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Show The Salt Lake Tribune SUNDAY Sunday, January 24, 1999 J3 Velvet: The art medium that refuses to die is coming back BY PHIL DAVIS LOS ANGELES TIMES Blackvelvetis funky Elvis and Jesusportraits leaning against crackedwalls outside a mercado de artesanosin Tijuana. Or Brigitte Bardot — nude against a plush void — hangingin theliv ing roomof a southwest Texas trailer. Blackvelvetis border-town chic. Historiansignoreit. Writers mockit. Collectors won'tcollectit. Respected museums won'tdig. nifyit with a comment, andeven bad onesturn it back at thedoor. The most comprehensive book on velvet paintingcalls it the “art weloveto hate.” A better James Butterfield These adorable faces belong to twosisters, Cinder and Briquette, 7-week-old black Lab mixes, who are hoping-to be loved for the restof their lives, either together or separately. These pups have already been through homesin their few short weeks of life. When their first owner threatened to dump the puppies they could Notgive away, a second persontook themin but could notproperly carefor them either. Nowit’s our turn to find permanent, loving homesfor these sweetandaffectionate girls. They'll be waiting at Salt Lake County Animal Services, 511, W. 3900S., or call 264-2267 Watchdog takes experience to school After 18 years as a watchdog IN THE LIMELIGHT for womenin the higher education system, Lou Jean Flintis taking time to enjoylife anda Board. Sheis taking time to newlove. Flint, whoretired from her job as academicdirectorfor lessonsafter a 40-year hiatus,” she laughed. the Utah BoardofRegentslast Take A Bow versity of Utah. Her professor Eli Y. Adashi, professor and chairof the Department of and future employer, TedBell, DEBBIE HUMMEL askedherto go to the boardof * regents and look at salarystud- ¢ ies.(Colleges anduniversities + areYequiredto report their * salarydata tothe federal gov | ernment.) Flint noticedthat not only were fewer womenrepresent, ed as faculty and administra‘ tors, but they earned much less than their male counter) ar ) Flint washiredbythe Officeof er Education,andcontin: to conduct these annual * studies. *“Less than fouryearslater, } About one-quarterof female faculty were newhires, I alttibute thatto thestudy,” she 6694d. Flint commends two former commissioners, Bell and Arvo Vani Alstyne for ensuring the Studies were done annually. “It does taketime to makeadifference, and that} ly report ing really did makeadiffer- ence,” Flint said. Just beforeretiring, Flint hadher sightsset cn anissue endemic to Utah “Wedonot have the number of female students in ourstate that the national averagehas,” Flintsaid. “We see thempredominatelyjust after high school, but we see thegirls leave and the boys continue.” Flint notes that while young women often earncollege cer: tificates or two-yeardegrees, a smalier proportionof them earn four-year degrees com: paredwith malestudents. “Weshortchangeourselves as astate when wedon't look honestly at thos 8, shesaid. Flint is enjoying her retirement, spending more timewith friends and, recently remar- riedafter30 ye: whole new romance,"s] She recently resigned from a position on the Utah Coalition of Welfare Reform, and is on the Foster Care Citizen Review Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah School ofMedicine, has been named as the first holderofthe John A. DixonPresidential EndowedChair atthe U.’s medical school. Adashi is the author and editorof10 books and more than 350 scientific papers, andis aninternationally recognizedleaderin the field of reproductive endocrinology. Dixon, for whomthechairis named, was a faculty memberand administratorat the U. and one of the world’s experts in laser surgery. KipPitou,presidentof the Utah Ski and Snowboard Asso- ciation/Ski Utah, KTVX, Utah Excellencein Journalism Award. The awardis given for providing outstanding cover- ageofwinter sports in Utah. Thestation was primarily rec. ognizedforits committment to covering the Utah Winter zames. Fleece takes fashion world by storm Puzzlesolutions Forjust as velvet seemed secure on the fringe of popular culture,it again threatensto invade the mainstream — notch kitsch or criti ing medium for daredevil artists. “Velvetis verboten, andthatis oneofthe reasonsI wanted to useit,” said Peter Alexander,a respected Los Angeles artist who ferring erot- ic images from movies onto white velvet. “When I started using velvet(in 1973), whatI was sayingis, enoughto beat the change directions and review herinterests e just resumed piano March,beganhercareeras a graduatestudentat