Final Series - Olivia Collins

Olivia Collins

Cindy Rehm

Final Series

For my final series I wanted to base it off of fashion photographs. We focus this class on drawing all parts of the body but I wanted to experiment with parts of the body purposely covered with clothing. With fashion photographs, what the person is wearing is just as important as the individual. After some research I decided to use photographs from the Vampire’s Wife Pussybow collection as reference photos. What made me interested in these photos was that the designer, Susie Cave, is one of the few up and coming female designers. I also admire that she puts herself in the campaign photos. Two of the photos that I used as reference feature her in them. She also has traditionally set photos but she poses in unique ways, such as the photo where she is laying across the chair. She also utilizes her husband, Nick Cave, who also poses with one of her gowns. In the photo he is turned around and has the Pussybow dress placed over his shoulder. I was also drawn to the mystery that their whole bodies are in these photos but their faces are hidden. 

I created three watercolor paintings that have an emphasis in color temperature and showcasing what the body is when you can not see it. I only chose images that covered the face which forces the emphasis on the body. Both the people depicted in the images have black hair so to contrast against the brightness of the watercolor I decided to use black ink. The first two images feature the black ink in her hair and also on the little bits of her body that show such as her feet, fingertips and eyes. For the last image of the designer’s husband, I made his entire suit in ink, including his hair and shoes. The dress that is draped over his shoulder is painted in the same fashion as the dress his wife is featured in. I had the option to only make paintings of Susie Cave but the image of her husband helps break up the two similar paintings. I tried to keep a consistent background so all the paintings appear to be in the same room all together.