mirror are beautiful fragments and pieces with kinder messages that call out a more affirming truth – “Only you are you”, “You are beautiful…”, “Just as you are”, etc. It’s an intentional contrast set up to be a reminder for whoever gazes into it. All of the pieces and parts of your story, broken or beautiful, are what make you who you are. Your distinctive design is different from mine or anyone else’s–and is a gift that can be offered to the world.

My hope is to prompt an inner response from the viewer as they engage in the reflective conversation.

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Hope for Afghanistan Jacket, by Ethel Swartley

vocafeminadmin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:53:59 +0000

Ethel Swartley is an English language instructor at the University of Denver (Colorado), a quilt artist, a daughter, a wife and a mother. Although she majored in writing as an undergrad student, she really began learning about creativity when her daughters were born. In trying to raise two confident women, and with the encouragement of artistic friends, Ethel began exploring what it means to be female reflecting the image of Someone whose first verbal revelation was, “In the beginning, God created…” Check out some of her other creations here.

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The front of this jacket (pictured on my homepage) uses an Afghani piecework pattern developed by Helen Bressler from a textile she saw while working in Afghanistan. Helen says the pattern reminded her of the missiles flying over her hotel during that stay. As I worked with this pattern, I felt depressed for all that the Afghani people have been through in their recent history. To combat that depression with hope, I got online and looked for hopeful images in indigenous Afghan textiles. As a result, I found the Tree of Life which I incorporated in the sleeves of my jacket, the sunflowers or starbursts which I included on the shoulders, and a traditional carpet star or cross which I used as the central figure on my back. The creation of this jacket became an act of meditation, a prayer for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

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The Light of the World Shines on Women, by Ethel Swartley

vocafeminadmin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:56:38 +0000

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This collaborative quilt is made from fabrics collected in the U.S. and Africa, with original multicultural blocks contributed by nine different women. The central brass medallion is a “woman’s passport” from Burkina Faso, a pendant worn by a tribal woman traveling as an official representative from one village to another. The center bottom block is embroidered with a Japanese word meaning “exalted one.”

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design

vocafeminadmin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:05:20 +0000

To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” -Georgia O’Keefe

Because design underpins every artistic creation, this category is open to many types of expression in both 2 and 3 dimensions. We especially want to see your unique ideas carried to conclusion in objects of function and beauty, your intricate patterns, your ethereal illustrations, your skillful compositions with text and shape, your unusual and charming jewelry pieces, your…well, you get the idea. So design away!

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God: Not in Box

vocafeminadmin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:27:26 +0000

Jennifer Herrick is a visual artist and has had her own design business since 1995. She has helped many non-profits upgrade their image via logo and printed materials. She now finds herself immersed in all things web and on a never-ending learning curve.

This piece was created at the same time as her poem, God: Not in Box.
It was then translated into a similar painting on canvas.

detail from painting

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