Lisa / Studio Notes 

When I am in Pittsburgh I love to visit the Andy Warhol Museum. Its an amazing space with so many familiar pieces of artwork and plenty of Warhol's personal belongings. When I walk through the exhibits, I am continually struck by how Warhol transitioned into a fine artist, by using only the techniques he learned as a commercial artist to create these beautiful pieces and redefine what art is.  

As I was folding my Mothers Wrangler Blue Jeans, I realized that these pair of jeans have been worn for over 65 years by three generations of women in my family.  I remember my mother wearing her "old" jeans during her home improvement projects.  I always loved the shape and color of these wranglers, from the stove pipe leg and side zip waist, to the unique wrangler patch on the back pocket.  My Mother told stories of how she wore them in high school, rolled up with penny loafers.  When I was finally big enough to wear these fabulous jeans, I stole them out of her closet and they became a staple in my wardrobe all through my high school years.  I never purged these denim jeans and carried them with me throughout my life, they kept me connected with my mother throughout my adult years.  When my daughters started high school, the tradition continued and they raided my closet, just as I did, and started wearing these unique Wrangler Blue Bell Jeans. But this time, not with penny loafers but with there own twist of footwear.  Everytime I see one of my daughters wearing these jeans, I snap a photo and send it to my Mother, to remind her of the unintended tradition she started 65 years ago. 

I just love using the chemical "liver of sulfur" to darken my metal. Every time I brush my metal with this chemical its like magic. If this process was done in a factory, the end result would be the same, because the conditions would be monitored for every piece i.e.: the temperature, the amount of water, even the measurement of the chemical. But I am a studio artist, so with every new piece of copper I brush will the liver of sulfur, I feel I am creating a small piece of art. Click on the photo and watch a video of Lisa change the bright color of copper to the beautiful colors of yellow and dark purple.