The Best Sunset I’ve Ever Seen: Video With Lightning

I thought I’d seen some good sunsets…BAH, this one lastnight was the best I’d ever seen. Fog over the mountains, clear over the peaks, nearly black over the Pacific with lightning and thunder. Over the Ventura Rivermouth, there were the most intense pinks, oranges and reds…and on top of all of that, flocks of birds were flying around, waves were crashing, and a freight train rattled through…and then it started to drizzle…It was absolutely the most stimulating sunset I’ve ever witnessed.

Quirky and Fun Soft Sculpture: The Dia de los Muertos Calaca (Skeleton) Is Finished!

His name is Esmoquin (Spanish for tuxedo). He’s able to make noise with his hip-bell, googley eyes, and also has an extinct T-Rex shoulder. Go get your Open Fashion t-shirt from the Museum of Ventura County and start remixing / customizing!

Skeleton / Calaca Soft Sculpture by Pete Ippel
Skeleton / Calaca Soft Sculpture by Pete Ippel

Regarding the stitching, I used the free-motion foot and various stitches for the accent work around the ribcage. In addition, the button holes were created with a dense zig-zag stitch and a seam-ripper. Inside there is standard quilt batting. All limbs are interchangeable, sort of like a Mr. Potato Head for Halloween / Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead.

Inspiration from Nick Cave’s Soundsuits,
Nick Cave's Soundsuits @ YBCA

Claes Oldenburg’s Soft ScissorsI just saw at MOCA,
soft scissors

Inkscape, Free Culture Movement, and the aesthetic and community relationships between the open source graphics community and the fiber arts.

Read more information on how Pete Ippel created the design and concept of the remixable art-wear t-shirt.

Please help support artists~! To purchase this quirky and fun soft sculpture as well as other contemporary art, please check out Pete Ippel Contemporary Art on Etsy and Pete Ippel’s website.

Come see the exhibition of community altars at the Museum of Ventura County.

Dia de los Muertos T-shirts Designed by Pete Ippel Are Available At The Museum Of Ventura County

The new shirt is available now at the Museum of Ventura County, there are only 75 in the first printing, so be quick!

Artist Pete Ippel modeling the shirt he designed for the Dia de los Muertos event at the Museum of Ventura County
Artist Pete Ippel modeling the shirt he designed for the Dia de los Muertos event at the Museum of Ventura County - Photo by Diane Ippel

With this wearable art, I have taken the traditional imagery of the calaca (Mexican skeleton) and given it a contemporary flavor. The interactive garment allows the wearer to take their celebration of El Dia De Los Muertos in a new direction. Once the shirt has served its purpose as clothing, the wearer is encouraged to cut out the printed image and create a decoration for their own altar by simply attaching the arms and legs to the torso.

Cut t-shirt Calacas designed by Pete Ippel for the Dia de los Muertos event at the Museum of Ventura County
Cut t-shirt Calacas designed by Pete Ippel for the Dia de los Muertos event at the Museum of Ventura County

My design is intentionally open so that the new collaborator can add their own decorations, flowers, or write directly on the printed cloth. By working together, we both realize our creative vision, celebrating the spirit of our ancestors and loved ones. Truly a move toward Open Fashion.

Special shout out to the Free Libre Open Source Software community for the awesome vector editing tool Inkscape. Couldn’t have done it without you.

I will also be installing a large altar made of sewn and reused plastic. The show opens on October 26th, for more information, please visit The Museum of Ventura County Day of the Dead info page.

Consciousness Altering Sunset

Many of us are familiar with the double rainbow video and some find it humorous that someone is so moved by nature that they are driven to laughter, hooting, and eventually to tears of joy. I empathize.

Regarding the sunset last night, it reminded me to take life as it comes and to be open to the beauty and coincidence of nature. Being at the right place at the right time matters, and even though it can be a tough lesson to learn, no matter how hard one WANTS a perfect sunset every night with its romance and beauty, you may just have to wait: appreciating the fleeting moments when they arrive and depart…

To be free from expectation of an identical performance, leaves one open to the joy of surprise.