Della Reams
Touch My Face Masks, 2020
Cotton blend fabric, digitally printed from hand painting 5.5" x 7.5" each
Remote communication is nothing new between Della Reams, MFA TX 2005, and Larry Rushing, NYC painter. They have had a long-distance partnership since 1999. Reams creates textile and dress designs based on Rushing’s paintings. Their most recent collaborative project is a small series of masks called “Touch My Face” - artwork by Larry Rushing, larryrushingart.com, digital textile design and mask-making by Della Reams, dellareams.com.
Della Reams
Sacred and Profane Dress, 2020
Cotton blend fabric, digitally printed from hand painting Ladies size 8
Larry Rushing’s fine art painting provides inspiration for my fabric and fashion designs. The Sacred is represented by the abstract angel over the heart space. The Profane is symbolized by the same motif reversed, a flame over the area of a woman’s greatest power and femininity. Devotion is communicated using the artwork of the beloved and transforming it into a dress that conveys the creativity of both partners - the male inspired by femininity and the female by love. Spirit is expressed by the abundance of handwork performed to embellish and energize the dress. Celebrating color and exploring its expression in texture, pattern, and form, this design integrates 2D textile design with 3D fashion design. A balance of old and new practices - hand painting, digital printing, draping, and sewing by hand and machine – are featured in this one-of-a-kind dress.
Della Reams
Hands with Holy Grail Dress, 2018
cotton percale fabric, digitally printed from hand painting ladies size 6
Larry Rushing’s fine art paintings inspire my textile designs. The integration of my two-dimensional designs into three-dimensional garments is my design challenge – to create an original 2-D design and form it into a unique and innovative 3-D form. Derived from parts of a painting that took three months to complete, this print was developed through dozens of Photoshop iterations. The painting was chosen because I was curious about how the series of hands that appear in it could wrap around the body in the shape of a dress. The title of the dress reflects the hands from the original painting around the chalice-shaped figure that resulted from the repeat technique of mirroring - used to evoke the painter’s surrealistic style. The irregular but symmetric tucks near the midriff are intended to manipulate the print and form while adding surface texture.
Della Reams
Angel in the House Dress all views, 2017
cotton percale fabric, digitally printed from hand painting Ladies size 8
Angel in the House is part of a series of digitally printed and draped dresses. Inspired by Larry Rushing’s* painting called “House”, the fabric print was digitally designed and printed. The dress silhouette was fashioned with Julian Robert’s “Subtractive Patternmaking “. Finishing included areas of the print being folded and stitched in tiny tucks for emphasis at the center front of the dress. *Larryrushingart.com
Della Reams
Blooming Moth Dress, 2015
cotton percale fabric, digitally printed from hand painting ladies size 6
The surrealistic imagery and harmonious color sense featured in my collaborator’s paintings inspired me to develop a series of digitally-printed fabrics, which then generated a series of related dress designs. The integration of these 2-D design into three-dimensional garments was my design challenge – to form a beautiful 2-D design into a creative and innovative 3-D form, using the human body as the supporting structure and the 2-D design as ornament. Originating with a surrealistic painting of pink lilies on a blue background, this print is a digital enlargement of the entire painted image on the front of the dress, with the reverse on back. The form is a simple envelope-shape with strategic openings that adorns the body in numerous configurations. There was no cutting or waste in the main body of the design, and printing errors were used for the neck ties and a pair of tie belts.
Della Reams
Ribbon Tuck Dress, 2014
cotton percale fabric, digitally printed from hand painting ladies size 6
Fine artist Larry Rushing’s painting “Flora Rush” was the inspiration for a textile print and an apparel design. The original acrylic painting, which took about three months to paint, was copied digitally. Then a small part of it was used as a base for a repeat pattern, designed on Photoshop by Della Reams. The final pattern was digitally printed onto 100% cotton woven fabric. The printed fabric was then draped on the mannequin by Hisham Dawoud, creating tucks in the skirt matching up the repeat motifs in the print. The dress was then sewn together, using a washed test sample of the print to line the bodice. The name “Ribbon Tuck Dress” comes from the yellow ribbon in the abstract floral arrangement, and the tucked form of the skirt. The intention of this work is to illustrate the direct influence of fine art on fashion design in a future exhibition - featuring a series of related paintings, textile designs, dress designs, and fashion illustrations.
Della Reams
Treasure Palm Dress, 2014
cotton percale fabric, digitally printed from hand painting 2 mg
Part of a series, fine artist Larry Rushing’s painting was used as an inspiration for a textile print and unique apparel design. The original artwork named “One Handed World”, took Rushing about three months to paint. The painting was copied digitally, and a small part of it was used as a tile for a print, designed by Della Reams using the mirror method of repeat on Photoshop. After numerous trials, the final pattern was digitally printed onto 100% cotton woven fabric. The printed fabric was then draped on a size 6 dress form by Reams, creating a form using the print as it relates to the body. The name “Treasure Palm Dress” comes from the bodice front, where it appears that four hands are reaching for a ruby placed over the heart. The intention of this work is to illustrate the direct influence of fine art on fashion design in a future exhibition - featuring a series of related paintings, textile designs, dress designs, and fashion illustrations.
