Austalian Pendragon Shoes ~ They’re Not Just For Elves Anymore

Claudia Lynch, shuzsociety art & sole columnist

Okay, I know I just did a whole piece on elf shoes at Christmastime … Heavens to Etsy! You Don’t Have To Be A Shoemaker To Gift Like One. Apparently, I cannot get them out of my system. But stay with me here, because these amazing faerlie-inspired shoes are not just for elves. Big-name designers have discovered this mystical Australian footwear by Pendragon Shoes, and it’s in huge demand throughout the fashion and art world.

Pendragon Shoes is the name of the Australian designing and shoemaking duo Jackie Orme Ward and Adrian Lockwood. Their web site pendragonshoes.com — a work of art in itself — says that they make “Unique handcrafted leather shoes”, but somehow that seems like an understatement.

These are genuine works of art — and I shudder to think you’d ever shutter them away in your shoe closet. From a small workshop on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Adrian and Jackie accept commissions from around the world and create exclusive limited edition collections, costume shoes, and exhibition art pieces, all designed and made by the two of them, personally. There is no factory, and no elves to assist. “What we are about is a hands-on process with the emphasis on attention to detail. Rare buttons, antique buckles, vintage and hand tooled leathers combine to create the distinct Pendragon signature. You won’t find these shoes anywhere else!” say Adrian and Jackie.

“Since establishing the label in 1987, it has been our vision to create something extraordinary and unique; a quest to bring to life shoes you’d dreamt you might one day find; shoes to desire and delight…..shoes to treasure.” Works from their exhibitions, including “Metamorphosis”, “Visions of the Absurd in the Age of Reason”, “Secret Desires” and “Art in Shoes” (Munich), have toured around Australia as a retrospective for the last five years, and a pair of their shoes was acquired by the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney in 1997.

Pendragon art shoes have featured at Milan Fashion Week 2007, Design Festa Tokyo 2008, and were most recently commissioned and photographed for a September 2009 Italian Vogue editorial by Steven Meisel and Karl Templer. The piece goes on for well over twenty pages, and looks like Fellini’s version of Commedia dell’Arte, mixed up with scenes from Les Miz and the Artful Dodger.

Of course, I wanted to know everything there is to know about these fantastical creations, and Adrian was kind enough to respond to my email questions almost immediately.
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Why shoes?  How did you get started in the art shoe business?  Did you begin in shoes or in costumes?

We met at University and teamed up because we were both into making things, and shared a few market stalls. The shoe thing was accidental really. We had a stall at a festival and made some pointy colorful boots to wear — half half colors and bells — and found we had orders. It grew out of that.

What did you make and sell at the market stalls?

All sorts of things:  jewelry, candles, tie dye, silkscreen, batik and hand painted fashion; sort of a swampy/fantasy collision vibe.

Why are you called Pendragon? I found something on Ebay called “Red Shoes” that appears to be a vinyl record by a group called Pendragon. Any connection?

No connection to the song or the band. Pendragon is an old Welsh name. The King Arthur of legend’s full name was Arthur Pendragon, Son of Uther Pendragon. It seemed appropriate to the shoes we were trying to make early on, the kind of shoes that fell out of faerie stories or through the cracks between worlds.

What and where is the Woodford Folk Festival?  Where else do you exhibit?  Can these be seen anywhere in the US?

Woodford Folk Festival is an amazing week long festival.  It’s held on a beautiful Sunshine Coast hinterland property and runs from Boxing Day through to New Years Day every year. It started as a small folk festival but has grown to be an all-embracing arts/multicultural/ideas melting pot: music, circus, theater, workshops, debates, comedy, you name it…and camping. It culminates in an amazing fire ceremony held in a natural amphitheater at the top of the festival. If you get the chance,go! We also have exhibitions occasionally and do the odd market.

I haven’t found any retail sources, so I’m assuming all of your work is custom.  Are there any plans for retail sales?

