Sharing her evolution of "ARTS" Nicky Ruxton inspires us all

 
 

Mixed-Media Industrial Artwear - Nicky Ruxton with Ruxton Designs

 

I first saw Ruxton Designs at Cañada College Fashion Department's 22nd Annual Designer Show and Sale:

https://www.facebook.com/ArtistryinFashion The Designer Sale showcases unique hand-crafted jewelry, artisan dyed, woven, painted, and felted textiles. They also show antique, vintage, and re-purposed fashions.  I really enjoyed the event.  This is where local, independent designers and artisans are selling their latest creations.  (Mark your calendar for next year’s show, scheduled for September 28, 2013)


Nicky was exuberant and friendly and excited about what she creates and the people who admire it.  We chatted, enjoying her designs and how fresh her ideas were.  At first glance you see she clearly has a deep mixed media background.  But it wasn’t until she came to speak for our group that you learned about her art background and how these delightful creations came to be.

At the Haute Couture Societe in Stockton on Saturday February 2, Nicky gave a wonderful and enlightening retrospective of her creative background and transformation of her designs. 
 
One might call it a timeline of how her work has evolved, reassuring all of us in the room the we too can embrace our evolving “craft”.   

 


 Immediately one notices Nicky’s large smile and enthusiastic energy as she shared her journey.  We were nodding in agreement as sewers, crafters, mixed media novices - evolving in our own way.

Nicky as a young girl loved drawing & coloring.  It was not a surprise with her the exciting way she told of "Going outside the lines."  Nicky never had art classes growing up. Art was not  celebrated in her home.  She loved to draw and as a teen copied cartoons out of the Sunday paper. This deep love to drawing only grew, and she began her career using those untrained yet highly skilled ideas as a graphic artist. She showed some of her early work, and it was well done and professional.

Next she took her expert line drawings and reinvented them onto fabrics.  But this talk was more than technique and inspiration.  Nicky got personal and deep, talking of "her truth."  She spoke of her work as “weeds scattered out and still growing".
Nicky related back to sewing sharing how she too grew up in a home where her mom sewed.  She laughed as she identified with our world saying she understands the difference in craft scissors and sewing scissors.  This is where she experimented with tools and supplies and later sewing free forms stuffed "pillows"

Nicky was one of the “original” green up-cyclers.  She was always on the lookout for discarded materials she could “save” and use to create something new and “fun”.  She found some discarded cardboard and newspapers that she used to create inventive and whimsical boxes. Cutting out the scraps of cardboard she used gesso and paper Mâché techniques to create these fun free form treasures.

Nicky’s talk was refreshingly funny as she timelines her career and more importantly she shares some thoughts about life. You see Nicky has been learning all about “life” through her fingertips.  Through creating new and interesting designs to share and enjoy.

Next as a “lover of collages" Nicky began rubber stamping, stitching, ripped magazines and found objects to make collages from organic looking brown grocery bags.  Wittle stitching, she used “words” to tell her inner thoughts. In those journals she talked about philosophy and how her journey moved along.

She talked about how nice it is to not be over happy or sad but live in the “middle.”  Words of encouragement and a room full of nods showed many crafters desire this middle ground.

She also crafted “glue books.” Gluebooks” look like a cross between art journals and collage. Collect the paper you love from your daily life, and turn it into art by cutting out pictures, word collage pieces, and textures that you love to cover a journal.

Nicky attributes her feeling of success to “enjoying one’s self.” We looked at her beautiful and interesting “soul collage cards” and talked about dreaming.  

 I best understood SoulCollage^® by visiting the SoulCollage website.  They describe SoulCollage as a creative and satisfying collage process. You make your own deck of cards - each collage card representing one aspect of your personality or Soul. Use the collage cards intuitively to answer life's questions and participate in self-discovery. Joyfully deepen your understanding of the relationships between your personality parts, you and your family/community/world, and you and your dreams, symbols, and Spirit. The book, SoulCollage^® Evolving, tells how to make and use the SoulCollage^® cards individually and in groups.

This information came from: http://www.soulcollage.com/about-soulcollage

Last she showed her "self portrait" sharing how she reads the cards, questions a question and how to interpret them.
I'd love to make a collage on some notebooks so I'll keep you posted on an upcoming post.

Friday I'll write about the work shop, so check back!

Enjoy your Tuesday!  Jonelle'

Christopher Collins a favorite from Project Runway

Christopher Collins American Fashion Designer

Christopher Collins – After Project Runway

 September is the month we think of fashion.  Nearly every fashion magazine is bulging with inspiration and the latest in color, fabrics and fashions.  This past weekend I had the opportunity to hear from Christopher Collins, California fashion designer and celebrity who participated in Project Runway, Season 8.  He was charming, knowledgable and shared so much with our group.

Christopher Collins, in gray vest and jeans, contestant on Project Runway Season 8

It was a Saturday morning, Christopher Collins was the guest lecture at the Haute Couture Society meeting in Stockton CA.  This nonprofit organization is designed to celebrate the creative arts, design, and fashion. Christopher gave a power point presentation showing his upcoming fall line and his philosophy around design.  He also took us on a look back at his experience with Project Runway Season 8 where he was a contestant.

