Rhapsody in Blue

Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories
Rhapsody in Blue Series

Pill Box Hat 

Blue Organza Floral Embellishment

Luxurious Tulle dyed in shades of blue accented with faux blue seed pearls and a feather.

Captivating blue sparkle fascinator is embellished with blue Russian Veiling and Tulle and feathers.

Luscious layers of Tulle dyed in shade of blue accented with faux blue seed pearls.

Layers of blue Tulle Cocktail Hat accented with three feathers.

Three blue Organza Floral Embellishments, blue faux seed pearls and feathers create a stunning head piece.

The reverse side of each Rice Rafferty product is as skillfully finished as the front. 

   Please visit Kara and me www.ricerafferty.com 

Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words ?

Do actions speak louder than words?
Learn the answer to this question as well as other amazing facts
on Thinktwice Radio.

 Enjoy lively conversation as I am the first guest of 2013 with Carl Thiel and Kenn Morgan. Burnham and Dodge Art Hour
 Listen to learn the when and the why behind my unconventional
art career and art making.

http://www.thinktwiceradio.com/schultz-morgan/schultz-morgan.html

“The wedding veil is at once sacred and seductive“ Vera Wang

A Wedding Headpiece: Juliet Cap

A Juliet cap sits at the crown of your head, and can be adorned with pearls, beading, or any other materials that coordinate with your gown. You can wear a Juliet cap alone, or use it to attach a veil. Juliet cap is a small open-work crocheted or mesh cap, often decorated with pearls, beads or jewels, and chiefly worn with evening gowns or as bridal wear. 

Since its popularization in the 1920's some of the most chic and elegant women have chosen a version of the Juliet Cap veil for their big day, including……The epitome of chic Jacqueline Kennedy in 1953 and of course the beautiful and radiant Grace Kelly in 1956

The cap is named after the heroine of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

An article in Every Woman's Encyclopaedia (London, 1910) suggested:

"For evening wear a favorite and becoming adornment for the hair is a cap made after the fashion of that worn by the hapless heroine of the world's best known love story. Juliet caps hold their place as fashions come and go, and, although somewhat expensive trifles to buy may be made up by artistic and clever fingers at very little cost, and shaped to suit individual styles."

And it seems it is having something of a revival today, as more and more brides (not just Kate Moss) turn to this icon of a bygone era to complete their wedding day look. 

Because we make can make every piece to your specifications you are never limited to just what you see. 

We can make any desired changes to the design, color, or materials of the veil shown.

Allow Kara and Carol Ann to help you with your wedding veil design.

Visit us at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty

"Everybody's beautiful In their own way Under God's heaven The world's gonna find a way. " Ray Stevens

 Since my long break from regular posting I have had a series of life changing events that have opened my creative energies for a service I am passionate about and very capable of filling the need with compassion.

Two years ago after much testing I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2010.  

I can tell you for sure, "When Momma has breast cancer the entire family deals with breast cancer."

 Long story shortened both of my son and my daughter got married within this past year.

How do cancer care and weddings go together you might be thinking right now?

I'll tell you my experience with numerous doctor visits and hospital surgeries for breast cancer has opened my eyes to many lovely ladies who are choosing not to hide their hair loss from chemotherapy under a wig.

 Yes, you can be very bald and very beautiful.

As many of you are aware my daughter Kara and I teamed our artistic abilities to launch a cottage industry in my home/ studio in Clarence, NY.  We named our indie designer partnership Rice Rafferty because that is our touchstone Rice my maiden name is Kara's middle name. And Rafferty of course we shared as our last name.  

Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories been steadily building sales from customers who want something special.

Women who are either not happy with what they see in the stores, want to have have input to their own custom made one of a kind design over mass produced goods or have a special need item made just for them.  Slowly we have been building customers from word of mouth along with return satisfied repeat customers.

" Design a veil for a bride who is presently without hair. " was the latest design request brought to our attention.

 We knew our bride does not want to wear a wig yet she wants to wear something pretty to feel festive on her special day.  Here are a few examples we have designed with our beautiful bride in mind.  

This veil is made of soft tulle and can be made in white, ivory or any shade.   Keep in mind the veil is made to measure so we can make it any length you wish.

We added a Bridal Tiara in the first image for a touch of excitement. 

The second image shows the back view where the veil is tied behind the head inspired by long tresses of hair gathered in a soft ribbon.

 In the third image we attached our handmade peony flower embellished with a feather.  Each flower is handmade so it can be created in any shade or size.  This lovely peony is 4.5" wide created in ivory and champagne chiffon accented with seed pearls.

Kara and I look forward to working with you to make your wedding or special occasion dream designs come true.  

Please look at our website http://carolannricerafferty.com/

Feel free to follow us on facebook Rice Raffery.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rice-Rafferty-Couture-Accessories/203899441756
or shop online @
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty

We look forward to hearing from and working with you soon ;~)

Metaphors & Memories

Metaphors & Memories by Carol Ann Rice Rafferty

Hilbert College - McGrath Library.
5200 South Park Avenue
Hamburg, New York.

On display until the May 1, 2012

The college will be holding an artist reception
April 26, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Gallery hours are as listed:

Monday -Thursday: 8am-10pm
Friday: 8am-6pm
Saturday-Sunday: 11am-4pm

It is with deep appreciation to Hilbert College for the invitation that my selected works created over 10 years are for the first time gathered in one place for public viewing.

Many pieces have been included in the following art show; Fiberart Intrnational 2007, Craftforms Intentional 2006, Northeast Regional Contemporary Fiber Exhibition Rochester Contemporary Art Center 2011, Re.Cycle.fiber 2010, Paper or Plastic 2009, Runway 4.0 2011 as well as other local and International shows.