You’re right, we don’t have any stockists and we have been largely custom made. This year however, we are looking to reinvent ourselves with an eye on exporting to Europe and the US. We are investigating possibilities.

Can you tell me some of the theatrical productions you’ve worked on?

We’ve done shoes for heaps of theatre over the years, but mainly for the Queensland Theater Company and Opera Queensland; also worked on a few films, the biggest one being “Peter Pan”.

Do you wear your own shoes, or are the cobbler’s children barefoot?

Nice question. Yes we wear our own shoes and Jackie’s children have the odd pair, mainly for dress-ups.

Which are your favorites?

The favorites are always the latest thing you make, I think. Currently, Alice booties and an older favourite, high autumn leaf boots with curly heels.

What are the curly heels made from on the autumn leaf boots? It looks like metal.

That’s right, they are blacksmithed steel.

Can you say a few words about remaining in business in this horrible economy by making something beautiful and perfect and not compromising to make them cheap and awful?

This is a tricky one; we have had probably the worst year financially ever this last year and the best creatively. Being asked to create boots for Steven Meisel’s Italian vogue photostory was a bolt from the blue and a great catalyst for us. Not compromising? I guess we are both very stubborn and have a blind faith in what we do. The idea has always been to bring something special into being and neither of us have a clue about business anyway…That’s probably the real reason.

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By Claudia Lynch, artist and shuzsociety “art & sole” columnist.  For more about Claudia Lynch, artist and creator of ShoeStories™, please visit her web site at www.claudialynch.com.

Heavens to Etsy! You Don’t Have To Be a Shoemaker to Gift Like One

Despite the lack of snow here in New Orleans (and believe me, I am NOT complaining), I am in the Christmas spirit like never before.  A couple of kinds of cookies are already made, and thanks to last week’s craft night with Amber, I’ve started to make little gifts for my girlfriends.

(I’m noticing that a lot of people think there’s some sort of magic involved in making crafty gifts, but all it really it takes is the willingness to keep your butt in the chair long enough to complete a project.)

Would you love to give handmade gifts to your shoe-loving friends, too, but lack the inspiration, the “talent” (see above) — or the time to keep your butt in the chair? Santa’s elves may be way too busy for last-minute orders, but lucky for you, there’s always the internet. For hand crafted shoe gifts that you don’t have to hand craft yourself, let your fingers do the shopping at etsy.com.

Hey, Santa Baby — Pump Me Up For The Holidays!

For the tiniest elves in your life, RandyAndClaudia (no relation to me) have hand crafted these soft-as-skin leather “curlies” to fit an elfin newborn. At $65 the pair, they’re your little one’s first collectible shoes (can’t you just picture them bronzed?).
Christmas Elf Socks by twinssoon are hand knitted to fit a toddler of 100% acrylic, and are soft and warm (gotta keep those elf feet toasty). Of course they come in Elf Green, and are just $18.

Don’t forget the grown up elves! Felted elf boots by AddictedToMermaids are seamlessly wet felted of wool roving and come in a boatload of different sizes and colors for $185.00 a pair.

Woodland fairies, pixies and elves meet the Arabian Nights: Vintage Curled Front Slippers, circa 1970. Velvet shoes, with metal curlicues, never worn, $56. They sound like they’d fit a tween-age child (or an elfin adult).

Jewelry AND Shoes? — Now, THAT’s a Gift!

These adorable silver plated elf shoe earrings by TillyBloom are just $15, and shipping is free.

“Little Elf Shoe” earrings by ErtheFae feature vintage glass beads in the shape of little green shoes with a floral pattern, just the sort of thing a tiny elf would wear. Hurry up and order these before I snap them up myself, for just $15.

The “Kirsten” stiletto necklace from LisbonSky is $12, silver plated, and comes with a 20” chain.

Sterling Silver high heel shoe necklace looks like it just came off a high-class high-fashion doll; take it home for $52 from LiveWire.

