Transfer Time

This scene pretty much sums up how I felt at the fashion program. While I love many aspects of Fashion Design, it wasn't the right fit for me. The Otis Fashion Program was geared to set one up with the skills and connections to work in a very commercial environment that housed a large staff of faceless designers. I felt stifled creatively, so during my Junior year, I transferred to the Fine Arts Department. Since, I started there second semester, I had to jump right into making drawings and paintings to fill the class requirements. I didn't have much direction, so I just made a series of portraits of me and my friends cause we were all available to pose.

J

FASHION!

My interest in costuming began in the Fashion Design program at Otis. It was also here that I made my first attempt at making my own. Look at me! I'm Ms Pacman!

Originally, I double majored in Fashion Design and Fine Arts, but when I transferred to Otis from CCAD, I could only choose one major, so I went with Fashion Design. While I was there each class was assigned a mentor from a established clothing company to create a cohesive collection under his/her guidance.

Here's some I did with Ocean Pacific:

and David Meister:

Here's a Fashion Illustration from the "rock star" assignment, which was to illustrate a famous rock star specifically wearing denim, leather, silk and feathers.


Born in the U. S.AAAAEEEEAAAY


J

College Time

Even though I wanted out of Ohio, I decided to follow my high school sweetheart to Columbus, Ohio, to go to CCAD, which was just minutes away from Ohio State, where the boyfriend went to school. I really enjoyed the foundation year program at CCAD. It was grueling, but the traditional and somewhat conservative curriculum gave me the guidance and discipline I needed.

I spent two years in Columbus, where I majored in Fashion and minored in Painting. Surprisingly, the Fashion Department at CCAD was the only nontraditional program there. Of course, we learned the basics of sewing, fashion illustration, pattern drafting, and draping, but equal amounts of time were spent learning about fabric dyeing techniques, silk screening garments, tailoring and the properties of the textiles we were working with, (which was my favorite part of my time in the fashion department).

Here's this monkey I drew for an assignment during my foundation year.


Columbus is one of those secretly arty cities that extended off the CCAD campus and spread though out the city. While I was living there, I knew other artists in the community and posed for several local painters. Here's this one guy. I wish I remembered his name.

The summer before I left Columbus to move to Los Angeles and transfer colleges to attend a more rigorous Fashion program at Otis College of Art and Design, I posed for Terry Rogers.

About a year after the move I saw this painting of Terry's on the cover of Flaunt Magazine. (I'm in the middle wearing a white robe). Work it out Terry!

Here I am again.

Hello roots? You don't have to be that real, Terry!

J