invitation with work by Don Baker and Barbara Brandel

Re-Visions 2009, was the fourth exhibit at Tohono Chul Park for art made from reclaimed materials. Creative work from 31 Tucson-area artists was on display.

Peggy Hazard, then assistant exhibit curator at Tohono Chul Park, reminds us that, “folk recycling has taken place in the creative expressions of people all over the world, such as houses and grottoes built from glass bottles, ubiuqitous ‘muffler men’ standing on the curbs of almost every U.S. town, or the resourceful mid-twentieth century practice of stitching flour sacks into dishtowels, quilts, and clothing. These expressions are refereshing antidotes to the mass production of bland, soon-obsolete objects and the depletion of the earth’s resources.”

my transformed fashion in good company with Janet Soares' work

 This first photo shows a vignette of my upcycled and transformed fashion. Sorry for the bad photo and blinding flash, but this is my only documentation. It was a delightful assemblage of textures and colorways.

“Sigrid”, a reclaimed and transformed coat with appliqued felted sweater petals, appeared in the premiere issue of Altered Couture magazine. This coat was also featured in my solo show Transformations: Rescued clothing into Re-imagined Couture, at the Art Institute Tucson.

On the wall, and in the case are carryall bags handcrafted from recycled sweaters. Each one has been thoughtfully crafted and skillfully executed…guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

Janet Soares is the creator of the stunning upholstery fabric on the chair and ottoman. The fabric is hooked from discarded wool clothing that is over-dyed and cut into strips. Stunning.

hobo sweater bag with belt handle and necktie clutch

 

The Tohono Chul Park Re-Invisions show ran 21 May through 23 August 2009 at Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N Paseo del Norte, Tucson, Arizona 85704 www.tohonochulpark.org 

invitation to the Art Institute Tucson show with "Sigrid" on the front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.karenlukacsonline.com

www.karenlukacs.etsy.com

 

Initial sketch for postcard

Wish You Were Here is a non-juried exhibit of one-of-a-kind fiber art postcards at Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, Arizona. It is open to artists from around the globe. Each participant mails a 4×6 fiber-based card, naked and without cover, to Tohono Chul Park. The first exhibit in 2006, received 215 fiber art postcards from all over the United States, Canada, Australia and Belgium.

The cards are to be made of fiber, and document real or imagined experiences and/or places in Arizona. Quilting, sewing, weaving, tapestry, embroidery, beading and handmade paper are fiber techniques used in the creation of these miniature works of art.

Here is my 2006 entry, Saguaro National Park, with the saguaro in bloom. The Saguaro Cactus is a large, columnar cacti with smooth, waxy skin and are unique to this area. The vertical ribs are adorned with 2″ spines. In May and June, creamy white flowers bloom in clusters at the branch endings. These saguaro blossoms are the state flower of Arizona. 

Saguaro National Park fiber art postcard entry

The desert ground is torn and randomly stitched fabric. You can see the original of this fabric forming the bottom and right side of the card frame. The blue sky is velour. The saguaro are all cut from the same fabric with the smaller ones glued to the ground. I think this green fabric was a remnant from a deconstructed skirt. French knots form the saguaro blossoms. In the foreground, the closeup saguaro was created by first stitching vertical lines on 2 layers of the fabric to form the columns. A filler was added to these channels. The filled channel fabric was then stitched to another base with batting. This process helped shape the curve of the saguaro trunk with the dimensional ribs.Course, wirey thread embroidery on the edges simulates the spines. ARIZONA was laser printed on an adhesive fabric in red and stitched over with blue thread. Read and blue…University of Arizona.

detail of french knot blossoms and desert ground

closeup of saguaro rib

 Tohono Chul Park is an Arizona State Treasure. On 49 desert acres in Tucson, Arizona, nature, art and culture connect. 2010 is the 25th anniversary of this beautiful and unique desert preserve. www.tohonochulpark.org.

A thrift store find, this baby blue crew neck sweater, was transformed into a Chanel-style jacket. “Coco” was published in the January/February 2008 issue of Belle Armoire magazine.

article in Belle Armoire on "Coco"

  

And now, for the finishing. Silk dupioni lining and a bit of bling. The sparkles came from an old, acrylic sweater…a thrift store find. The sweater would never be worn again, but the beads still had life in them. Each bead was hand sewn onto the jacket, in a free form design, both front and back.

“Coco” also hung in the show, Karen Lukacs: Transformations, at the Art Institute of Tucson, first quarter, 2009. 

The challenge: design and produce a garment embellished with live flowers. My solution: a two piece suit with a huge collar and cuffs of live flowers.

The process began with 2 recycled cotton v-neck sweaters. The larger man’s sweater was steeked up the front and the sleeves removed. The smaller ladies’ sweater front and back were refashioned into the jacket sleeves. The front of the smaller sweater required piecing to fill in the v-neck for the sleeve length.

With the exception of the sleeve insertion into the jacket body, the jacket was handstitched. Cables were tucked together for shaping and fit. This technique offered a beautiful detail as well as facilitating construction.

A vintage Albert Nipon thrift store find completed the suit with a perfect color and texture match. The skirt was deconstructed, recut and new lining installed. Due to inherent flaws in the skirt hem, it was left raw and unfinished. All other garment edges were finished with tricot binding.

Accessories included an upcycled necktie clutch from the Necktie Collection (www.karenlukacs.etsy.com) and a lovely cocktail hat from Margo Nickel at www.hatshadows.com

Thank you to Diane Hartman, Director of Resource Initiatives at the University of Arizona Museum of Art; Georgeanne Fimbres, fashion design and clothing instructor at Pima Community College; Amy Haskell, www.haskellphotography.com. It was a delightful evening in great company.

The handles are Indian beaded belts found in souvenir shops. Different colorways make it more interesting as they work  with the sweater graphics. Metal feet protect the bottom of the bag, helping  it stand. Inside pockets keep everything together as the top closes with a magnetic snap.