Ursula Artist Statement

Margaret Goldrainer

23 January 2014

There is a story about a medieval Princess named Ursula.  In 640 AD, accompanied by ten thousand virginal maidens, she set out to meet and betroth her husband.  On their journey to Cologne, the women were killed by the Huns.  The skull bones of Saint Ursula, and the remains of her companions are ensconced within these reliquary busts.

 In 1960 France, Yves Klein exhibited his anthropometries.  In a ceremony combining art and music, Klein’s nude women painted the walls of his studio in a spectacular blue pigment – their naked bodies replaced paintbrushes and the walls became their canvas.  Klein was an artistic maverick.  He pioneered the performance art movement and challenged his audience’s definition and understanding of art.

 In 1990, Tim Burton inspired by Robert Smith and the music of The Cure, created Edward Scissorhands. Upon his creation, Edward’s father endowed him with scissors instead of human hands.  Although Edward’s scissorhands pushed him to the outskirts of society, they enabled him to create his hair and the beautiful hairstyles of the Avon women, along with the surreal topiaries he became known for.  

The sculptural quality of my inspirations informs the silhouettes of my garments and the styling of my muses.  The off white of the women’s faces and their skull bones is a static blank canvas - electrified by Yves Klein, his impulsive nature, his blue pigment, the gold leaf- brought to life by Edward, his scissors, his touch, his precision cuts and his jet black hair. 

My narrative is a trinity.  I created a three-piece collection that represents the essence of all three inspirations, and ultimately creates a story in which the three become one, a simpatico that cannot be separated.