Andrea Kowch Studio Blog

A Walk Among the Stars. . . The "Cinematic Couture" Exhibition at the Somerset Collection

This past September/October was time spent on an exciting project sponsored by the Somerset Collection, that put on public exhibit over 40 Hollywood costumes worn by such actors as Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, and many more. The costumes were on loan from Cosprop, the London-based company that is one of the leading costumiers for the film industry, specializing in period clothing. The exhibit was gorgeous, and it was an honor to work alongside my friends and peers, sketching these fantastic costumes onsite as the public toured the show over the course of a few weeks. The costumes were works of art in themselves, and it was amazing to actually see them in real life, up close and personal.

With the closing of the show this past October, we were asked to come up with a final piece of work involving the costumes. I ended up choosing the costume worn by Lara Flynn Boyle in the movie, Land of the Blind. I never saw the movie, nor have ever really watched her much as an actress, but this costume was to die for. My goal with this painting was to strictly focus on evoking the elegance of the gown, contrasting its soft, flowing quality with the hard, solid structural elements. I explored fusing some flat, graphic qualities with it as well. Just something to further evoke an ethereal, magical mood. You can visit Cosprop's website at http://www.cosprop.com/ to learn more about them and what they do. You'll be amazed!

(Also see some pics from the exhibition below!)