Monday, November 03, 2008

Vintage Velvet

I have been busy creating for my next exhibition at the Deluxe Café (8 Kent Tce, Wellington) opening Monday 8th December.
Following on from my sell out exhibition ‘Velvet Resurrection’ last year and my win at the WOW awards with ‘The Birth of Velvet’, I have continued exploring the medium and come up with a collection of 'Pin Up Honeys'.
Sweet and sexy gals from the 40’s and 50’s, each are painted and airbrushed on hand cut shaped board stretched with velvet and finished with black felt backing and brass hanging ring. Every honey wears a piece of vintage jewellery and will be flanked by framed seamed (and sometimes silk) stockings in their original packaging. My works are around 45cm high (Carmen Miranda is a little taller because of her sumptous fruit basket hat…) Pictured here is 'Betty'.
If you want to see the works before the show, you may visit my studio at 26 Wright St, Mt Cook where they are in residence on my gallery wall, have a coffee with me and enjoy a bit of Vintage Velvet.

13 comments:

Maureen Crisp said...

I highly recommend seeing these works in the velvet flesh...so to speak...the photo's don't really do them justice... they are amazing!
here's to another sell out season!
but Fi...if you are offering coffee to all who flock in to the studio where will you find time to make more?

my word verification is bartlity...do you think that means...like patricia bartlett...would she have approved of the sexy honeys????
which could be a food product?..no lets not go there.
Maureen

Fifi Colston said...

Funny- I did a caricature of Pat Bartlett when I was a design school. I drew her with Y-front embellished horn rimmed glasses ala Dame Edna and had her cutting up film strips of boobs and bums!

Anonymous said...

I had to pay a visit to the headmistress for a dressing-down after having a run-in with Miss Bartlett when she came to speak to us in the 7th form!!

Mary McCallum said...

I still yearn for a bird, Fifi. When I've got enough spare cash I'd like to commission you...can't decide though: tui, huia, or wood pigeon....

Fifi Colston said...

I do have a very nice Saddleback available...

Anonymous said...

Why are we writers? Huh? They should change the thesaurus to have writer going with masochist. fifi, you are amazing so do this art thing and also write so well. Can we organise a protest movement or will it just shoot us in the head.
Tania Roxborogh

Fifi Colston said...

Haha- writers are revolting?
I can be revolting at times- mostly when not busy enough. My kids reckon they'll find me dead on the steps one day still clutching a bunch of egg cartons and an unfinished manuscript(that unfunded YA novel I suspect)When are you in town next- I feel a w(h)ine comimg on? When's the Vanda-Rox roadtrip?

Melinda Szymanik said...

OMG - its so beautiful. I wants one. Will they still be on exhibition in early January when I'm going to be in Wellington? I'll buy the coffee!

Melinda

Anonymous said...

gorgeous Fifi, I hope you post some more of these cutiepies on your site, bit far to get to your studio from Sydney for a peek...Still love your birds too. If you are not going to do any Aussie birds, any European ones perchance? I love the NZ ones, but they are a little hard to relate to - funny how birds are associated with memories...

Mary McCallum said...

Oh yes - a blackbird...

Anonymous said...

are there Blackbirds in NZ - introduced ones? I think we have a few introduced ones here....? Always think of that Beatles song, Blackbird sings in the dead of night...around here, it is a currawong usually!

Vanda Symon said...

Ooh-yeah, Vanda-Rox road trip. We'll be dynamite!

Love these Fifi, and the birds, but my favourites are the bugs.

Anonymous said...

Fifi, I was cheering my heart out at WOW when your "The Birth of Velvet" came on stage. I'd love to visit your workroom and take a peek at the 'Pin Up Honeys'.