Expressionist Art, Mannequins and Hats

Three artists are coming together in what will be quite an unusual display. The opening and ‘Vernissage’ at 19.00 on Friday 6 May.

Marc McCullough?studied fashion design in Milan and Paris.?Last year he set up his own business as a milliner.?He has perfected the craft with felt and steam, and each hat is bold, unique, and original.?

Coqueline Bell?was working in Lausanne in finance.?Last November, the lingerie shop Belladonna in the street below her office was replacing its mannequins.?Coqueline was inspired by them and thought they could make a good art project.?She went in and inquired and took the lot!?Twelve busts and five whole bodies.?

?Gelise McCullough?(me), the author of this post, I have been painting for much of my life.?Coqueline and I have been friends since we were 11.?Marc, my son, collected the mannequins, and with these bare ladies looking at us, we hatched a plan!

Since 2011 and my first proper exhibition, I have been using my art to raise funds to keep girls in Kenya in school. I do this with?Maurine Murenga. Maurine runs the NGO “Lean on Me”?based in Kisumu that helps girls and boys living with HIV.?The funds I raise allow young girls to get the education they need through “Lean on Me”.?Maurine will be at the vernissage at 19.00 on Friday 6 May.?She will be telling us first-hand about the impact of how art has contributed to the girls’ lives.?It is so rewarding to see these girls blossom in the same way our mannequins did when we gave them our attention.?

And if this is not unusual enough, what about the art??

Art has always been where I seek refuge.?Time stands still.?It is my meditation.?During the Covid-19, like many, I explored new interests.?I studied art again and completed an online diploma in drawing and painting from the London College of Art.?I immersed myself in art history and discovered other courses that introduced me to post-war expressionist art.?I learnt about Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Bernard Newman, and Ad Reinhart – but also about the women artist so often overlooked, Agnes Matin, Yayoi Kusuma, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, among others.?I immersed myself in their lives and pushed myself to try their techniques, to do things differently to get out of my artistic comfort zone.?I learned how art and modern art can touch our soul in ways that are hard to verbalise yet resonate loudly within.?Art talks to every one of us in different ways.?It is personal and guided by our own lives and experiences.?You love a piece of art or not.?The hardest part is knowing why because it is so subjective.

When an enthusiastic novice artist Coqueline arrived with a vision of bringing these mannequins to life, we all had to push ourselves into the unknown.?We loved them and, at times, despaired of them.?We spent hours in their company, they spoke to us, and we talked back.?We did this at weekends and evenings, as Coqueline and I hold down full-time jobs.?Marc brought his fashion skills and hats to the project.?Coqueline linked each of her mannequin busts to a moment in time and has beautifully demonstrated her newly acquired skills in producing art.?I translated a famous abstract expressionism artist onto each mannequin, linking each one to a canvas inspired by artist.

The result is colourful, challenging, different, disturbing, and just beautiful.?It is art for the senses, from the softness of felts, the curve of a hat, as well as a hip, from intricate details to large outbursts.?We covered it all!

?Intrigued??We hope so.

We are proud to present our work and hope you will love it.?Our goal is to move you, inside and out.?We want to share what we did with you.?We have even left one bust free for you to add your creativity.?And if we can keep girls in school in Kenya for another year, then all efforts will be rewarded.?

?Sales from the art will go to fund education in Kenya.?A proportion will also be donated from the sale of the hats.

?Located at the Blanchisserie, exhibition room next to Divonne Tourist office.

Open from Friday 6 May 13.00, Saturday 10.00-19.00 Sunday 9.00-13.00

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