I'm participating in this Art Walk in SF. This is a wonderful way to get my name out there, as a PAINTER!!!
Elise Cheval
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Wakeup Call and Some Like It Hot in Trashion Show in Sonoma County, April 21
Lorena and I will be struttin' our stuff in bubblewrap and vinyl on the catwalk at the Sonoma Trashion Show on April 21. There will be plenty of live music and refreshments to go around. OLE!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Project Green Runway photo-shoot at Rainbow Fabrics
Project Green Runway is underway, with our new website under development. So far, we have had a lot of fun at our photo-shoot at Rainbow Fabrics last Sunday. We've organized the Runway Show, with trashion created by Youth Leadership, to be at the Marin Sanitary Services on June 9.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Project Green Runway Workshops, Beginning April 6 at Rainbow Fabrics
Our photo shoot at Rainbow Fabrics Crafts & Things was a huge hit with our models in Elise's creations. Now, we are offering free workshops, where you can create your own trashion, and be part of the solution of removing plastics from the waste stream in Marin County.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Some Like It Hot and Wakeup Call in the Trashion Fashion Show at Sonoma Community Center, April 21
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Project Green Runway for Marin County Youth
Dear Art Lover and Friend,
Thanks to my recent Solo show, "A Woman For All Seasons", at O'Hanlon Center For the Arts, I'm pleased to announce that my new project, Project Green Runway, is on its way.
In Landmark Education, I am in Phase 3 of my Community Project called Self Expression Leadership Program, where 62 participants have coaches and leaders that help us succeed with our Community Projects. I created Project Green Runway on Feb. 15, 2012, for teens. Synchronities and "happenings" are over the top, including a Coach (out of 15), Tania Walters, who picked me, (before she knew I have a new art studio at Marin MOCA ) who has an art studio at MOCA! My partner Christin Anderson who found me through my article in the IJ and came to my Show at O'Hanlon has Belgian roots, through her father, and is an incredible quilter and needle arts woman, like my mother and myself, also Belgian, like Isabelle de Borchgrave, (Pulp Fashion). Plus, too many more syncs to mention here! There's nothing better than intentional living when it comes to registering folks in what you are UP to!!!
My DREAM website domain,www.upcyclerunway.com created in May, 2011, and awaiting development has morphed into yet another, catchier domain name,www.projectgreenrunway.com (under construction through Weebly).
Our new Blog, is a great place where participants can come together on our Project Green Runway Forum to share their ideas, creative process, post in-progress and final pictures of creative ecowear made out of every REusable, REcyclable, REpurposed material known to Humankind. Participants can check in with our videos and coming soon podcasts (I start my new film career, through a FREE orientation at Marin TV tonight!), for helpful DIY-like how-to's, hints and tips for all kinds of sewing techniques, knitting, crochet, hat-making, felting, painting on fabric, weaving, etc....
As Community, my partner Christin Anderson, and I are seeking 3-4 more leaders for our Project.
We meet on Fridays and Saturdays, 4-6 pm, at Rainbow Fabrics in Fairfax, free of charge, with a group of teens who will be learning valuable leadership skills while they create their fiber-artistry Ecowear. If you would like to get in at Ground level, or know someone who would like to participate in a Community Project that will be fun, educational and creative beyond your wildest dreams, where you can offer your valuable skills, teach if you like, and launch a new generation of empowered teenagers to a new Planet, please come to our Meeting on Thursday, May 15, at 3 pm, at our "office" at the new Good Earth in Fairfax.
As you can expect, our Project will be immensely successful with numerous media mentions, including newspapers, radio, TV, and social media about our upcoming Event, to be held at an influential organization, currently in the negotiation phase, in May, and forecasted for yet larger EVENTS such as the Marin County Fair in July and Earth Day Festival in 2013!!
DREAM BIG and they will come!
Elise
Thanks to my recent Solo show, "A Woman For All Seasons", at O'Hanlon Center For the Arts, I'm pleased to announce that my new project, Project Green Runway, is on its way.
In Landmark Education, I am in Phase 3 of my Community Project called Self Expression Leadership Program, where 62 participants have coaches and leaders that help us succeed with our Community Projects. I created Project Green Runway on Feb. 15, 2012, for teens. Synchronities and "happenings" are over the top, including a Coach (out of 15), Tania Walters, who picked me, (before she knew I have a new art studio at Marin MOCA ) who has an art studio at MOCA! My partner Christin Anderson who found me through my article in the IJ and came to my Show at O'Hanlon has Belgian roots, through her father, and is an incredible quilter and needle arts woman, like my mother and myself, also Belgian, like Isabelle de Borchgrave, (Pulp Fashion). Plus, too many more syncs to mention here! There's nothing better than intentional living when it comes to registering folks in what you are UP to!!!
