Cay Denise

Update (9/22/2024):  Iris Apfel's last book was gratefully received and gently read shortly after reaching my hands.  If you have the book but haven't read it already or are thinking about getting it, be ready...the book is COLORFUL -- literally!   Reading it is like visiting with a bright and sassy spirit.  Iris was an adventurer, a woman who charted her own path and lived life her own way.  Along that way, she and her husband, Carl, developed an amazing textile fabrication company (Old World Weavers) that focused on replicating designs of 17th through early 20th century textiles.  In particular, the book has lovely photos of their company's works.   In addition to this interior design work, she grew a collection of apparel and accessories that were unmatched -- so much so, there have been exhibits of selected outfits from her collections.  What can be said is that they range in textures, patterning, colors and sometimes even verge on ostentatiou...

This recent piece is based on a painting by W.H. Egleton of Philippa of Hainault, consort of King Edward III of England.  It was painted sometime between the 1830s and 1860s.  She lived from the early 1300s to 1369. I took the liberty of modifying Egleton's source image by upturning the lips so she seems more approachable as opposed to the somewhat deadpan expression in his painting.  That said, his work is very nice. What I particularly like in the above -- is the pencil shading done below the top hand so that the arm looks a bit raised from the body and the 3-D sense of that hand shape.  I also like the shading around the throat that gives it a more realistic appearance.  

I happened to be going through a series of images to decide what to draw today and found a colorful photograph of Iris that fit the bill.  Using Muji pen, pencil, watercolor and markers, the drawing below isn't perfect but it does capture the sense of Iris as female fashion maven of bohemian elegance and style.  Interestingly, it wasn't until later today AFTER the image was drawn and dry, I learned of her passing.  What synchronicity! In thinking more about her, it was Iris Apfel's ability to mix distinctly different and, at times, clashing garments with a range of embellishments (sometimes gaudy, sometimes architectural, sometimes cultural, sometimes flea market finds) that resulted in amazing ensembles that only she could wear!   Her personal/career story is amazing too and when you'd expect she would have retired, she was drawn into a second career in fashion in her 80s.  Having lived to 102, Iris embraced an identity that transcended her roots that she would...