If one shoe just won’t do, put this sweet and sexy Barbie Doll multi-colored shoe bracelet on your list. Each bracelet features a different combination, and is made from real live Barbie doll shoes. For a measly ten bucks each from ChinnyFlinnyJewelry, you’ll want to get a few of them for stocking stuffers.

If you’re a semi-do-it-yourselfer, you can add these enameled red shoe charms by GatheringSplendor to your own neckchain, bracelet or earring findings, or attach them as zipper pulls to a favorite purse or jacket. At $4.50 for 4 charms (you read that right!), it’s a lot of pizzaz for the buck, and a no-brainer gift for all your girlfriends.

Leave Your Shoes Lying All Around the House

Whimsical vinyl Christmas stocking wall or window decals come in 29 colors. They’re 18” x 20”, work inside or outside your house, and cost $24.95. I’m thinking you’re gonna need several sets of these to walk the walk around your entire house.

How can you resist these holiday elf shoes cards from TweePrints, at $12 for a set of 6? TweePrints has a number of other designs you might enjoy as well.

The finished Bucilla felt Christmas Stocking is something you really can pass off as having made yourself, because it’s made from a kit, but why not give SpareTimeCreations the credit? They’re willing to craft this for you for just $95. Or, you can track down the kit elsewhere on the internet for around $30 and make it yourself.

This one-of-a-kind “Little Imp” vintage children’s shoe box dates is dated 1947. Don’t you wish you had the black patent leather shoes that originally came in it? Snap up this “Little Imp” for just $8, and use it as a gift box (or maybe even the whole gift).

Don’t Forget About Me, Santa!

When you’re done with your etsy.com shopping, click over to my website — www.claudialynch.com/shoestories.html — for these adorably naughty and nice ShoeStories™ holiday cards. As (my version of) Santa might say, you won’t be able to control yours elf.

Sculptor Judy Haberl – She’s Got Some Small Shoes To Fill

By shuzsociety "art & sole" columnist Claudia Lynch ~

As a child, bronzed baby shoes always struck me as a kind of trophy. With their dark, shiny metal and marble base with a slice of green felt on the bottom (which for some reason I always turned the thing over to inspect), they bore a remarkable physical resemblance to the prizes for bowling or softball that were also tucked up onto Grandma’s high bookshelves, or perched atop a piano or end table. More than that, they were bits of frozen evidence that all my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents were once tiny babies, and that their parents had once been proud of what they’d produced. When you’re five or six years old, and the answer to “Whose were those?” is “Uncle Ray”, and Uncle Ray is the oldest man you know, even a small child is able to grasp a bit of the cycle of life.

A single bronzed baby shoe is pretty tiny, but when 200 pair of them are placed side by side, the effect is massive and arresting.  Judy Haberl’s “Baby Opera: Walks of Life”, is an excellent example of how everyday objects presented in new and unexpected ways can make the viewer sit up and take notice.

Sculptor Judy Haberl's "Baby Opera: Walks of Life"

Q ~ What brought this on?
Judy ~ The sculptural part of “Baby Opera” began with my personal collection of bronzed baby shoes, starting with my own pair. Over the years I had collected about 40 pairs. When I was asked to make the first piece for the Decordova museum, I expanded the number to over 400 shoes to achieve a “critical mass”, a large enough number to look the size of a chorus — or some zany, coppery, musical instrument. In general, I am an artist who has used found objects in my work. I am very interested in the history of the objects that get used in a piece. It is profoundly interesting to me that each bronzed shoe used here literally contains the original, actual shoe. Each shoe is like a little sarcophagus encased in a coating of copper particles, through a process called electroplating. Each small shoe or pair of shoes is literally a shrine to its formerly small owner. That shrine was often kept in the living room or on the mantle as a repository of the hopes and aspirations that parents have for their children. It seemed that by grouping an enormous number of them into one sculpture, that the collective murmering of them would be much more significant.

