Work by Nika Vaughan

Bone Masks

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:07:20 +0000

Just in time for Halloween! This was such a fun mask to make, and it drove my dog crazy!! It looks like white petals, but it’s all actually sewn together cut rawhide strips. It drove Joesph crazy. This one is a child’s size and comes on a moss covered headform. Materials include: Rawride, thread, satin ribbon, styrofoam, and moss. Prices start at $125, and no two are alike.

The old studio and Zora! Fest

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:01:26 +0000

Sprucing up the blog, and came across this great pic of the plants in the first studio. And the second is from the last fair that I did with my Mom. It was Zora! Fest in Eatonville, Fl, just outside of Orlando. Selling yarn and felt hats in Florida? We were brave, lol! Luckily, we were there as educators/demonstrators for the school kids, so we actually just sat, chatted, and worked the whole time.

The Bridal and Bird’s Nest Wigs

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:14:37 +0000

These two pieces were part of The Dressing Table installation. While wigs are intended to alter an identity, each of these constructed wigs are visual stories of my life at two very different points in time. The Bridal Wig represents a single moment, the instant of feeling of love, being cherished, and a spectacle all at the same time. The veil of braids and clicking cowrie shells hides a beaming and radiant bride. Materials for this piece include: Synthetic and human hair, cowrie shells, thread, ribbon, beads, mannequin head, and crystal.

I’ve included am image of The Bridal Wig being modeled during a performance.

The Bird’s Nest Wig represents a span of 2 years of my life after I’d returned to college in my late 20′s. Now with both a career and a husband, I felt matronly at times, compulsive at others, but surprisingly resilient. There are two stuffed furry creatures with red beaded eyes inhabiting the hollow nest, while the hair is gathered and secured into a low side pony tail by embellished clasp of chicken feet and feathers. The majority of the nest was constructed by knotting the twigs into the hair, and materials include: Synthetic hair, sticks, thread, fur, foam, squirrel tail, feathers, chicken feet, mannequin head, and black rice.

Price upon request.

Makeup Skin

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:12:27 +0000

With this work I wanted to dissect the material of makeup. Makeup as residue, or a removable skin. I liked the idea of leaving a trace of where I’d been in my apartment, staring out a window.

Materials include: Makeup, olive oil, and plastic. Postcards $1 and 8×10 prints $20.

Burlesque Topsy goes natural.

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:39:30 +0000

I lived right off the lake for a few years, and thought it was a very seductive place. Who doesn’t love running their hands through all those peebles? Or hearing the little waves as they meet the shore? This series of photos was a way to objectify that feeling and document it.

Materials for the performance include: Topsy, Fargo Beach, porcelain slip, and wire. The 8×10 matted prints are $20 and the pasty sets start off at $45.

The Invasion!

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:16:10 +0000

I spent a few weeks the summer of 2008 in the Mitte district of Berlin, and thought it was very odd how there was often this pervasive disdain towards the large Turkish population there, but if that community organized and stood up as one whole united mass, that it would tower over the whole city. Between that thought and the beautiful Berlin sky, I made this series of images called The Invasion!

These images are available as postcards, 11×14 posters, 8×10 matted prints, and t-shirts. Prices: $1 for postcards, $20 for t-shirts and 8×10 prints, and $30 for large posters.

There is one framed t-shirt autographed by Topsy left. Price for piece available upon request.

The beginning of pasties.

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:04:59 +0000

Who doesn’t love pasties?! Especially beaded with sable and rabbit fur accents. I’ve been told that the stitching on the backsides is just as intriguing as the front, so I’ve been trying to find different ways to exhibit these. I loved the idea of a set for the Victorian crowd, and then something more Tribal. Plus it was so fun to do the makeup for these shots. Each set, $2,500.

Snood vs. cowl

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 04:39:29 +0000

Finally! Handfelted cowls that have a super soft drape like a fabric. Wool and/or mohair blends, these guys are definitely on the roomier size, especially on a petite frame…so they can turn into snoods on some people. Very wearable from Fall through Winter, and into Spring, with prices starting from $75.

Time for Hats!

nikavaughan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:57:44 +0000

Here are some hats from my Helmet series. Some have “ears,” some are oversized, and are just really, really beaded. Each piece is meticulously handfelted, handblocked, oversaturated in color, and generally very warm. No two pieces are like! Prices start from $75.

New Work: “Meet Topsy!”

nikavaughan — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:26:04 +0000

These are my images from the documentation my “Introduction of Topsy” work. Prices: Postcards $1 and 8×10 matted prints and t-shirts $20.