Style Imitating Art…
Welcome to Style Imitating Art which comes from Salazar, Shelbee, and me. You can think of this series as fashion meets art museum! SIA challenges people to find inspiration in different art works, create looks based upon that art work, and share them with the curator for that piece. Salazar is this week’s curator with some really beautiful objects. I hope you enjoy this post, the information, and my interpretation.
How it works…
Every other Monday one of us selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. We then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, we share our outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. Salazar chose this week’s art work for this round of Style Imitating Art. If you’d like, you can read why she chose it here. Please send your photo to Salazar by Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 by 10 pm EST. Style Imitating Art is an interesting way to inspire your outfits. You can see a few of my looks here, here, here, and here.
About the artist…
Known as the creator of layered sand art, Andrew Clemens was born in Dubuque, Iowa on January 29, 1857. Later that same year, the family relocated to McGregor, Iowa. When he was young (possibly five years old), Clemens contracted encephalitis which left him completely deaf and mute. Since he was mute, my assumption is he was quite young. As a result, at age 13, he began attending the Iowa State School for the Deaf.
A little more…
Clemens spent his entire life in Iowa in an area of the Mississippi River Valley which is near Pikes Peak State Park. Clemens, along with his brothers, often visited Pictured Rocks, an area of the park, known for variegated sandstone cliffs. These cliffs had iron and mineral deposits that resulted in more than forty different shades of stone. His brothers would collect pieces of the sandstone, take them home, sort them into the various colors, and grind them into a very fine powder. This provided Andrew with an amazing palette of colors for his designs.
Still more…
An artistic child, Clemens began creating these amazing jars of colored sand. He would place each grain of sand in a specific place. No glue or any kind of adhesive was used; Clemens depended on the pressure of the sand to keep the design in place. Of course, his early pieces were much simpler than his older pieces. You can see many different examples of his art here. Since Clemens basically created this art form, he also had to create his own tools of the trade. He created a set of hickory and bent fish-hook tools to both deposit and push the sand around. As he continued creating these bottles, the designs became more and more intricate. Original pieces were front and back; later pieces could be viewed 3600. Many times, Clemens created his art with the bottle upside down! These unusual pieces of art often took as much as a year to complete. Clemens stopped the bottles up with a piece of velvet and sealed the lead with wax and a custom-printed label, identifying Clemens as a Deaf Mute.
Even more…
Clemens sold his bottles for $5-7 each. Today, these beautiful creations sell for several thousand dollars. Part of the reason for that is so few of these survive. While demonstrating his art, Clemons would often break the bottle after finishing it in order to prove there was no subterfuge. Another reason is these bottles were fragile and just didn’t survive the years. Luckily, some of them have been found in attics and such. This article shares the experience of brothers who discovered one of these bottles. Here is another article written in the verbose style of a gossip column, but I love the description of Andrew Clemens’ life. Clemens died on May 14, 1894 at the age of 37.
Another example and explanation…
My interpretation…
I just commented on Mireille’s blog that I haven’t worn leggings yet this winter. I’m not sure why that is, but I decided to change that immediately. This SIA challenge was the perfect time to trot out these old Tapestry leggings (similar) by April Cornell. I actually pulled the leggings up quite high so the gorgeous embroidery would show above my boots. Judging by the photos on my camera, I bought this duster in the April Cornell store in Asheville, NC in September, 2019. I thought the colors of the duster as well as the leggings were a close match to the colors in the bottles. I added an old green/ivory striped tee from J Jill for interest as well as to add some sharper lines to my look in order to mimic the lines on the back of the bottle. My floral duster seems to have done a pretty fabulous job of mirroring the florals on the front.
The Lewk!
Of course, I had to wear something fantastic on my feet, right? These are, in fact, the Fantastic Booties from L’Artiste. One might think this was a lot of florals…one would be wrong! I have the perfect earrings and bracelets (here, here and here) from World Finds, but I don’t have the necklace. I thought the outfit needed a necklace so I went back in my closet. I found these two necklaces and earrings from J Jill and bracelets bought at a boutique a few years ago. I don’t think my bracelets show up in any photos, though! That’s why I rarely wear them in the winter…my sleeves end up covering them.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I had a student who was really into layered sand, but she didn’t create anything like this. And, I’m pretty sure she just poured the sand in rather than placing one grain in at a time. I have had a slight hearing loss in one ear my entire life. As I get older, my hearing is getting worse. I can’t imagine not being able to hear anything at all…no rain on the roof, no dog snores, no music. So, can we talk? Do you think Clemens would have done something differently with his life if he’d not lost his hearing? What sound would you miss the most should you completely lose your hearing? Have you ever tried sand layering? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
Don’t forget…
If you want to be included in the Style Imitating Art round up, send Salazar your photo by 10:00 pm EST Tuesday, January 14th. Photos of everyone participating will appear on her blog on Wednesday, January 15th! If you’re interested in join us, consider all of your options…the colors, the lines, the florals. Come on, give it a try! I think you’ll love it!
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
Affiliate links, discount codes and such:
Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I am an April Cornell Brand Ambassador for another season. You can use my code, MARSHA15, for $15 off any order over $100. Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.
Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!
An amazing story about the sand artist ans you caught the look well with your choice of clothes.
Wow; his works of art are so intricate! I did do some sand layering for a time but nothing like that. I found sand to be a difficult medium to work with. Those leggings are fabulous and I love your outfit.
Wow! What an amazing artist this man was. Funnily enough I remember when everyone in the UK went on a 2-week seaside holiday (over 50 years ago) buying very crude sand glass filled with different coloured sand in a wavy pattern. Think mainly these came from the Isle of Wight where the sand is multicoloured – not entirely sure – but buying something like that at the end of the holiday was a reminder of the seaside. Obviously we don’t have any of them now. And they were never as beautiful and as intricate as Clemens art – those bottles are very special.
That is a great outfit and I love the boots best of all!
I had no idea this was possible with sand art! These are so incredible! I love the colors your chose for your outfit and how they emulate the colors in the art. Your boots and duster look so good together!
Love, love, love this outfit, Marsha! All the gorgeous florals and your adorable leggings and those boots! Well done! What a fascinating artist, isn’t he?
Shelbee