Q ~ It looks like you’ve done a couple of different versions of this piece. Can you tell me a little about that?
Judy ~ I have done two versions of the piece. “Baby Opera I” was done originally for the Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA, for an exhibition called “Pretty Sweet: The Sentimental Image in Contemporary Art”. Version II — the one created for “The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories” at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA — is called “Baby Opera: Walks of Life”.

“It’s profoundly interesting to me that each bronzed shoe used here literally contains the original, actual shoe” stated Judy Haberl.

Q ~ Sound is an unexpected element in a sculpture, too.
Judy ~ Both versions have a significant sound portion that is integral to the piece. Version I contains the sounds of children laughing, crying, singing, whining to evoke our individual and complex memories of childhood. Version II represents the cycle of life via the sound of the footstep. It traces our human journey from the baby step, through the sounds of children running, joggers, tap-dancers, people walking/working, solitary walkers and finally, at the end of life, someone limping with a cane. It seemed necessary to address the significance of the shoe and all of the attendant activities. It also parallels the cycle of seasons — Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter — as stages of our lives. If you listen carefully, you can hear the splash of bare baby feet at the beach, the crunching of fall leaves, the dry squeaky crunch of snow.

Q ~ How did you arrive at the arrangement of the shoes, and the overall shape of the piece?
Judy ~ The sculpture is 10 feet wide by 5 feet in height. It was made in the shape of a classical chorus, where the shape of it directs the sound to the audience. The shoes are arranged in descending order of size, with the larger shoes at the top and the smallest at the bottom. I oriented them with the opening of the shoes at the bottom, so that they are more anthropomorphic and look like hundreds of small mouths.

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Judy Haberl is a Professor of Sculpture at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. When she’s not working with shoes, Judy sometimes turns to other iconic women’s images. Her work for “Unutterable: Hidden Agendas” at Gallery Kayafas in Boston, MA, features cast rubber purses. The purses are translucent, and the semi-revealed objects within range from everyday purse denizens like keys and makeup to handguns, pearl necklaces and handcuffs. You can see more of her work at www.judyhaberl.com.

More from "Unutterable: Hidden Agendas"

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Artist Claudia Lynch, shuzsociety “art & sole” comunist, is the creator of  ShoeStories^TM

To view her collection of cards and prints, please visit her web site at ClaudiaLynch.com.

Take Me Out To the Ballgame…I’ve Got Just the Shoe For It!

I used to live in Cleveland, and was a fair-weather Indians fan just like everybody else. Now that I live in New Orleans, a city with no Major League Baseball team, I have to say I miss it. I even had to consult www.mlb.com just to see who’s in the playoffs. Come to think of it, that’s what I usually did when I lived in Cleveland, too. Maybe what I miss is a really good reason to hate the Yankees. They were our arch-rivals, although I always wondered if they were even aware of that, as we were certainly not theirs.

This week, I’ll be planted squarely in front of the TV for at least five minutes of every game. If I liked beer, maybe I’d be able to stretch that out to ten.

This baseball shoe was inspired more by summertime than the then-distant 2009 World Series, but right now the time is perfect to take it out of the closet and celebrate it. How many pairs are in YOUR closet, waiting for the perfect occasion to wear them? At least this one didn’t go out of style in the meantime.

Baseball Shoe

I do love this baseball shoe. In fact, it is my new favorite of all the ShoeStories^TM. I’m feeling pretty darned cocky about the way I captured the perspective of the hat, the dirt on the ball and the tape on the bat. I’m feeling so good about myself, I’m spitting and grabbing my crotch right now (not really).

Here’s the text, in case you can’t read it —

I couldn’t say for sure which team she played for, but it was obvious she wasn’t new to the game. It might be a stretch to think I’d ever score with her, or even get to first base. The most I could hope for was to get through the next couple of hours without striking out completely. I was out of my league, and I knew it.

