The Shape of Things to Come

                      Chocolate jeweled blouse and skirt, Linda Stokes 2010 Collection
                                                 Model, Von Gretchen Shepard


Hello All,

Just a little peek-a-boo at my "high aspirations" of returning to the glitz...or should I say, the "Ritz"? And, Putting it On! Let's not give up the beauty and glamour of the Silver Screen. Those ladies had it "Going On". And, you can, too.

Coming soon, is my new Pia Zza! Collection of gowns, dresses and wraps of nuno felted featherweight silks, exotic wools and natural fibers. Soft, flowing and billowy visions of fabulous female fashion. Ranging from watered silks reflecting the moods of the ocean to glorious spectral colors combined with ribbons, hand painted textiles and natural wool fleeces.

Faux print dress, Linda Stokes 2010 Collection

Model, Von Gretchen Shepard

So keep an eye peeled, and your "DeMille Closeup" attitude close at hand. A fantastic new Pia Zza! OOAK original is coming just for you. You Girls are all OOAK and originals. So be FIERCE and glamorous. We are waiting for you at the "Ritz"!

Champagne sequined gown, Linda Stokes 2010 Collection

Model, Von Gretchen Shepard

Photography by Michael Stokes, copyright 2010, of Linda Stokes, designer


All images, text and content copyrighted, 2011, all rights reserved

Organza and I ... "Sway Me, Now"!

Artist's Private Collection

Le Mariage Silk Organza Kimono in Azul Backsplash

(Seagulls in flight with backsplash motif)

Hello All,

Don't you just love the floaty feel of sheer organza to "step out on the town" in?  I sure do.  I just can't help hearing that sultry voice of Nicole Scherzinger crooning, "Sway me...sway me.  Sway me, now".  Aw, yeah ...That's the Stuff!  And, even more titillating is the coming of my new summer coats, tunics and vests featuring lightweight silks and cottons in combination with some other amazing natural fibers.  Just you wait and see! 

Floating about in one of my coats, you will be the "talk of the town", and all your friends will, simply, be "...Pea Green with Envy"!  Isn't that right, Scarlet?  "Fiddle dee dee, Girls".  Wear it, wear it ...Own It!

Presenting, "Water Sprite" by Pia Zza!  Experience the Eternal Flow of Elemental Water...Water inspired silk and layered organic couture for the free spirited femme in us all.  See you at the studio.  Studio 32 in Spanish Village Art Center, that is!

"Sway me...sway me.   Sway me, now."  (fade to you on the town...)


Feeling free form felt forged by feminine hands.  "Felting with feeling"...Fabulous!


All images, text and content copyrighted, 2011, all rights reserved

Persephone..."Spring is Busting Out All Over"!

Shhhh!  Can you hear that?

It is the quiet push of Springtime...a gentle stretch...the infinite soft sound of sound without static or strain.  A bird warbles, a gentle yet cool breeze floats about on zephyr wings, a gossamer dragonfly flutters nearby, and the sun shines down with the amazing warmth that we all look forward to this time of year.  Pale green and bright yellow buds and leaves push their delicate arms through a thin veil of remaining snow, instinctively migrating toward the sky and powdery clouds that drift by overhead.  I lift my face, upturned, to the welcome gift of Spring, and am drawn to its renewal and promise of rebirth, as was Persephone in Greek mythology.

Persephone steps from the underworld, and places her lovely foot upon the newly replenished ground, and as she walks, surely, "Spring is, suddenly, Busting out all over"!   I loved this Greek tale of rebirth in the spring when I first read it in high school, and it recurs in my memory each spring.  After its winter hibernation, nature awakens and bursts forth once more with color, sound and texture for our delight.  Warming and enticing us with the promise of summer.

This is the inspiration for my new line of felted boas and accessories from Pia Zza!  Yarns, handpainted fabrics, ribbons and various wool fibers are mixed together in a glorious medley to simulate springtime and the influence of Persephone upon the season's change and nature's abundance.  Inspired by this theme, I had originally named my new line of felted boas, "Confetti" because the wool, ribbons and fibers combined in such a way as to give the viewer the impression of confetti raining down in celebration and "joie".  My friends and  patrons were delighted with the concept.  As my designs for the scarves and ornaments are constantly growing and evolving, I have decided to rename them "Renew", in honor of Persephone and the renewal that comes with springtime.  They will still be reminiscent of confetti, but so much more.  That is what "joie" does to you...it just grows and grows.  Isn't that right, Persephone?

