Work Shirts - Loose Works!

Work Shirts - do you wear them while you're in the studio?  I seem to wear my work shirts most of the time.  They are roomy, which is a requirement for me - I need space / no constraints in my clothing.  I developed an entire series based on 'Loose Works' both in my clothing designs and my flat wall paintings.  I'll talk about the paintings in a different post.

This work shirt is one I made a number of years ago in a cotton flax blend and it is as soft in feel as a well-worn blanket.  The pattern is Issey Miyake Vogue 1476, which I call the big shirt pattern.  I've made several of these shirts, adapting them to certain constraints - like not having enough fabric and making short sleeves and narrowing the width, using a collar or no collar.

I've painted fabrics for garments using various techniques.  I draw shapes and details, then explore those with color.  I stand back and listen both while I'm drawing and while I'm painting.  My body guides the making, whether from my own memory or a universal sense of knowing.  

I drew the shapes, and then laid in some color.  This is the front.

The shirt is on the mannequin, topped with one of my hand-made berets, and is ready for me to slip into for the day's studio practice.  (Off to the right on the dress form is an original design shirt called 'Meet Van Gogh.') 

The back line drawing felt like a bird, maybe with elements like an eagle.  I explored that with color, and decided not to overwork with color, but left a lot of the line drawing to be just that, black on white.

The back of the shirt.  The sleeves will remain white for now.

Thanks for stopping in - your comments are welcome.