‘Duomo’ handpainted silk diamond back jacket Carole Waller

This is a silk crepe de chine. smaller style jacket ith a diamond shaped back panel and oblique fronts giving it a lovely drape. It is painted in dark greys with white, cream peach and orange with soft lichen and lime.

The jacket is worn with a handprinted cuff by Annie Beardsley mad in collaboration with me and they can be found here in the JEWELLERY section of the site.

Inspiration:

This clothing collection is directly inspired by an hilltop town called Barga near the Italian walled city of Lucca.

The Duomo crowns the hill, and the town. I made many drawings and prints of the building with its simple arches inside and out during the summer of 2024. Amber coloured alabaster windows convey a soft warm light inside the space and the pale white marble arches on the outside create sharp and soft shadows as the sun moves. I spent lots of time there early in the morning watching the light move and the shadows changing.

Colour is everywhere in the town and also constantly changing as the sun moves around and briefly illuminates surfaces before it drops away to other surfaces. The texture of stone, terracotta and paint against a backdrop of blue sky and endless astonishing mountain vistas is a heady theatrical mix .

Barga is full of light and shadow with tall buildings with narrow alleys conveying darkness and light both soft and stark. I spent a month there as artist in residence at Quattro Archi Studios and Gallery. and look forward to having an exhibition of paintings and clothing in the stunning gallery there in 2025. I shall also be teaching at Quattro Archi, of which details in the ‘Workshops’ section on this site.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The gallery is built in a disused cantina underneath the printmaking studios, which in turn are two minutes walk from the fantastic 11th century Romanesque  Cathedral  of San Christoforo. The Duomo became my main inspiration for its simultaneous simplicity and complexity and this is reflected in the density of layering prints from drawings of surfaces and walls.

Handwash or dry clean‘

‘Duomo’ handpainted silk diamond back jacket Carole Waller

Measurements: Approximate fit is size 8/12 UK or 6/10 USA

Backlength : 77cm / 30”

Bust : 110cm/ 42” approximate as it a loose shape cut on the cross and difficult to measure!

Shoulder to shoulder : 38cm / 15” approx.

Sleeve : 51cm / 20”

Carole Waller art to wear:

Each painted garment and scarf by Carole Waller is unique wearable art – art to wear. My technique is to handpaint each piece at the studio – which is just outside Bath. My fabrics are unprimed ‘canvases’ and the paintings evolve as I work, and consequently no two pieces are the same.

I also make bespoke commissions and would be delighted to work with you to create the style you prefer, in the colours and cloth of your choice. Despite the fact that I cannot colour match,  I can promise you a unique artwork. Visitors are welcome anytime, by appointment.

Waller&Wood.

Waller and Wood is our gallery name from the time we had a retail gallery in Bath between 2015 and 2020. My studio and small showroom is now at our home 4 miles east of Bath on the A4, with good parking and coffee.

Main Photo: Egle Vasi

The code for this specific piece is AW24/22