Oh, this reminds me of an assignment that we had in college in art calligraphy class.  Our beloved instructor, Malcolm Nichols (perfectionist to the hilt), gave us the challenging mid-semester project of composing a completely nonsensical poem of so many lines, and then, scribing it in excruciatingly perfect penmanship. Thanks, Malcolm!

I dug deep down in my creative bag, and came up with this questionable tribute to nature:

While casually crunching my angel cake,
I contemplated a noodle fly
Who sang a whistle
To the ear bursting silence
Of a green squash plant,
And, the ferocious feline fell afloat.

Cassandra Shepard, circa, 1972

Sorry, Persephone, maybe not as brilliant as your paintbrush in Spring, but it was fun writing it.

So, remember everyone, come to the studio and take home one of my new felted boas, wraps or accessories, and each time you wear it you will "Renew, renew...renew". 

Wishing you love and joie for Springtime,

Cassandra Pia


Feeling free form felt forged by feminine hands.  "Felting with feeling"...Fabulous!


All images, text and content copyrighted 2011, all rights reserved

"A Rose for L. J." (As in, Lynette Jennings)

                                                         Sold to Private Collector
                                                              "A Rose for L. J."
                                                      Faux Batik Painting on Silk


Hello All,

Ah, yes.  "A Rose for L. J."  As in, Lynette Jennings of the Discovery Channel fame.  This painting of a Rose of Sharon was painted by me in July of 2001 during a video demonstration on the Lynette Jennings Design Show, using faux batik techniques and gutta resist.  The segment aired on October 12, 2001.  It can be viewed as Episode 171, "Coronado Beach House".

While on tour in San Diego, Lynette visited my home studio where her film crew taped my demonstration of the technique, as she completed her own version of the same flower.  What with fending off the local bees, who followed the aroma of the beeswax, to explaining the process to Lynette while trying to complete a finished painting in time with the video tape, we had quite a day!


Stay tuned for a recap of our art full and eventful day ... a day in the life of faux batik painting, and the "flight of the honey bees"!


All images, text and content copyrighted, 2011, all rights reserved

Seamus "On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy"

  Sold to Private Collector

                             Le Mariage Shibori Bolero Jacket in Off the Grid


Hello All,

And, yes.  You did hear me correctly when I said, "Seamus on my shoulders...Makes me Happy"!   Seamus on anyone's shoulders, I assure you, can make you happy.   Seamus (pronounced Shay-mus) is the baby son of my most favorite angora goat, Arlen.  Although, Kathi, his owner, is very close with his fleece, I was able to procure a mini sample of  his locks, and used them, sparingly, along with Arlen's  in my scarves.  Seamus and Arlen are two of many sheep and goats owned by my friend, Kathi Ruiz and her artistic family who live on their ranch in Campo, California.  Kathi and Rose, her oldest daughter, have been members of Spanish Village Art Center for a little over 3 years.  My discovery of Irish Rose yarns and Kathi Ruiz has been a godsend.

Upon seeing it, I immediately fell in love with the rare hand spun yarns that Kathi produces from the wool of her sheep.  I recognized in an instant the myriad possibilities of creating masterpieces with her yarns and fiber.  And let me tell you, I was onto those soft and alluring boucles "like white on rice", if you know what I mean.  In the past 3 or more years, I have collected enough of Kathi's fiber to fill a sack that can rival Santa's bag at its fullest.  I mean, literally, I can climb inside of it and take a nap!  For those of you who would like to know more about Kathi Ruiz's "Irish Rose" yarns and hand knits, please read my blog feature, "Ewe... Just Gotta Spin!" which I posted at:  spanishvillageartcenter.blogspot.com , circa September 10, 2010.  (Click on my "Friends and Favorite Links" list to read the article)

Kathi and Fern at her annual shearing

I have been promising you all that I would get photos of my new line,
Pia Zza!, onto the blog for awhile.  While the creation of my new pieces has been ongoing, and my knowledge of felting is expanding, I have been selling the new creations in my studio almost before I can get them done.  I'll be working overtime to get a few pix on the blog ASAP.  Pia Zza! is an original line of scarves, wraps, hats, garments and accessories that are a combination of hand painted textiles and luxuriously exotic wool and fiber.  In my creative exploration, I search for unusual and uncommon fibers and textiles which give a signature look to my line, and a standout image to the collector...the ultimate woman who can and does, "Express the Elemental" in herself.