My DREAM website domain,www.upcyclerunway.com created in May, 2011, and awaiting development has morphed into yet another, catchier domain name,www.projectgreenrunway.com (under construction through Weebly).
Our new Blog, is a great place where participants can come together on our Project Green Runway Forum to share their ideas, creative process, post in-progress and final pictures of creative ecowear made out of every REusable, REcyclable, REpurposed material known to Humankind. Participants can check in with our videos and coming soon podcasts (I start my new film career, through a FREE orientation at Marin TV tonight!), for helpful DIY-like how-to's, hints and tips for all kinds of sewing techniques, knitting, crochet, hat-making, felting, painting on fabric, weaving, etc....
As Community, my partner Christin Anderson, and I are seeking 3-4 more leaders for our Project.
We meet on Fridays and Saturdays, 4-6 pm, at Rainbow Fabrics in Fairfax, free of charge, with a group of teens who will be learning valuable leadership skills while they create their fiber-artistry Ecowear. If you would like to get in at Ground level, or know someone who would like to participate in a Community Project that will be fun, educational and creative beyond your wildest dreams, where you can offer your valuable skills, teach if you like, and launch a new generation of empowered teenagers to a new Planet, please come to our Meeting on Thursday, May 15, at 3 pm, at our "office" at the new Good Earth in Fairfax.
As you can expect, our Project will be immensely successful with numerous media mentions, including newspapers, radio, TV, and social media about our upcoming Event, to be held at an influential organization, currently in the negotiation phase, in May, and forecasted for yet larger EVENTS such as the Marin County Fair in July and Earth Day Festival in 2013!!
DREAM BIG and they will come!
Elise
"Healing the Earth ONE Mind at a Time"
www.elisecheval.com
http://hotoffthepressfromelisecheval.blogspot.com
http://www.plexusartgroup.com/elise-cheval.html
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Check out the catchy art and music video on YOU TUBE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgKJbPo1tNU featuring artworks, including my dress, "Aim High", made out of recycled plastic Target bags, in the upcoming MOMENTUM SHOW, 2012 National Juried Exhibition, presented by the Women's Caucus For the Arts' 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Juror Rita Gonzalez, Curator, of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles, from February 17 - March 2, 2012.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Painting Mock Frescos Again!
 |
| Running Free, Mock Fresco, 2012 |
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Solo Show:A Woman For All Seasons BIG HIT with O'Hanlon Center For the Arts
I worked right up to the last minute delivering my second Solo Show:"A Woman For All Seasons", at the O'Hanlon Center For the Arts. For weeks, I worked on the art and the improv performance. I explored painting large paintings, for backdrops for my plastic wearable arts, on double bed sheets (101" x 76"), and fell in love with this large format. Painting with my whole body, with both hands at the same time, appeals to my work as a Feldenkrais teacher. On my painting, "Oceans Alive", I investigated a new media (tissue paper) applied with white glue over the acrylic base. Tissue paper serves perfectly as "kelp", and lends a transparency to the painting that leaves the viewer feeling as if he or she is in the water with the elusive sea dragons that were painted first. My painting, "Red", used as a backdrop for my dress made out of Target bags, called "Aim High", my dress made out of pink bubble wrap called "Bubblelicious", and my dress made out of vinyl, eggshells and Velcro called "Breaking Free", is full of passion and heat and perfect for my performance, "A Sea Odyssey:2012", in my coffee suit, "Wakeup Call", from the Whole Foods Market, "Nickel For Non-Profits" Program.
On the day of the show, MIRACLES abound! I woke up to pouring rain and thoughts of how I would enter the stage during my improv show that evening. All week, I considered emerging from the basement at O'Hanlon Center For the Arts, dressed in a "red" dragon costume made out of bubble wrap, in order to emphasize the drastic nature of plastic. However, when I heard the raindrops pitter-patter against my bedroom window, I was reminded that the plastic paradox lives on in my work. I thought to myself, "It's raining.... Thank God for plastic.... it's WATERPROOF". With that, I leaped out of bed, and went into my sewing room, bleary-eyed, and had to "retrain" myself how to use my bobbin-sensitive Juki. I broke the needle as I quickly constructed a rain hat out of the leftover vinyl banners from making the suit, "Wakeup Call". Drawing on my quilting skills, I pieced the leftovers together, creating a new piece of fabric out of a few smaller pieces of fabric with a decorative zig-zag stitch in a contrasting thread. Then, I pulled the fabric over my head and created darts to take up the slack in the fabric. I sewed the darts and finished the cap with a strip of fabric to create the brim of the hat. To give the hat an interesting designer look, I pieced in another piece of the organic apple banner and under-stitched it to finish the edge.
