I started “Theater of the Bosom” on the train from Montreal to Quebec City about a month ago. While I was lounging in my seat, I stitched the fingers of a fuzzy glove between the buttons of the apricot shirt. I also sewed together a couple of swatches of floral and camouflage fabric.
“Theater of the Bosom” by Catherine Raine, 2011
When I returned home to Toronto, I covered a small canvas with the fabric patchwork (plus glove-n-shirt) and added more fabric. Then I took an old sports bra and dressed the canvas with it.
“Theater of the Bosom,” Catherine Raine, 2011
I thought the bra-stuffing turned out nicely, so I may as well reveal the secret to a perfect fabric silhouette: shoulder pads, pantyhose, and bits of a shirt.
For theatrical embellishments, I draped a scrap of the camouflage material (originally a bandana that my friend Noreia bought at the dollar store) and added another glove, a ribbon, more fabric scraps, and some felt.
I used stencils and fabric paint to write on the bra. Later, I dabbed small blobs of purple encaustic wax over the dried paint.
“Theater of the Bosom” by Catherine Raine, 2011
I hope that “Theater of the Bosom” will serve as a playful reminder to respect the beauty of the female form, no matter what shape, age, or dramatic dimension!