Page 30 - the NOISE April 2015

SEEDS FOR PEACE:
Weaving Thoughtfulness into Art
STORY & PHOTO BY SARAH GIANELLI
Walking into Sandy Brown’s shop and studio in the Old Jerome High School one feels enveloped by the essence of the artist herself.
A breeze as gentle as Ms. Brown’s voice tinkles the trans- lucent shells dangling in the tall, sun soaked windows, their diffused sunlight passing through two of her signature petal blouses, artfully displayed to show off their fine sage and teal weave; and boxy, yet elegant cut. Nothing in Seed Natural Fiber Clothing is superfluous or haphazard — even the hand cut paper patterns pinned to the wall behind Ms. Brown’s workstation seem as consciously placed as the antique wooden hat blocks and cake-like stacks of hat boxes spaced out on the ledge that runs around the perimeter of the high ceilinged room.
Then there are the clothes and hats themselves — a sym- phony of color and texture, solids and prints, angles and flu- idity that promise comfort, luxury and sophistication in one.
The majority of Ms. Brown’s clientele are women for whom she custom designs, some of whom have been with her since she started her small business in Florida 30 years ago. She keeps notes on their measurements; what pieces they have purchased over the years so she can create new pieces that work with their existing collection; and will alter earlier gar- ments to stay current with changes in their body shape or size.
“One of the things I love about my business is the interac- tion with my clients,” she says. “I have one gentleman who calls every year and has me put together a box of new gar- ments for his wife. Through the years I’ve developed enough of an understanding of her style and how she likes things to fit. I think there’s a trust that develops over the years with some of these women — fashion can be very personal and part of my goal is to create comforting clothing — something different for every woman. All of our forms are so unique, as are our preferences for how things fit, so there is a lot of col- laboration and joy in that exchange.”
Ms. Brown calls herself a couturiere, the official definition of which is someone who creates original garments to order for personal clients, but you can also buy directly off the racks in her studio, where there are pieces that will appeal to every size, sensibility and age group, with plenty of mix and match options within each line ranging from layered gossamer flo- rals, velvets and batiks to soft, nubby naturals and pigment drenched Matka silk blazers.
Ms. Brown attributes much of her attraction to textiles and textures to the diverse cultures she was exposed to as a young girl. The daughter of a civil engineer, she lived in 20 different places by the time she was 20, including Venezuela, Argen- tina, Trinidad, Jamaica, Sweden, and for the longest time in South Africa, in a small mining town much like this one.
“I lived in a lot of communities where there weren’t big
shops and people were more self-sufficient,” she says. “Where most people did knit their own sweaters — my mother made all of our clothes — and schools focused on functional class- es like balancing checkbooks because many of the students were going to become shop owners. But it was also just a love of seeing regional dress all over the world, how com- munities individualize their clothing, and appreciating the beauty and the function clothing plays in each community. I think what I took away from that though, is how the beauty is more in the way people carry themselves than in what they wear, but then how important what they wear is to how they feel, to their ease and confidence, whether it’s being dressed for the right occasion or simply wearing something they feel really comfortable in.”
Ms. Brown supports fair trade whenever possible, involving fellow artisans and dealers in her work from as far away as India, where she has been working with a fabric supplier for 20 years and knows firsthand the conditions he provides for his employees; and as close as Jerome High School neighbors Suzann Trout, whose stunning beadwork compliments Ms. Brown’s clothing displays; and fiber and palette expert Vicki Day, who does a lot of hand dying for Ms. Brown.
Ms. Brown lives in Clarkdale, in a house she designed and built herself, taking into account her father’s height when it came to every doorway.
“When I came out West, I came to a landscape that was so similar to where I spent most of my childhood in South Africa that I finally felt at home,” she says. “I just knew this was the place to be. The cut of the land, the open skies, the mesas, it was a lot like this valley.”
With a business name like Seeds, it comes as no surprise that Ms. Brown draws a lot of her nourishment and inspira- tion from nature — both personally and in the kinds of fabric and color palette she works with.
When asked about the role nature plays in her life and art, she takes a long pause, comfortable in whatever amount of silence it takes to formulate her response.
“I know I’m inspired by nature and peacefulness,” she says. “It’s my balance in life, as is creating. They’re both centering in the way I choose to do them, and in my effort to create environments that create peace. Even gentlemen will come in, sit in that green velvet chair, and say it feels good in here. I
do a lot of hiking so I’m out in the middle of spaciousness a lot. I love people but I’ve always appreciated time for introspec- tion and my own company, and the spaciousness required to allow yourself to be.
“I also find that with my clothing; I get so far into it that it be- comes a way of being, like a potter creating his cups and be- ing able to drink his coffee out of them. I think art is a lifestyle; it’s in the choices I make in my day to be creative, and nature
is a doorway to that — having it shine through my windows, the way the light sparkles, the colors. My label is Seeds and that came from seeds for thought, seeds for growth, seeds for natural fibers, germination. I use a lot of natural elements in my pieces, like mother of pearl, bone, water buffalo horn. I like thinking about all the fingers that have touched them through time, and how time and timelessness is also a part of nature, its softness, flow, form, and fluidity.”
Ms. Brown usually begins with a visual image, puts it on paper and begins to consider its three dimensional structure and how it will hang on the body. Then she thinks about how to vary the design for different gradations of size. Other times she comes up with the color palette first, working out how she wants to break up the range, what color she wants to be most prominent. Then she creates a prototype, which typi- cally takes three tries to get just right.
“I kind of sew the way I bake,” she says. “There’s a lot of in- tuitiveness and thinking about the client, what will flatter her, and what she’s told me she feels complimented in.”
Ms. Brown describes her work as “casual comfortable wear with a vintage slant in an earth toned palette.” Functionality is also key. All of her creations can be washed at home, even the silks (so as not to support dry cleaning); and she prewash- es all of her garments so clients need not worry about shrink- age, and they have a soft, ready to wear feel from the start. Ms. Brown also ensures that her pieces are crafted to last — using the highest quality fabrics and finishing her pieces with traditional French seaming.
“I’m grateful for my clients who appreciate and recognize what goes into my pieces, and want to support that,” says Ms. Brown. “I think they know it’s thoughtfully done and with intention. My true intention in life is to help create peace, and not in the political sense. I work in a more intimate com- munity circle, trying to create empowerment, kindness, and provide a safe place for people. Women come in here and it’s nice to see them relax and look in the mirror and begin to feel more comfortable with their bodies. It’s my way of trying to give back to humanity — creating peace in life by trying to create peace right here at home.”
Ms. Brown will present a fresh selection of vintage hand painted and burnt-out velvets and chiffons during First Sat- urday ArtWalk on April 4 from 6PM-8PM. Her regular studio hours are 11AM-5PM Tuesday through Saturday or by appoint- ment 928/202-2767. Seed Natural Fiber Clothing is located in Building A of the Old Jerome High School, Suite 201A.
| Sarah Gianelli takes the road less traveled, sometimes more than once a month. sarahgianelli@thenoise.us
30 • APRIL 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us