So ... Why "Brass Kimono"?

Good question.

I’ve had the name “Brass Kimono” kick around in the back of my head for a while now, nearly a decade in fact.

I conceived of the name when I was caring for my dying mother. I would sit in the hospital room waiting to hear from doctors about mother’s condition—we didn’t know what was wrong with her, only that her body was in a lot of pain. I had nothing else to do, so I directed my frantic energies into creative pursuits—I wanted a name for my “brand” (or whatever you call what I was doing to occupy myself), and after a lot of work and asking friends for ideas and feedback, I came up with this name.

I like the inherent paradox in the name. We know that kimonos are made of silk, cotton or other fabrics, certainly not brass or another metal. Is brass protective? Constricting? Opulent? Do kimonos present a timeless elegance? Really, how do the two work together?

I hope my work will answer these questions as my work grows.

Thank you for taking a look.