 

They came the "eye candy"  He showed his power point with pictures from his Fall line of clothering:

 





 

Prior to national recognition as a Season 8 Project Runway contestant, Christopher Collins was already gain­ing recognition as an emerging designer that multiple publications noted as “someone to watch.” As a Gen Art honoree and a "Resident Talent" for Lucky Magazine, Christopher Collins is an unstoppable force in fashion. Made in California his designs are created with European and Japanese textiles, each garment demonstrates quality, luxury, high fashion and femininity with great fit too. He is also a popular instructor at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco (FIDM).
Christopher shared his thoughts on design with our group:
“Look at an object and not what it is literally but what it could be.”

Growing up he talked enthusiastically about his mother and how creatively she lived.  He talked about how she sewed children's books, aprons, and child development specialties.   She used scraps to complete many projects.  She collected sewing trims, scraps and buttons into a box throwing in  craft items, she would get this box out and let the kids dig through and “play.”  It was that creative encouragement that sparked Christopher’s own creativity.

 

Christopher smiled as he openly admitted that he was fearless in his 20's. His fashion career really started when he worked as a visual merchandiser for Neiman Marcus where he gained insight into the luxury market. Christopher earned his degree in fashion design at San Francisco State University. Christopher then moved to Los Angeles to design for two well-known evening wear fashion designers—Tadashi and Dina Bar-el.

The mission of the Christopher Collins brand is to empower women through fashion.
The Christopher Collins brand represents quality and creating Beauty - making women look Beautiful.

 

He tried a few of his pieces on an attendee.  They look so nice on.  I looked at them more closly (from the first row) and saw they were very well made.  You can see on the screen the ensomble.

A highlight of his careen was the Project Runway opportunity.  It opened the doors to the possibility of his 2010 collection to be picked up in New York.  His collection was shown during New York fashion week. His customer is the fashion conscious, powerful woman who wants ease and chic.  He wants his customer to feel beautiful and strong when wearing his line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently he was asked to dress actress Andie MacDowell who plays a lead character on the new series: Jane by Design”   In the upcoming ABC Family original series Jane By Design, Andie MacDowell plays a “glamorous fashion executive who travels the world in search of the next big style trend. “  In other words, we can’t wait to see what trends Christopher will be introducing.  I’m defiantly going to DVR this one. http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/jane-by-design Watch ALL NEW episodes Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC Family! Follow them on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/abcfjane

Other high profile projects Christopher Collin’s has designed recently include:  A dress for the “Glamorama” a fashion show and concert sponsored annually by Macy’s and benefitting Children’s Cancer Research

Another design project Christopher Collins talked about was a bottle he designed for Absolute Vodca.  Christopher LOVES San Francisco, so was honored when they alsked him to design the destionations bottle.  If the city of San Francisco were to be bottled, it would taste of grape, dragon fruit and papaya — exotic flavors that capture the unique mix of cultures, ethnicities and culinary heritage of a thriving, colorful city. At least, that’s what one vodka maker thinks. In the latest edition to a city-series ‘sonic ambassador,’ fashion designer Christopher Collins was asked to design the bottle. Now he is branching out into other types of design.

Christopher talked in detail about how one can search for inspiration. He said he is inspired by historical fashion, especially the Elizabethan fashion and Rococo fashions  of the 18th century.   He talked of the silks, taffeta, and needlework. Textures create romance & mood.

He shared his insights on looking at architecture.  If you design something Victorian then stand and get a photo In front of a Victorian home. Look at the Transamerica building then design something modern and streamline. This is why he loves living in San Francisco as there is so much inspiration around him.

He encouraged us to go to creative places.  Nature is another place for inspiration. He loved the outdoors, the harmony, smells, sounds, and freedom it represents.  Deserts are so mysterious; take Sedona’s red rocks, beaches course sand, a roaring river.

He suggested getting out and experiencing other cultures.  Look at crossing different cultures with other backgrounds their authentic costumes of a culture, jewelry, arts, and accessories. You can find color inspiration and quality in their techniques and what they have made.

Take a look at people. We inspire each other, from Opera Winfrey to Lance Armstrong, from the young royal couple, to the Olympic contenders, from Marilyn Monroe to Gandhi.

Literature inspires him; music inspires him.  Music is also a great inspiration for fashion.   From Lady Gaga to the classics of the rat pack - music provokes different feelings.  He suggested you play music while creating.  Try inspirational music that reflects what you have in mind for the style; have it playing in the background while you create.

"Fashion is an epic moment."

Christopher suggested that one use a story board to display your ideas, using swatches of fabric and pictures that evoke an image you are trying to achieve.  This will help you to get your arms around the look and feeling of the inspiration.  Take this energy, these images, and you will craft the “look” in no time. 

 

Tomorrow I will talk about the workshop the Haute Couture Society hosted.  Christopher Collins led the workshop, sharing inspiration and ideas with those attending.