This is why Kathi's fiber fell so easily in sync with my ideas.  The natural textures and colors of her products jumpstart my imagination, and I can hardly contain the channels that my mind runs in each time I purchase another bundle of her yarn.  This last week, when I thought I may have seen it all, suddenly there appeared a glorious riot of "black and white" boucle yarn from "Dutch".  I knew I would create something marvelous from this yarn, and I have already decided to call it (You guessed it...), "Double Dutch"!  Yea!

Hold that thought.  I'll be back after a short break.  Got to get to the studio.  I will pick this up in a bit.


Saturday, 2/26/2011  1:30 p.m.

Okay.  I am back and ready to go with Dutch, Tasha, Arlen, Seamus, Fairy, Comet, Delilah, Fern, Gemma, Maggie, Opal, Gandolph, Warlock, Wulfgar, Mystic, Isis, Shaman, Violet, Lola, Daisy, Erie, Ellie, Bear, Callie, Spice, Skye, Bianca, Tristan and Toffee...(I told you... I've been collecting awhile) just to name a few of those lovely "purveyers of flotsam and fleece"!!  Okay, I'm waxing poetic again, but I just can't help it.  These darlings and their lovely fleeces are as individual as my garments, and their fleeces can only be gotten once a season.  I love the novelty of this because it makes each piece that I create as individual and one of a kind as their annual shearing.  So, keep an eye "peeled" for the upcoming array of felted silk and wool wearables.  I promise, you will be "Happy with Seamus on your Shoulders"!   (In my mind's eye, I have seen it.)  Isn't that right, Seamus?

Baaaaaaaaa...aaaaaaaaaaaa!!  (That means, "You betcha!)

 

Kathi gets a "little love" from Seamus

Self expression is the texture of Life.  Pia Zza!  Express the Elemental in You.


Feeling free form felt forged by feminine hands.  "Felting with feeling"...Fabulous!

All images, text and content copyrighted, 2011, all rights reserved

Aw...Do It! Just...Do It! Express Yourself!

Aw, Yeah!

Sold
Le Mariage Shibori Silk Kimono in Indigo Indie

Are we up this morning, Ladies?  I am, and Dancing through the Day!  Aw, do it...Just do it.  "Express Yourself in Pia Zza! and Le Mariage".  You know it...(da, da da).  You got it...(da, da da).
"Express Yourself"!

What's a day without Dance?  Dance!  Dance!

You got it ... Dull.  So, come on ladies..."Shake your Shimmy" and sing out loud, "Express Yourself"!

Sold
Le Mariage Shibori Kimono in Bromeliad

Sold
Le Mariage Shibori Kimono in Off the Grid

Sold
Le Mariage Shibori Long Vest and Scarf in Autumn Borealis

Artist's Private Collection
Le Mariage Shibori Ruched Collar Ruana in Blue Blazes

Artist's Private Collection
Le Mariage Shibori Silk Kimono in Azul Backsplash

Aw... Do It.  Just...Do It!  Express Yourself!  You know it ... Hop to It!  Express Yourself!

You Go, Girls!   You are Fierce...in Pia Zza! and Le Mariage, that is!


You know it (da, da da)... so, show it (da, da da).

(fade to) ... "Express Yourself"!


Visit  me at my Studio 32 in Spanish Village Art Center
located at 1770 Village Place, San Diego, California.
Studio phone:  (619) 230-0039

Studio is open 7 days a week from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Come on in and, "Express the Elemental in You" in
Pia Zza! and Le Mariage, or take a walk on the "rouge" side
in La Vie Rouge by Pia.

"Beautiful Things are Happening, Everyday"

All images, text and content copyrighted, 2011, all rights reserved