An hour later, I was finished with the first hat, and proceeded with creating three more hats, since all of the hats I made for Plexus are currently loaned out to our friend Zona who is recovery from uterine cancer surgery. I went into my collection of plastic bags, and ruffled my coveted green SF Chronicle bags I collected over several months from my neighbors, in order to make "Kelp". The second hat, "Blue", made from New York Times bags, turned into a beautiful cloche, finished with a "flower" from the distressed orange plastic liner of my telephone book. I had a lot of fun making the fourth hat, "Pink", with leftover pink bubble wrap from "Bubblelicious". I made the "sticky-uppy" forms, by pinching the plastic and fusing it to the cap from underneath with my small Clover iron. All three hats were beautifully displayed on the black stretch velvet on the flat files in the Loft Gallery at O'Hanlon. My friend Karin suggested fabric draping to hide the artwork. I picked black stretch velvet, for a French "Ooh La La" look with the hot pink theme that ran through the show, with the bubble wrap hat, "Pink", my dress, "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", and the multiple silk paintings I created with crepe de shine, mounted to discarded acrylic frames. I like this mounting for transparent fabrics such as silk. By 12:30 pm, I had a few hours left to finish writing and printing out my artist statement, price list for my artwork, resume, loading the car with the artwork, cameras including the video camera my husband used to create the video for You Tube, my coffee suit, shoes, pantyhose, etc... As I was loading the car, I dropped my paperwork in the driveway and it got wet! I went back into the house to reprint my artist statement, resume and price list and sitting on the desk was my Guest book and point-and-shoot camera which was still recharging! Funny how these things go! I got to the copy store, where I had the articles in the Marin IJ, featuring my sculpture, "In the Beginning", and my current show, copied and laminated, before a handful of people walked in the door. Then, I was off to Jo Ann's to get the fabric to dress the file folders and the shelf with the music at the Center. I still had to stop and pick up the business cards for my friend and accompanist Robin Elliott, at WIGT Printing in Mill Valley. I needed to be at the Center to meet Robin by 3:00 pm, and managed to meet my deadline after the owner of WIGT, who is also on the Board of Directors at O'Hanlon Center, generously offered to hand-deliver the cards by showtime!
My very good friend, Louise Maloof, came to my Opening Reception, with a beautiful bouquet of pink Stargazer Lilies, and Suzanne took "in-process" photos, as I set up the show. I still had to trim the silk paintings and repair the Velcro on "Breaking Free", which had broken down over time. Suzanne really captured the energy of the room in her photos, including my devoted helpers, Karin Mortensen and Georg, standing in the background in the kitchen. Robin Elliott was appropriately dressed in a beautiful ocean blue tunic, which was perfectly contrasted with my vinyl coffee suit, "Wakeup Call".
Check out the video my husband Georg took before our Guests arrrived!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNNvvdEXECw&list=UUjeqXrALHs59AsMERRPU9mQ&index=1&feature=plcp
On the day of the show, MIRACLES abound! I woke up to pouring rain and thoughts of how I would enter the stage during my improv show that evening. All week, I considered emerging from the basement at O'Hanlon Center For the Arts, dressed in a "red" dragon costume made out of bubble wrap, in order to emphasize the drastic nature of plastic. However, when I heard the raindrops pitter-patter against my bedroom window, I was reminded that the plastic paradox lives on in my work. I thought to myself, "It's raining.... Thank God for plastic.... it's WATERPROOF". With that, I leaped out of bed, and went into my sewing room, bleary-eyed, and had to "retrain" myself how to use my bobbin-sensitive Juki. I broke the needle as I quickly constructed a rain hat out of the leftover vinyl banners from making the suit, "Wakeup Call". Drawing on my quilting skills, I pieced the leftovers together, creating a new piece of fabric out of a few smaller pieces of fabric with a decorative zig-zag stitch in a contrasting thread. Then, I pulled the fabric over my head and created darts to take up the slack in the fabric. I sewed the darts and finished the cap with a strip of fabric to create the brim of the hat. To give the hat an interesting designer look, I pieced in another piece of the organic apple banner and under-stitched it to finish the edge.
