GAZA BOWEN: Hand Made OOAK Art Shoes Wine Theme SZ8.5
Art :: Textile Art
GAZA BOWEN: Hand Made OOAK Art Shoes Wine Theme SZ8.5
GAZA BOWEN: Hand Made OOAK Shoes Wine Theme SZ8.5Shoe artist extraordinaire Gaza Bowen does not make wearable shoes any more. She lately has focused on sculpture installations and sometimes teaches classes in how to make one-of-a-kind shoes. Her work appears in major wearable art exhibits and she is written up in books about wearable art. In Julie Schafler Dale’s book “Art to Wear,” Gaza Bowen is mentioned as being among the group of artists who migrated to California after 1965 and was one of the generation that came of age in the sixties who expressed themselves through clothing (page 216).In her book “Artwear,” Melissa Leventon informs us that “in the late 80s, Gaza Bowen chose to divorce her work from wearability because the materials that would imbue pieces with the desired content were too fragile to be worn (page 142).” These shoes are entitled “California Chardonnay” and were made in 1984. They have had some wear, but they are in good shape and have years of wear left in them. Diagonal strips of woven leather create a textured design across the tops of the fronts and on the outside strap at the heel. Right shoe front is robin’s egg turquoise and pale pink background with interwoven leather strips in pale pink and 2 shades of pale purple. Left shoe front has light purple and paler purple background with interwoven leather strips in pale pink, light purple and mauve. Heels are made of 5 wine bottle corks wrapped in strips of the colored leather matching the rest of the shoe. Strap tie closure around the ankles. Foot bed measures 10 1/4 inches long and 3 1/4 inches wide. Heels are 2 inches high. Photo of artist's signature says "Gaza '84" and name of the shoes says "Cal Chard '84."These shoes were purchased in a wearable art store in Massachusetts for $800.00 in 1987. | ||||||||||||
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