HINT: Even though it’s a painting of a high-heeled shoe, men LOVE these ShoeStories^TM for the witty innuendo, making this Baseball Shoe matted and signed print the perfect holiday gift for your ball-struck BF or DH (can you believe it, in baseball they think that stands for Designated Hitter?). While he’s busy yelling at the umpire, you sneak over to the computer, visit www.claudialynch.com/shoestories.html and get it for him. Home run!
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Claudia Lynch, shuzsociety "art & sole" columnist

Claudia Lynch
shoes@claudialynch.com
http://www.claudialynch.com

Bruce Gray’s “Steelettos” for Stiletto Lovers

Bruce Gray's giant fetish shoe sculpture is constructed in welded aluminum and is part of his series of oversized objects.

Claudia Lynch, artist & shuzsociety "art & sole" columnist ~

Feel like your shoes are welded to your feet? Try these “steelettos” on for size!

My BFF Joan  bemoans the scarcity of fabulous shoes in larger sizes. She should meet prolific metal sculptor Bruce Gray.

Are these big enough for you, Joan?

Inspired by artists like Alexander Calder, Salvador Dali and Claes Oldenburg, Bruce Gray creates outsize stilettos from steel. “I love making sculptures, and I love to have lots of them around me at my studio,” says Bruce. “I enjoy seeing how my art affects people in positive ways. It is rewarding to see people smile, laugh and stare in astonishment.”

Clearly, Bruce has tapped into the same emotions we all feel when someone notices we’re wearing a really fantastic pair of shoes.

Bruce Gray shows off his 6' tall platform high heel metal shoe sculpture to actress Rebecca De Mornay.

There’s a lot of bio information about this prolific artist on his website (www.brucegray.com), so I won’t repeat too much of that here, but I did have a few more probing questions about the artwork —

Claudia: How do your shoe sculptures relate to the rest of your work? Many of your other subjects are hard-bodied and rather masculine (like motorcycles and guitars), or geometric shapes that are inherently hard-edged, but there is a softness and femininity to a shoe, even one welded out of steel. Where does that come from — or, do you disagree?

Bruce: I made my shoe sculptures because high heels are very sculptural, sexy, and fun to look at. I have also taken other interesting forms to make sculptures of, like swiss cheese wedges, insects, keys, guitars, and a wide variety of animals and dinosaurs. The thing they all have in common is that they are comprised of cool shapes which get exaggerated by simplifying and blowing up to large scale. I think that guitars and even some motorcycles have curvy, sleek and feminine shapes. The body of a guitar certainly has been compared to a woman’s hourglass figure. The femininity of a welded high heel shoe sculpture comes from the delicate straps, thin stiletto heels, and our association of sexiness and glamour with such impractical yet mesmerizing footwear.

"High Heel Platform Shoe #2" (10.5 x 8 x 3) by Bruce Gray is constructed completely by hand in stainless steel in a size 7, and has a 5 inch heel with 1.5 inch platform. The curvaceous straps and sexy stiletto heel make this sculpture a sensuous visual experience.

Claudia: What can metal convey about the shape or function or other property of a shoe that a real shoe cannot?

Bruce: Metal is a hard substance as opposed to the usual materials used for women’s shoes like leather, velvet, and satin. The hard edges, size and weight of a metal shoe force the viewer to look at the shoe not as an everyday item of clothing, but as an art object. It is the same kind of thing that Claes Oldenburg did with making soft squishy drum sets and toilets, just kind of in reverse.

Bruce Gray, renowned Los Angeles, CA, metal sculptor and kinetic artist, definitely has a BIG shoe fetish!

Claudia: Your proportions are obviously distorted from real life proportions; can you talk about that a little bit? Do you do that with your other objects, too? Do people consciously notice that you’ve done it?

Bruce: When I take an ordinary object and blow it up to a large size, that makes it much more dramatic and eye catching. I have done this with many of my sculptures. I also usually simplify the design a bit, and maybe add some unusual found objects to give the sculpture a stylized, fun and “cartoony” feel.

