If you’ve never seen any of Karen LaMonte’s work, oh, you’re in for a treat today. I first saw one of her pieces in 2017 at the Corning Glass Museum, and I’ve loved catching sight of her pieces anywhere since then. So guess how thrilled I was to walk an entire exhibit of her work at the Imagine Museum in St. Pete. Wow!
The exhibit featured her work with Japanese kimonos, and each piece was amazing. I grew up in a SoCal town that was half Japanese-American, so I’ve always loved that culture and felt such kinship with LaMonte’s pieces.
Just look at the detail on this piece. You can see the layers of fabric with such clarity. (Kimonos have several layers; I actually was honored to wear one when I was a Girl Scout. It was very involved to get dressed and the whole ensemble was very heavy to wear.)
Here’s a back view of one piece, showing the obi tied into the traditional bow shape. Hard enough to make that look good with fabric, let alone do it with glass.
She also did some kimono pieces in ceramic and these were exquisite in their detail. It honestly looked like the heavy, detailed fabric that a fine kimono is made out of. Simply amazing!
There were two other pieces elsewhere in the museum, and I just had to include one shot to show you the amazing work LaMonte creates. Again, it looks like a haute couture piece that someone would slip on to walk a red carpet, not something that’s actually made of glass.
Keep an eye out if you’re into museums, her work is beautifully detailed and always lovely to encounter.
Clothing both protects and projects. It is an armor and costume, plumage and camouflage.
Karen LaMonte
Was the piece at the Corning Museum a dress with a separate shawl that appeared to be propped up behind the dress? If so, I totally saw that and was blown away by it. I didn’t think I knew who this post was going to be about, but as soon as I clicked it and saw your photos, I remembered that piece in Corning. I took a picture of it because it was so cool – but I didn’t capture the plate with the artist’s name.
Either way, agreed. Amazing stuff!!
It was her work you saw at the Corning Glass Museum! I have a photo of it in my 2017 post… https://wynnworlds.com/2017/09/sunday-special-glassworks/
How is that even possible?
Holy moly!
Incredible! Thank you for introducing us (me) to her work. I’d never seen it.
Incredible! How is that even possible?
I wasn’t familiar with Karen LaMonte’s work until I read your post. Wow! I would love to be able to touch one of her pieces. The shot that fascinates me the most is the bow on the back of the kimono – it’s perfect. Thank you for sharing this wonderful artist’s work, Annie. I will be on the lookout for her pieces on our travels.
Amazing. Thanks for sharing
Wow! I love art glass anyway, so this is a real treat!