Coastal Canvas Products

Here is a preview of my latest gig at Coastal Canvas Products in Savannah, GA! I work in their Fabric Shop where we make custom awnings, shade sails and custom industrial jobs such as- fire truck hose bed covers, large grill covers, pool covers, outdoor chair covers, trailer covers, and special request jobs from local manufacturing companies. 

Savannah has become a popular location to film movies and fortunately that has brought us a few interesting jobs at Coastal Canvas Products. Our most recent job has been for the film Baywatch, staring The Rock and Zack Efron. We have been working on making custom fabric cabanas for their beach and pool side scenes, seat cushions and flags! 

http://www.coastalcanvas.net/our-facility

http://www.coastalcanvas.net/commercial-awnings

Coiling

There is something that attracts me to tedious artisanal natural processes and materials. Coiling is a form of meditation for me. The repetitious act of wrapping and building up a structured form is calming. I begin with a concrete idea of what I am making but as I go I almost always change my mind, whether it be the shape, color or pattern. It is a complete reflection of how I live my life.  

My favorite coiling materials at the moment: Jute and Manila rope, 100% Linen , Cotton and Wool yarns, Indigo- for dyeing white yarns. 

I have been working a lot with Indigo. I'm experimenting with dip-dyeing white coiled bow ties and also coiling with indigo hand dyed yarns. I'm really into the white and blues at the moment. 

Thaddeus O'Neil // SS16 // Print and Pattern

My first project at Thaddeus O'Neil was for his SS16 collection that was presented at his first fashion show at the New York Fashion Week: Mens on July 14th http://cfda.com/gallery/thaddeus-oneil-ss16

He presented me with a tropical fabric he wanted me to alter into his own. I created a block print of textures and manipulated them into stripes using Photoshop. He chose the one he liked the most and I screen printed the 3 yards of fabric by hand at the Gowanus Print Studio.  

Escape to the Yucatan Peninsula

We flew into Cancun rented a car and road tripped part of the Yucatan Peninsula. It was exhausting but one of the most colorful, cultural, inspiring experiences I have been on. 

Our first stop were the El Rey Ruins, then breakfast in the town of Valladolid, Cenote Xquequen, Chichen Itza, Cenote Ik Kil, Coba, and finally Isla Holbox. 

Thaddeus O'Neil // International WoolMark Prize USA // Process

I had so much fun helping Thaddeus execute his designs for The 2015/16 International WoolMark Prize USA regional finals presentation. It was an honor to be a part of this project- He was nominated as one of the top 10 fashion designers to compete for the 2015/16 International WoolMark Prize USA. 

Check out this link to learn more about The International WoolMark Prize: http://www.woolmarkprize.com/about/ 

Studio work has always been a passion of mine and being able to get back into it felt amazing. I hand dyed the Merino wool roving (loose fiber) with different shades of indigo. Timing is everything when dying with an Indigo bath- the longer the fiber sits in the bath the darker blue it will be. I then laid out the roving, wet felted large panels as the foundation of the design and then needle felted the panels onto the coat, hat and sculpted waves.  

Sleepless nights, blistered fingers from wet felting, sore arm from needle felting for hours, the smell of Indigo- it was worth every stain of blue on my skin and lack of shut eye to see the final product there is nothing more rewarding. This is me at my happiest. 

Lady bead

Started making what I call Lady Beads; coiled beads for women's necklaces. It is one of most recent my b.coiled projects.

Experimenting at the office

I was asked to experiment with several different textural finishes to help canvas sales. I used clear acrylic gels with sand, high gloss finish, matte finish, glass effect, crackle, and experimented with mixing color to the acrylic gel to embellish selected areas on the already printed canvas.

A day at the office

Here is a glimpse of my day-to-day at JLA Art in Savannah, Georgia.  Mass producing  giclee prints on canvas using 12 large format Roland printers. The prints are then cut , stretched , and packaged by our production department. Some of our customers include: Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Home Goods, Anna's linens, and many more.