"Shoe Fetish #2" (26 x 48 x 2) is a modern wall sculpture in painted steel by Bruce Gray. This sculpure featuring overlapping high heel shoes is both fun and sexy.

Claudia: Your sculptures have been featured in a number of movies and TV shows. Tell me a little bit about the process of getting your work featured in films and television. Is that easier because you’re CA-based?

Bruce: It is certainly an advantage to be living in Los Angeles, as the set decorator will almost always want to see the work in person before they make a decision on renting.  Often, time is a major factor as well.  I have had many of my sculptures in hundreds of TV shows and movies over the years, but it is unfortunately not something that happens very frequently. Much of the filming is done out of state or in other countries these days because various locations will offer huge financial incentives to have the features shot in their towns. My work is fairly well known in the film biz, so when I get a call for something it is usually someone who has used my work before or they were referred to me by someone who has, although sometimes they find me through my website (www.brucegray.com).

Bruce Gray's extensive portfolio of high heel shoe photography may be viewed at The High Heel Shoe Museum.

Claudia: You’ve photographed a lot of shoes for the High Heel Shoe Museum (www.highheelshoemuseum.com). Do you see that work more as fine art or commercial art? Where is the fine line? For example, it must be harder to fool around with proportion when the shoe is real (some of these look like you may have done that anyway, but it’s hard to tell for sure).

Bruce: I see those as fine art photographs, like a still life kind of thing. I usually try to use interesting or unusual backgrounds, and some dramatic lighting. You can still have fun with proportions by having the shoes at different distances from the camera. I think that there is a lot of photography that could be classified as both fine art and commercial. You can see many examples of that in books on shoes, or on the websites of any of the leading famous shoe designers.

"Tabletop Shoe Sculpture #1" (9 x 11 x 4.5) is a sculpture of a stiletto high heel shoe. Available in any color, brushed stainless steel or aluminum.

You know what they say: Big shoes, big shoe closet. For those of us whose homes and offices are less than palatial, Bruce does make a few full-metal shoes in more manageable sizes. The table sculpture is pretty much life-size (except for you, Joan, LOL), and comes in brushed or painted aluminum. And that multi-shoe wall sculpture wouldn’t take up any floor space at all.

Visit Bruce Gray’s website at www.brucegray.com.

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By Claudia Lynch, artist and shuzsociety “art & sole” columnist.  For more about Claudia Lynch, artist and creator of ShoeStories™, please visit her web site at www.claudialynch.com.

Gift Ideas For Shoes Lovers ~ From My “Art & Sole”

Claudia Lynch, Artist & shuzsociety Columnist ~

Handmade cards featuring shoes available at etsy.com

ShoeStories "No Heel" Notecards

Bronner's Glass Ornaments

Shoe-shaped Cake Server

The Shoeshrine Girl – Melanie Guion

Claudia Lynch, Artist & shuzsociety "Art & Sole" ~

Last summer, several of my ShoeStories™ were included in an exhibition entitled “Zodiac” at The Big Top Gallery in New Orleans. I was out of town the entire run of the show, and by the time I was back home and able to go in and pick up my artwork, the exhibit following mine, featuring Melanie Guion’s Shoeshrines, was well underway. It blew me away to see another artist working with shoes in such a fun and creative, yet simple, way.

I’ve been sick ever since that I missed the opening reception and was unable to meet this brilliant shoe artist in person, and also that I missed the chance to get to know her while she was still living in New Orleans.  Since then, Melanie and I have become Internet friends, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions for this blog. I hope one day to have the privilege of meeting her in person.

Melanie Guion is a self-taught artist and musician. Originally from Arizona, she lived in New Orleans for thirteen years. The city opened her eyes to some amazing musicians and people who were creating, as she puts it, “without rules or pretensions”. Scott Guion, Dr. Bob and Glitter Girl were  some of the artists who were having fun with their work and who influenced her to do the same.

