LINDSEY'S BRIDAL PORTRAIT

Earlier this year, Lindsey, a friend of mine from university, got in touch to ask if I'd be interested in doing some illustration work for her. She was getting married in a few months and needed a sketch of her wedding gown. We met for a drink the following evening and had a great time dissecting the details of her bridal ensemble, planning a custom portrait, and toasting the future. 

I like preparing for custom portraits because I get to hear why my client loves the clothing I'm about to draw, and I particularly enjoyed the story behind the gown in these sketches. Lindsey, Creative Director of CURATED by St. Charles NY, has beautiful taste and a sharp eye for design. It's always rewarding to illustrate for a client who has an artistic point of view and is interested in the details of the sketch.

Lindsey designed her custom gown with Galia Lahav. The complete outfit included four separate pieces: a fitted corset, slim skirt, a point d'esprit lace bodysuit, and a dramatic 14-foot train. The skirt was trimmed at the waist with trailing satin ribbon and more delicate lace.

The bride and her fiancé, David, were married in early May at Middleton Place, SC. Congratulations again to the happy couple! 

Don't forget to check out Lindsey and her work on Instagram!

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Lindsey in her Bridal Ensemble (2015) Marker, pencil, ink on vellum; 12 x 9 inches © 2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

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Lindsey in her Bridal Ensemble (2015) Marker, pencil, ink on vellum; 12 x 9 inches © 2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

Photos courtesy of Lindsey Katalan. 

ALL GOLD EVERYTHING

Most of our time in Russia was spent touring the palaces in and around St. Petersburg, e.g. The Peterhof (above), The Hermitage, and "Catherine's Palace". Room after room was crammed with priceless objects, mostly collected by the art obsessed Russian rulers of the 17th and 18th centuries. There were heavy enamel chandeliers, trembling with thousands of glittery purplish Russian crystals; rare hand-painted silks from 17th century China; mosaics made entirely out of jewels; a vase made of lapis lazuli that was taller than me...

But more than anything else there was gold. There was so much gold that you started to get sick of it. And that was the inspiration for my "18th Century/Peterhof Palace Girl", below: 

Peterhof Palace Girl (2015) Marker and ink on archival bond, 11 x 8 inches © 2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

I really haven't seen such unapologetic use of opulence and color at any other 17th-18th century site I've visited, not even at Versailles in France or at the palaces of the Medici family in Italy. It's as if the Russian rulers visited Versailles, then went back to Russia and said to their interior decorators, "So, we want Versailles exactly. Except ten times crazier." 

Below: "Catherine's Palace" in Pushkin, the favorite residence of Catherine the Great. She nicknamed it "Heaven on Earth", and had it painted to match the sky and clouds, and built near a natural lake that mirrors the sky. This palace also houses the famous "Amber Room", a painstakingly restored and recently reopened chamber nested within the "Suite of Golden Rooms". All four of its walls are completely inlaid with amber, from floor to ceiling. 

Below: Three Russian "Nesting Dolls" & the colorful Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg.  

Three Russian Nesting Dolls (2015) Marker and ink on archival bond, 4 x 6 inches © 2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

SKETCHES + SEA TRAVEL

Above: Heading into the port at Copenhagen, and thereafter to Helsinki, Tallin, Stockholm, and St. Petersburg! Traveling by ship was exciting, but weather conditions at sea were so rough that I wasn't able to complete nearly as many drawings as I'd hoped. Some days the ship was rocking so much that it was hard to walk in a straight line, let alone sketch! 

But I took lots of notes for future drawings and I tried to draw whenever we were at port or traveling on land. These "Suomi-Finland Girls" happened while driving around the Finnish countryside. They're inspired by all the pretty blue-and-white folk art we saw around Helsinki and in the town of Porvoo.  

Suomi-Finland Girls (2015) Marker and ink on archival bond, 11 x 8 inches ©2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

Color inspo in Porvoo, Finland. June, 2015 

These "Stockholm Girls" (and their dogs) were inspired by all the cool light-wash denim, casual sandals, and bright sneakers we saw while walking around the city. I would absolutely move to Stockholm, BTW. Apparently endless summer sun + cider + minimal cool? Yes, please. 

Stockholm Girls (2015) Marker and ink on archival bond, 11 x 8 inches ©2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

36 HOURS IN LONDON

I don’t remember the last time I was in London for longer than two days. Unfortunately, I’m usually just passing through the city on my way to somewhere else. Every single time I find myself leaving reluctantly with a long list of things I didn’t have time to do and friends I didn’t have time to see. And every time I promise myself that next time I’m going to plan out my travel schedule more efficiently so that I can give London the attention it deserves. 

But this trip, yet again, I could only stay for 36 hours. Of course. Still, even a minute in London is worthwhile. And I had a whole morning for the cool new shoe exhibit at the V&A.

Shoes: Pleasure and Pain (V&A 13 June 2015 – 31 January 2016, curated by Helen Persson) presents about 250 examples of “extremes of footwear from around the globe” and examines the reasons why we choose to wear ridiculous things on our feet. The exhibit includes everything from 1970s Go-Go Boots to bright Sophia Webster heels, as well as an impressive variety of shoes from the 18th and 19th centuries.  

I enjoyed all the modern footwear (the active wear industry is doing crazy things with performance footwear technology), but in my opinion, the historical shoes stole the show. There was a single men’s dancing slipper from the Tudor period and a pair of the most adorable little leather slippers, dated to c. 300 Ancient Egypt. The slippers were decorated with gold leaf and somehow totally still in style. 

It's exciting because so few actual shoes from the 17th century and prior have survived until today. Usually the only way to see historical shoes is to look at contemporary portrait art. After all, even the most prized pair of shoes takes a beating. They're danced in and stood on and sweated in all day, and when they wear out, we tend not to keep them. 

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Mayfair, London. June 2015. 

I also had time to run into Harrods for high tea, where I sketched this little "Harrods Medley".

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An Afternoon at Harrods (2015) Marker, pencil, ink on archival bond, 8 x 8 inches © 2015 Elise Vavrus Krohn

"American Pharoah, Triple Crown Winner!"

I’ve always liked horseracing. Thoroughbreds are so beautiful in action, and there’s nothing quite like the suspense and excitement of watching them compete. Plus the sartorial culture associated with horseracing (and the wider equestrian world) can be absolutely fascinating.

This year I’m mostly just finding it mind-blowing to think about how different the world was the last time a horse won the Triple Crown thirty-eight years ago.

So congratulations, American Pharoah (even if they misspelled your name)! After I finished the full color sketch, I thought it might be cool to try it as a black and white allover pattern. Maybe a future printed silk scarf?

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