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Halifax: Artist Jessica Weatherhead swaps canvas for leather
When I first held a Jessica Weatherhead bag (they woo themselves right into your arms, I swear), I knew it was something way more than a purse. With its buttery soft leather, its cutout pattern that flowed into a white shell wrapped in a twisted net, its braided rope-like strap and its blue silk lining, this beautiful bag looked like something straight out of an underwater paradise. I knew the story behind this bit of whimsical beauty, and the designer herself, had to be anything but boring.
And I wasn’t wrong.
For Weatherhead, her purses aren’t the product of technical know-how and preconceived construction. Instead, they’re an inspired creation that starts with the right set of materials and evolves naturally into a work of art.
She’ll often begin with scraps of leather, making as few cuts as possible to maintain the hide’s raw edge and then folds the pieces this way and that until she finds something that works with the skin’s natural characteristics. Seaweed Weatherhead found on local shores inspired the cut-out pattern on the purse I fell for, which was completed with a shell brought home from the beach. Each of the bags, ripe with bits and baubles heavy in personal history, tells a story and, like I predicted, is so much more than a purse.
The 24-year-old artist, who started in painting, stumbled on bag-making during a cross-Canada trek home from Alberta. When Weatherhead met a woman in Winnipeg who made moccasins, the seed was planted and when her boyfriend soon after equipped her with a leather factory membership and tools for her birthday, she eagerly explored beyond her beloved painting and began working with skins.
Unlike the oil paintings she’s been selling for years, these art pieces will be hanging off shoulders, wrists and elbows and walking the city’s streets, rather than tucked into homes and cafés. But for Weatherhead, it’s all the same—it’s part of the passive relationship between artist and viewer that makes the whole process worthwhile.
“It’s my way of connecting with people,” she says of her art: paintings, purses and all. “I put it out there and I have faith that people are appreciating it and understanding what I was trying to convey.”
Jessica Weatherhead’s bags can be purchased at Halifax’s The Clothes Horse (1530 Queen St., 902-483-7067) or directly from the artist by visiting jessweatherhead.com.
12 Responses to “Halifax: Artist Jessica Weatherhead swaps canvas for leather”
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Ooooh! Wow, I was on the hunt for a spring purse and this is it! Aside from the obvious great fact that I can support a local artist this purse looks like it will become a part of you, it looks SO soft, and gives a great impression of both luxury and yet entirely from nature.
this is AMAZING! I need one!
Very cool purse…love the raw edge and the color.
Ooo! Okay I LOVE this. BUT I want to see MORE! I could only find one other photo on her website of any of her bag creations. Any resources?
The pictured purse looks like a melt-in-your-arms creation. I just took a quick peek at the website, and the purse pictured there is equally beautiful, but very different in character.
I’m loving these seashore beauties! Thanks, Nadine — for the behind-the-scenes story, and the head’s up that this is in town.
Rebecca, you’ll have to go check out her bags at the Clothes Horse, and then bite your lip for a bit in anticipation… she’s got many a bag just near completion, and will be unveiling them soon.
I think now I’ll have to make my first-ever trip to the Clothes Horse! I could almost FEEL how soft the leather was from your post, and I also LOVE the seashell detail. You’re doing a great job at connecting fashion with Halifax, and with the ocean.
Hey thanks everyone! Just so you know,
there ARE more purses coming VERY soon to my website and the Clothes Horse (and the one above is now available on my website).
You should also check out my site later this week for some new earrings and fun rings too!
thanks again, i’m so flattered!
These are also great for those of us pining for some Nova Scotia beach from the other parts of the country. Will you ship them to Ottawa? Also, if you (as in Jess) are looking for a place to sell them a little far from home, I can think of a few places around here that would love to have a few Canadian originals amongst their goodies.
I’ve seen a lot of this young woman’s art- some that she did when she was a mere 14. Her sensitivity to her subject and maturity in expressing images on canvas is both startling and very moving. She just gets better and better. Kudos to Fashion Mag for featuring up and coming artists- now let’s all support them by investing in their work so artists like Jess can keep being who they are called to be- artists extraordinaire. The world needs artists too!
The netting work is really exquisite. Another great article, Nadine. I love that your posts always marry fashion with the work of local artists. It makes me realize how many truly unique and special things can be found here.
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