In An Artist's Shoes (who plant amongst vegetables)

By Yelena Sapin

Photos past times Melissa Donald

Ever wonder what it’s similar to live an artist, to alive as well as breathe your function so passionately that yous joke yous must live crazy? Printmaker as well as mixed media creative mortal Wende Cudmore, 65, has been going total speed ever since she embraced her creative side 1 time her 2 children were grown. Her recent work, wearable fine art made from pressed as well as dyed slices of vegetables as well as fruit, is purpose of the KMAC Couture present at the Kentucky Museum of Art as well as Craft. Intrigued? There is a dyad of multi-colored sneakers inward the entryway of Wende’s Salem, Indiana, home. Slip them on as well as measurement into her life. …

Wende's KMAC blueprint is called "Butterfly Muse." She used over 200 pounds of turnips to consummate the dress. 

7:30am
You’re sitting at the summit of the steps to your sunken living room, putting on the rainbow sneakers, every bit yous telephone outcry upwards them. You receive got 2 closets total of shoes, but this is the most comfortable dyad when you’re working on the concrete flooring of your basement studio as well as going upwards as well as downward the stairs all day.
You had stayed inward bed a while, watching the morning time tidings amongst your domestic dog Yoda as well as your truthful cat Boy Cat on either side, but straight off you’re anxious to larn to work. You feed the animals as well as the aquarium fish, as well as then larn out to the garage to greet as well as allow inward Annabella, the newest feline fellow member of the family.

After finishing your favorite breakfast of banana as well as peanut butter on toast — “monkey toast,” your dad used to telephone outcry upwards it — yous caput downstairs to selection upwards where yous left off on your project. Between the prepping as well as the slicing as well as the blanching as well as the pressing as well as the dyeing as well as the sewing of the vegetables, your pieces receive got months to complete. You’ve withal to notice some other creative mortal who does just what yous do — who’s crazy plenty to do this, yous say — but to you, there’s something magical nearly the process.

The shoulder piece includes some dyed okra.

After 3 attempts, Wende crafted a beautiful dyad of wings. 

Wende industrial plant inward her basement studio on a lid made from dyed pressed turnips as well as feathers. 

2pm
You’ve been prepping a novel batch of turnips all morning time as well as snacking on the fresh, crisp slices every bit yous go, so your tummy took a piece to allow yous know it’s fourth dimension for lunch. You receive got a intermission to toast some gluten-free staff of life for a quick sandwich, goal off a few leftovers, or pick out grip of a plate of cottage cheese as well as fruit. Then it’s correct dorsum downward to the studio so yous don’t lose the creative flow.

You’re ever busy doing something. When the weather condition is nice, yous laid upwards a studio infinite outside. You also similar working inward your garden as well as or so the house. In the winter, you’ll do indoor exercises, but you’d much rather remain active past times mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, or maintaining the koi as well as goldfish pond you’ve built amongst Ron — a high schoolhouse friend from your upstate New York domicile town amongst whom yous reconnected after your married adult man died, as well as who has since move your life partner as well as minute manlike mortal nurture to your kids.

The necklace is made from dyed okra, wooden beads, as well as turnip pieces. She also used wood
 burning to create the look. 

8pm
You finished working a fiddling afterward than yous anticipated, so yous position together a calorie-free supper instead of making the salmon every bit yous had planned. You savour cooking, as well as Ron is happy to swallow any yous prepare. You similar to stick to salubrious eating — fruits as well as vegetables, fish, hormone-free chicken — but the 1 affair yous can’t surrender is bacon. There’s merely something nearly bacon!

As the twenty-four hours winds down, yous essay to relax your heed amongst a fiddling reading or TV. You receive got a shower, or soak your muscles inward the hot tub if you’ve been working on the house. With Ron’s structure background as well as your creative enthusiasm, the 2 of yous are ever tackling domicile improvement projects. But past times xi o’clock, you’re normally inward bed, Yoda as well as Boy Cat settled inward on their chosen sides.

(L-R) Hats made from pressed dyed vegetables; Wende's mom as well as muse, Gladys Williams, proudly wears
one of her daughter's hats. 

2am
You’re broad awake. That okra inward the garage freezer — yous merely figured out how yous tin utilization it! If yous piece it lengthwise, yous tin twist it into a necklace piece. Or perchance you’ll proceed the pods whole as well as pigment them similar iridescent peacock feathers.

(L-R) Sews purpose of the "Butterfly Muse" dress. She prepares to lay downward the vegetables for the hydraulic press.

You larn out of bed, position on your slippers, as well as larn the okra out to thaw overnight. You larn dorsum inward bed, but your heed is racing amongst the possibilities. You can’t hold off until it’s fourth dimension to position on the rainbow sneakers over again as well as move dorsum downward to your studio to essay out the novel idea.

Wende gets inward some cuddle fourth dimension amongst Yoda as well as Boy Cat. 

Wende as well as her partner Ron built their Koi Goldfish pond located inward front end of their home. 

Then yous mean value dorsum to 17 years ago, to your “other life” when yous were struggling to heighten children piece caring for your sick husband. You were inward really dissimilar shoes dorsum then, but it’s because of that past times that yous larn to walk inward the shoes yous wearable today. Funny how life turns out, yous mean value every bit yous lastly drift off to sleep.
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