My home is dreary, drab, and suffocating in winter. When an inversion sets in it can stay for weeks at a time. Right about now I start climbing the walls... longing, aching, just dying for Spring to come. I often think of the legend of Persephone and how winter is the earth in its sadness. It’s withered because she has left. One of the things that helps me get through the rough patch of winter darkness is immersing myself in beautiful art. Photography is the most realistic, but I prefer paintings. They draw out my imagination and pull me into their magical landscapes. The textures and colors envelop me and soon all my senses are at work. I can smell the damp, life giving earth, the fragrant perfume of all the flowers in bloom, and the indescribable freshness of the air. I can feel that delicious air rushing down to meet my face and playing through my hair. I feel the coolness of the grass on my bare feet and the sparkling water on my toes. I can taste the sweet crispness of a mint sprig I've popped into my mouth and the refreshing chill of the clean water in the stream. I hear the chirping of the happy birds and the busy droning of the sun warmed bees. It all comes to me through beautiful paintings. It’s a reminder that Persephone’s woe won’t last forever, she won't be locked away forever, Spring exists and it will one day be here again.

It was easy for me to decide on my design for this challenge. It was obvious to me that I needed to paint a picture. I decided on a body suit so I could have a larger surface area on which to create my canvas. I put two ½” steel flats at center front, six steel flats in the front panels, and distributed eight steel spirals around the rest of the body. I have ½” steel flats on both sides of the grommets at center back. The body suit is made with eight panels. There were ten originally, but I fused the front two together to get a smoother design surface to paint on. I used an old cotton table cloth with a flora motif as my fashion fabric. It easily took dye and the texture added an extra depth to the design.

Here is my Masterpiece, my Beauty, and my Tribute to Spring. Here is my Hope, my Distraction, and my Prayer to the Gods.

That Persephone will escape her hellish prison, that the world will be reborn, that I will feel alive again.

Dress Diary