Dream Some - 2009 is a  face mask I created from discarded lottery tickets I picked up from being litter on the ground around a gasoline station while I lived in Savannah, Georgia while I was studying in the Graduate Fiber Program at Savannah College of Art & Design.  

Money was a huge issue with graduate students, myself included, the program was expensive $3000 a class at that time.  Even with the Fellowship Grant the college awarded me for my studies I was always aware of the cost of my educational experience.

The stock market had crashed in Fall 2008 and many people with advanced degrees plus years of work experience suddenly found themselves unemployed.  Many students shared their fears and frustrations of mounting student loan some reaching $150,000 in pursuit of the MFA degree at SCAD.

Would they ever find jobs doing the art work they loved?  How would the pay back the burden of mounting student loans?  Part of what led the students to study in MFA program was dissatisfaction with low paying jobs after they earned the bachelors degree.  Once they were in the program many felt there was no turning back, they had no choice but to push forward and dream of brighter days.

All of my art work begins with a creative vision.  

Dream Some 2009 came to me as I was walking around the town of Savannah, Georgia.    Troubled times from the stock market crashing, rising unemployment and rising gasoline prices weighed heavy on everyone's head.  Was it about Wall St. what about Main St. ?

As I walked I noticed many lottery tickets littered on the ground after they were found to be useless to the one who had once eagerly traded their hard earned money for the short lived dream of being rich.  Once the ticket was deemed useless it was thrown on the ground as trash.

I could see this mask in my minds eye as I gathered together all the broken dreams of these lottery ticket buyers.  Metaphorically I gathered these people into my head, my hands and my heart then began to cut, weave and fashion their discarded dreams into this mask that represents anyone who dares to Dream Some.

 Serendipity is the art of making an unsought finding.
- Pek van Andel
I am an open for adventure person willing to see what happens when I say yes to an invitation, when I walk through the next door...  You can imagine my excitement when I was contacted by a sponsor of the art show who revealed he was quite taken by my  Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi.
In fact he said he had gone back to look at my wearable art object more than once and wanted to know if I was going to attend the First Friday Open Gallery in Rochester that week.

Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi

shown here at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) & The Surface Design Association present 28 artworks that expand the definition of fiber art
http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/mediaroom_fiber11.html

We did meet at the gallery and spoke for the better part of an hour about the process and concept behind my artwork as well as my journey as an artist.  Content with that discussion he asked if I would be agreeable to his visiting me in my studio space in my home in Clarence, NY.

  It is impossible to get to know me without breaking bread with me so I invited him to arrive in time for a small meal we shared my al fresco on my deck as we spoke.

 Here of some of the images he shared with me from our meeting on May 27th 2011.

Sanctuary -
steel wire, wool yarn, bees wax, burning with fire, paper pulp, rust, my hair, a paper wasp built a nest in my sanctuary

Hat with floral elements made from up-cycled used paper coffee filters.

silk screen patterns

talking about the process

how my vision will manifest in my art work

Here I am sharing the vision with Rome for my new collection of art work which will include silk screened images on used coffee filters.  Some of the works will be garments as a metaphor for people along with a variety of 2 -D and 3-D art works.

These series of images caused me to blush when I saw how deeply I was willing to share my emotions for this new collection.

Samples of experiments with the casting molds of my form that will eventually work their way into my art work at the appropriate time.

Special thanks to Rome Celli for capturing and sharing these  images of  my passion and creative energy in my studio.


Since this is the begining of a rather large on going art project up-cycling used coffee filters I would appreciate anyone willing to help me gather materials.   Simply dump the used coffee grounds, preferable into a composting container, then store the used filters in a water proof bag.  Perhaps the freezer would be a good place to prevent molds and keep the odors down until you let me know it is time to pick them up.  I do all the washing and ironing of each filter.

Your help is deeply appreciated and you will have a vested interest in my art project. Location of gallery where this work will be show will be announced at a later date.

Have a Very Creative Day,   Carol

Please visit us on Facebook @ Rice Rafferty or Rice Rafferty.com

"Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about… say yes quickly, if you know, if you’ve known it from before the beginning of the universe." — Rumi

 I have the pleasure to lead a workshop 

Saturday June 25th. 2011 

Silk Painting 

 Hyatt's All Things Creative 

910 Main St.

 Buffalo, NY .   

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hyatts-All-Things-Creative/15743184165

The students gathered at 11:00 am to learn the basics of how to work with the Jacquard Silk Painting Kit available at the Hyatt's Stores.

 The week before the class I contacted each student with sample images of my work as well as links they could view for creative inspiration.

 Each student was asked to create numerous sketches developed from sections of  these works or something that speaks to them so they were ready to get started as soon as they arrived.

                          First I demonstrated numerous ways to attach the silk to a variety of framing devices.

                         Next I demonstrated how to apply the resist to create the desired design patterns.

                          Soon the students were enjoying seeing their designs come to life in living color.

While they painted with silk dyes I demonstrated various textural effects they could achieve by adding water, salts or rubbing alcohol.

Although the time during the three hour workshop passed quickly I made sure all of their questions or concerns were address before anyone left the group.

After a rush of preparation each person felt the relaxing joy of creative energy.  
 They each left with a sample size piece of art work, their own Jacquard Silk Painting Kit and  the confidence to continue to work on larger pieces at home.

They also have my contact information in case more questions arise in the future ;~)

If you have a small group that would be interested in any of my workshops please feel          free to contact me with special requests.  


                                                        http://carolannricerafferty.com/
                                                                              or
                                                       http://carolannricerafferty.com/