the Uni description mightbe:theart that just won't die. KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS Whena well-knownartist such as Alexanderusesthefabric,it brings to mind a word unfamiliar to the velvet lexicon: respect. “Black velvet has a soundthat is fairly loud, andit will always havethat. It’s this incredibly deep space — a vacuum,” he said. Black velvet paintings, art welove to hate, just won't go away. Restless stirrings “Vargas Women” OME RECENTdispatches from thevelvet revolution: WE! Paso: Although velvet paintings haveall but disap: the sakeoflooking fashionable. From women’s machete-toed stiletto heels and binding made textileis enjoying a burst of popularity in the sportswear arena this winter, in part becauseit simply feels good. It has aplushtextureas soft three decades ago, and — though with thecurrentstate of ridicule with Tijuana, most of North nesian nudes, soared in value from $4 (ora bottle of whiskey) to roughly $7,000 eachat thetime of author James Michener’s book Rascals in Paradise. Dealer Sever. ofdollars’ “the KingofVelvet”reapsprofits from cheap velvets painted in Juarez, Mexico, where, along America’s inexpensiveblack vel. vet art is churnedout. NewOrleans:The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals debates the cultural significanceofa vel vet Elv thelaterocker's trademark image. Huntington Beach, Calif: Two velvet aficionadosplot a plush coup —a gallery show devotedto black velvet's only “maste: late Edgar Leeteg,fatherofcon: temporary velvetart. LagunaBeach, Calif: Hungry sealions get $2,000 in herring, thankstoa tongue-in-cheek “Oil on Velvet” auction. A velvet Elvis s for $300. Seattle: Concert promoter David Price seeks backers for his MuseumofVelvet Paint insteadofbeing scoffedat or ridiculed.” Ridiculeaside, there are good reasonsnotto paint onvelvet Thepile soaks upcolors so witha blacklight Black velvet has problems,” said DonSeverson, a Hawaiian antiques dealer whohas some post-World War II velvets by That may be whyit wasn’t wide ly usedhistorically, Renaissance painters aresaidto have dab bled with velvet, but the be; n nings ofvelvet painting are reduced to hearsay. The story goesthat it was always cheap. shortcut art —a fast way to make cheaptapestries (no weaving) and battle banners. You'll find it in many stores and price ranges from Nord. strom and sports stores to dis: America, girls weretaught “theo rempainting,” stencilingstill-life and it feels so wonderful,” says manager Eva Korn. Lori Twomey, outerwear director for Eddie Bauer, echoes the praise: The many products > makes velvet art best seen in darkened roomsor, even better, backpacks, children’s we: bathrobes, pillows and dog beds. units of unisex fleece jackets in one week. “It's low-maintenance See Crossword and Brain Numbers on 42 tend to gluethepiletogether givingit a thick, garish look that porary medium. pants for $16 and gloves for look stylish and work in all kinds of weather,” she says, son now asks $3,000 to $5,000for a good Leeteg velvet Leeteg’s work becamepopular in the1950s amongtourists and In Vict n-era England and referring to theartist whose nudedrawings regularly Fabbri, director of the Paley Design Center at the Philadel phia College of Textiles and Sei ence, “It is really just a decora tive art sold many, many millions worthof it,” the plain. vet paintings ail over the world Beendoingit 34 years. People thinkit’s no good — (that) it does n't sell. Welike it that way.” Hardencrossed the borderin churnout popularimages. “It's cheap, it's original, it’s oil appeared in Playboy Harden said, “It’s simpleart. It's depiction of Polynesian beauty notfor everybody, but then again no productis for everybody.” Wisnosky said. “But there was a backlash toward Leeteg. It seems Onething Harden said he won't sell is a velvet Elvis. Northof the ‘There is a richness in his the time held a certain moral reserve Polynesian women. His work was nevershown at the university never (seriously) collected. Yet since many believe Leeteg’s work is responsible for a subsequent explosion of bad vel vet paintings, his fans hopei return to the public eye will the medium a little respect. Jua border, where attorneys from Elvis Presley Enterprises roam. it’s a risky business. No one makes money off the King without his estate’s permis sion. Velvet Elvises in any form are forbidden There are currently no velvet paintings of Elvis under license. said Todd Morgan, directorof ive resources at Elvis Pres y Enterprises in Memphis. tapoz art magazinecurator Greg Escolante and John Turner, a curator at