An hour later, I was finished with the first hat, and proceeded with creating three more hats, since all of the hats I made for Plexus are currently loaned out to our friend Zona who is recovery from uterine cancer surgery. I went into my collection of plastic bags, and ruffled my coveted green SF Chronicle bags I collected over several months from my neighbors, in order to make "Kelp". The second hat, "Blue", made from New York Times bags, turned into a beautiful cloche, finished with a "flower" from the distressed orange plastic liner of my telephone book. I had a lot of fun making the fourth hat, "Pink", with leftover pink bubble wrap from "Bubblelicious". I made the "sticky-uppy" forms, by pinching the plastic and fusing it to the cap from underneath with my small Clover iron. All three hats were beautifully displayed on the black stretch velvet on the flat files in the Loft Gallery at O'Hanlon. My friend Karin suggested fabric draping to hide the artwork. I picked black stretch velvet, for a French "Ooh La La" look with the hot pink theme that ran through the show, with the bubble wrap hat, "Pink", my dress, "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", and the multiple silk paintings I created with crepe de shine, mounted to discarded acrylic frames. I like this mounting for transparent fabrics such as silk. By 12:30 pm, I had a few hours left to finish writing and printing out my artist statement, price list for my artwork, resume, loading the car with the artwork, cameras including the video camera my husband used to create the video for You Tube, my coffee suit, shoes, pantyhose, etc... As I was loading the car, I dropped my paperwork in the driveway and it got wet! I went back into the house to reprint my artist statement, resume and price list and sitting on the desk was my Guest book and point-and-shoot camera which was still recharging! Funny how these things go! I got to the copy store, where I had the articles in the Marin IJ, featuring my sculpture, "In the Beginning", and my current show, copied and laminated, before a handful of people walked in the door. Then, I was off to Jo Ann's to get the fabric to dress the file folders and the shelf with the music at the Center. I still had to stop and pick up the business cards for my friend and accompanist Robin Elliott, at WIGT Printing in Mill Valley. I needed to be at the Center to meet Robin by 3:00 pm, and managed to meet my deadline after the owner of WIGT, who is also on the Board of Directors at O'Hanlon Center, generously offered to hand-deliver the cards by showtime!
My very good friend, Louise Maloof, came to my Opening Reception, with a beautiful bouquet of pink Stargazer Lilies, and Suzanne took "in-process" photos, as I set up the show. I still had to trim the silk paintings and repair the Velcro on "Breaking Free", which had broken down over time. Suzanne really captured the energy of the room in her photos, including my devoted helpers, Karin Mortensen and Georg, standing in the background in the kitchen. Robin Elliott was appropriately dressed in a beautiful ocean blue tunic, which was perfectly contrasted with my vinyl coffee suit, "Wakeup Call".
Check out the video my husband Georg took before our Guests arrrived!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNNvvdEXECw&list=UUjeqXrALHs59AsMERRPU9mQ&index=1&feature=plcp
Saturday, January 28, 2012
COV Performance at Metro Opera House in Oakland, Cheshire Rock Opera
Metro Opera House, Elise and Therese, 2012
Last night, my new all-women’s choir, COV, performed at the
Metro Opera House in Oakland. All of us
wore a costume related to Alice in
Wonderland. The sopranos were the
“spades” and my choir director, Joyce McBride, let some of us come dressed as a
special character. My costume made out
of satin for Halloween was perfect for the Red Queen. I researched it and found that she wears
blue eye shadow and a red heart on her lips.
So, when I was putting on makeup, I looked for some red lipstick, but I
didn’t have any so I used Crimson nail
polish instead. Since I didn’t have red
hair, I whipped up the hat, using one of my furry winter hats and leftover
fabric scraps from making my dress. My
husband, dressed as a pirate in the costume I made for him, took these pictures
of my new friends and me. The lights
gave them a strange glow!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
New Direction in Painting Horses
I have dreamt of painting life-sized horses since I can remember! Yesterday at O'Hanlon Center For the Arts, I stapled a used bed sheet (found in my friend's FREE box on her boat dock in Sausalito) across the wall, mixed gesso with pthalo blue acrylic paint and with two big brushes in hand, simultaneously, I painted the "stage" for the "actors", my beloved wild ponies, who run free in Camargue, France. These horses are the ancestors of Napoleons herd, and are well-built and highly intelligent. For me, they embody Spirit with the beauty, freedom and determination that runs through my veins!
Elise Cheval
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