Of All Things: May 2015

Beauty salon scene from our May 14, 2015, life drawing party.
Photo credit Chris Morgan.

Our Thursday, May 14, 2015, life drawing session featured two new things, a photo shoot that was not part of the drawing experience, and modeling instruction for a first time model.

This coming fall, David Trumbull will be teaching a course in the Textile, Fashion Design and Merchandising Department of the University of Rhode Island. A major part of it will be on the sourcing of the various component parts of a finished garment. Take for example, the narrow elastic fabric that goes into the waistband of underwear and is used for brassiere straps. Some years ago there was a dispute, between apparel retailers and the U.S. textile industry as to whether elastic waistband and brassiere straps were essential components of the garments or were "findings or trimmings." In some cases narrow strips of fabric sewn into or onto a garment are "findings or trimmings." But David argued, from the law, the regulation, and several prior U.S. Customs rulings, that in the case of intimate apparel such as pictured below, they are essential components. At stakes was potentially millions of dollars in tariff duties the importers would face if David were to prevail.

Our models, Jennifer and Jim
Photo credit Chris Morgan.

The legal arguments while strong, were not quite enough to win the battle, so David approached it another, more practical way, saying, "They are not findings or trimmings, they are essential components, because this (see photo below) is what happens when you omit an essential element, not a finding or trimming.

Photo credit Chris Morgan.

The case of the brassiere straps, David won. In the case of the waistbands straps it was a partial win. Customs said brassiere straps were not findings or trimmings and that waistbands were not necessarily so and would have to be decided on a cumbersome case-by-case basis. Since business hates the uncertainty of Customs or any government agency saying "maybe, maybe not" the effect was they didn't even try to use the findings and trimmings exemption for waistbands.

Our model John
Photo credit Chris Morgan.

Jennifer is an experienced model having done many advertising or promotional shots, but this was her debut as nude art class model. She was a delight to work with, took direction well, and with an art history course under her belt, immediately got what we were doing with some of the classic poses. Jim has previous art model experience and was the perfect chose for the embarrassed "Joe College" character suddenly, and unexpectedly, depantsed. John had no modeling experience, but after some brief instruction, he took to it fabulously. As usual, we started with the models posing separately in quick two or three minute poses to warm up the artists and models alike. Again, we thank The Church on the Hill for the use of the room and the spot light, carrying on an ancient tradition of churches as patrons of the arts.

Danielle L. created this Shakespearean pose for John.


Jennifer, John, and Jim as the Three Graces


Jennifer getting the full beauty spa treatment, pedicure from Jim and hair washing from John (pose created by David)


Jim (left) and John (right) fight over Jennifer (pose created by David)


Nancy created this interesting pose with all three models. David chose to focus on Jennifer, rendering her in a abstract, streamlined fashion


Nancy created this interesting pose with all three models. Chris created this pose with the models leafing through the pages of the book Art Models 2