the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, are Most everything yousee of Elvis that's associated with velvetis pretty schlocky. I'msureif some. thing of high quality (were) put assembling a Leeteg show from on velvet, our licensing depart private collections. The month long exhibition, titled “A Rascal ‘adise, the Velvet Paintings r Leeteg,” is tentatively set to open in February at the Huntington Beach Art Center There are all these guys who think black velvet is cool and kitschy, but they don't know there's this guy who is the father of this whole style,” Eseolante said David Price loves Leeteg, but he also has an infatuation with the first black velvet he ever bought —a nude Brigitte Bardot bathed in red light Art took on a whole new meaningto me at that time,” he explained ugly of black velvet painting will exis t in harmony The first things that come to mind are Elvis, dogs playing pok er, curios from Tijuana,” ment would approve it Therein lies the rub with the Velvet Elvis in Houston The theme of the bar is t Americana,” said managerSuzie Nelson. “We have a lot of differ ent velvet paintings, The bar is named after the velvet Elvis, It just sounded better than Velvet Dogs Playing Poker. iracelands legal team decided that the Velvet Elvis was infringing on theirplans to build Elvis-themed restaurants. Clearly, they argued in court, the Velvet Elvis was cashing inon the King, Lawyers on both sides battled fortwo years, all the way to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans On May 7, after weighing the love kitsch, His goal is to opena black velvet museum in Seattle where the good, the bad and the ums. It's not fineart,” said Anne ‘ve spoken Texansaid. “Weshipvel art professorJohn Wisnosky said, but the old paintings are gaining readily accepted in folk art muse that surrounds his product. Georgia. Seeing no wholesale marketfor black velvet, he creat ed one. Today he buys truckloads ofthe fabric and ships it to neigh boring Juarez, where painters fruits and vegetables on black popularity in antiquescircles and are the only velvet works he’s known around town as “the King of Velvet” he’s content the1960s seeking curiosto sell in acceptanceinthe art world ‘In adelectable sort of way, he was ‘the Vargas of Polynesian women,’ University of Honolulu Price represents a bridge between those who favor more serious velvet art and those who velvet, It was hard work, and the end results wererarely pretty Doyle Hardendiscovered velvets bar ownersseeking South Seas decor, but it never gained wide for Leeteg and his voluptuous olulu shop. “It tendsto fadein sunlight. Bugsattack it. It's a tem. $12.50, One Overland Park Old Navy store sold morethan600 according to oftheturn ofthe millennium, he declared. “It seems to be from the skin, It is machine counters. Old Navy is promoting performancefleece” including his death in 1953, thattheintelligentsia BurkeTyree forsale at his Hon: parkas and shells. But it is equal ly abundant in men’s and wom: en’s leisure sweats, casual jack: ets, gloves, throw Leeteg’s paintings, mostly Poly. ing. “Kitsch is the movement animals. It is lightweight, warm and good forstrenuous activity because it pulls moisture away adaptablefor layering under Answer to N THEU.S.-MEXICAN bor. Over in El Paso, businessman Leeteg and Marinebattle painter Polarfleece is the current buzzword in skiwearbecause it is so mainstreambeganin theearly 1930s, when Americanexpatriate Leetegfirst put brushto velvet in and fuzzy as a child's stuffed washable and dries quickly Borderimpresario cessful incursion into the Tahiti. Over thenext 20 years, effectively that one mistake can ruin a wholepicture. Most paints houettes tory is dotted with discomfort But nowthereis fleece and the scene changes. The man fewart forms left to discover. LACK VELVET’S mostsuc. pearedfrom the American streetscape, a Texan knownas actually legitimate now, Clotheshorses havelong been accustomed to suffering painfor Los Angeles ~ Viva velvet? Maybe. Price said. “That basically halts any kind of investigation into itsori gins. [think that’s kind of good because, ina way, itis one of the pop culture significance ofa vel vet Elvis against thelegend of the real King, the federal judges reversed a lower court decision in favor of the bar. They ruled that the bar's name could cause confusion with enterprises approved by the Presley estate and infringed on Graceland’s trademark. The bar was forced to black out “Elvis” on its sign. Maybe we'll call ourselves ‘the Velvet Dead Fat Junkie, Nel son said with a laugh. ‘We're not bitter |