Artist Melanie Guion with her Shoeshrine Collection

Hundreds of shoes later, Melanie is still obsessed with getting the best likenesses she can in her portraits, and finding new and unusual ways to incorporate “great junk” into her designs. Melanie recycles shoes from thrift stores, and embellishes each one-of-a-kind creation with found objects like beads, glass, vintage jewelry and hardware.

After Hurricane Katrina, Melanie and her family relocated to Nashville. Her work has been featured on PBS’ Tennessee Crossroads, NBC, and in The Nashville Arts Magazine.

The intricate detail of Shoeshrine portraits

Q:  Why a shoe?
Melanie: I love the self-contained space of the shoe, and the way each old shoe has been uniquely shaped by its former wearer. The rounded front is perfect for a human face, while the hard edges and soles are great for beadwork.

"Billie" Shoeshrine

Q:  Why a portrait?
Melanie: Faces are the most wonderfully challenging subject matter for me. I feel like jumping for joy when I finally get the face right! My ultimate goal with my portraits is to someday express more of the character of the person I’m painting in a more loose or interpretive style.

Q:  What sparks you to start a shoe?
Melanie: The inspiration to start a shoe comes from all over the place: musicians and artists that I love, a pattern or color combinations I might see in an old shirt or wallpaper, cartoons, and folk arts and crafts, especially from India and Mexico. A wonderful old brooch or necklace can also get me excited to begin a new piece. I do a lot of commissioned pieces, and in those cases I research the subject to get a feel for whom I am painting.

Q:  Are these men’s shoes or women’s shoes?  Why that particular slipper shape?
Melanie: I generally use men’s shoes, simply because they have a larger surface to paint on. They also tend to be made of much higher quality materials than women’s shoes, and are still in good shape by the time they make it to “thrift land”. I do use women’s shoes also, generally choosing heels where I can embellish the interior with beads, glass, jewelry and/or images. I recently scored some amazing red stripper heels that are so high, the interior is vertical with the heel on the ground!

Q:  Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what kind?
Melanie: Music is SUPER important for my state of mind while I work! When my son put a bean in my CD player and broke it, the radio nearly killed my ability to produce anything at all! I like to listen to the music of the musician I am painting to get started, people such as Willie Nelson, Exene Cervenka, Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, etc. This year I became kind of obsessed with Nick Cave and Mark Lanegan, and could barely make myself listen to anything else.

Shoeshrines

Q:  Which shoe of your own creation is your favorite?
Melanie: The shoes that I like most tend to be ones that were the most challenging, but had the best result; Willie Nelson and Patti Smith come to mind. I also love the Mater Dolarosa, and Mary.

Q:  What’s the best 3-d object you ever put on a shoe?
Melanie: My favorite 3-D objects I’ve ever put on a shoe are probably little plastic farm animals that I painted into a farm scene. I had all kinds of weird antique animal pins in there too, that fit right in. It was just weird.

Q:  Are your pieces still sold at House of Blues?  Tell me about that connection.
Melanie: I worked at the House of Blues tee-shirt shop a long, long time ago. My hubby worked there too, and we shared many hours of smoke breaks, going crazy in a retail store the size of a shoe box. It sucked, but a lot of great friends worked there, too, and made it tolerable. Eventually, I started to work with the paint crew, thanks to Scott and Holly Mandot, and it saved my life. The crew is a group of artists who travel to the new venues while they are being constructed. Each venue’s paint job is unique, which is pretty unusual for a corporation as big as the House of Blues. The crew is amazingly talented (especially my husband, of course — but it’s true!). I got to spend weeks and sometimes months at a time in places like Las Vegas, Anaheim, LA, Chicago, Cleveland, San Diego, etc. Now that my son is five, I stay home and do my Shoeshrines as permanent installations for the new venues. I also sell my shoes in the House of Blues retail stores in Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego, New Orleans, Orlando, Anaheim, Atlantic City, Dallas and Cleveland. It is also available at Art & Invention in East Nashville.

