Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art

Featured Artist: Kathleen Dustin

Kathleen’s work immediately appealed to me when I first saw it and the evening bags she designs are stunningly unique and creative.

More recently, I’ve been paying attention to the shapes , color shifts, and repetition of the small mundane elements in the woods, such as seed pods, buds, moss, grasses, leaves, sticks and stones. Then I strive to make a beautiful object based on what I find so that someone again desires to pick it up and become engaged with it. My hope is that it causes someone to pay attention to a tiny seed pod or to the repetition of grass under ones feet, to pay attention to the small mundane things (and maybe even people) in one’s life.

Made of colored polymer, these evening bags have a luminous depth of surface that is created by a multiple layering technique which Kathleen Dustin developed. She polishes each purse to a high gloss which renders this depth of surface even more apparent. After Kathleen finishes each art purse, the colored polymer is firm but slightly flexible so that the purse will not easily break. Each purse has a shoulder or wrist cord made of either black viton rubber or bronze snake chain, depending on the style. The lid opens by simply sliding it up the cord and is kept closed by two small rubber rings which grip the cord.

Kathleen Dunstin’s Website