Q:  Why did you move to Nashville? Are you still a musician?
Melanie: After that nasty storm-that-I’m-sick-of-talking-about hit New Orleans, Scott and I decided to move on, and we picked Nashville, not for any really solid reason. We just figured it was affordable, it had cool old sections of town, good schools, and a thriving music and art scene. And, it was close enough to New Orleans that Scott could still play with his band, Pitts Vs. Preps.

I have recently started singing with a Nashville band, Surface Tension, doing mostly harmonies with the lead singer. I’m still hoping to have a vocal band that sounds like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young crossed with the Women’s Bulgarian Choir; I don’t know why it hasn’t taken off yet. I also enjoy playing my baby grand any chance I get. My son likes me to play him to sleep. Actually, he is my biggest fan — ok, my only fan.

Melanie's fav's

Q:  Which shoes in your own closet are your favorite? Why?
Melanie: My favorite shoes to wear are these salmon colored heels from Nine West with THE pointiest toes ever. My husband hates them. However, he does love my other faves, which are leopard print stilettos. They are the kind of shoes one only wears while doing things other than walking.

Q:  How do you pronounce your last name?
Melanie: Guion is pronounced Guy-on, as in, “What’s that guy on?”

You can see more of Melanie Guion’s Shoeshrines at www.shoeshrines.com.

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For more about Claudia Lynch, artist and creator of ShoeStories™, please visit her web site at www.claudialynch.com.

Glitter Shoes THE Prize Catch From Stiletto Float

By Claudia Lynch
Artist, shuzsociety “Art & Sole” Roving Reporter and Member of Krewe of Muses ~

Here in New Orleans, we’re getting a jump on our shoes! We know it’s only August, and Mardi Gras isn’t until February, but all over New Orleans, members of the Krewe of Muses are busy glittering shoes.

Krewes (pronounced “crews”) are clubs that put on Mardi Gras parades. If you’ve never been, the spectacle is, to put it mildly,  spectacular. While most Mardi Gras parade krewes are content to throw hundreds of dollars’ worth of cheap plastic beads and plush toys into the crowds, that just isn’t good enough for the Muses. We throw hand-glittered shoes!

Krewe of Muses hand-glittered and decorated shoes

All year, we collect gently worn specimens — from friends, thrift stores and garage sales — then get together for Glittering Parties, where the wine and the glitter flow like … well, like wine and glitter are supposed to. Groups of gals sit around tables set up in dining rooms, garages or basements, laughing and gossiping as our fingers fly, applying white glue and ultra-fine glitter to one area of a shoe at a time, then letting it dry while we work on the rest of our stash. Once a whole shoe is glittered and the glue has dried, it’s time for a trip to the hot glue station, where jewels, sequins and other assorted gewgaws are applied to the sparkly creations. As a finishing touch, each shoe is “autographed” with the word “Muses”, painstakingly applied with more glue and glitter or with cut-up bits from signature beaded necklaces from Mardi Gras past.

A prize catch from the Krewe of Muses' Stiletto float!

A hand-decorated shoe is hands-down the prize catch of the Mardi Gras season. You can be sure that anyone lucky enough to have a Muse for a friend knows her friend’s float number and her exact position on it, optimizing her chances of landing a shoe.  Krewe of Muses is the only all-female Mardi Gras parade krewe with a nighttime parade. Our signature float? A sparkly stiletto pump, of course, replete with fiberoptic lights that allow it to change colors on its yearly strut down St. Charles Avenue.

The waiting list to ride in the Muses parade is a mile long, and besides, if you’re IN the parade, you can’t be out on the street jumping up and down in the February cold, hoping for a footwear windfall. So, I’m perfectly content to remain a non-riding Muse.

Let’s face it: I’m really only in it for the shoes and the glitter.

Laissez les bon SHOES roulez!

Claudia Lynch

Claudia Lynch, artist and creator of ShoeStoriesTM.  For more about Claudia and her collection of ShoeStories prints and cards,  please visit claudialynch.com/shoestories.html.

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