Julia Rivera
"Cattail Memories on Honey Lake"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
The story of my footwear comes from my childhood. I spent the first nine years of my life in North Barrington around Honey Lake, which was mostly farmland. In the summer I liked to play barefoot in the fields around my house and swim in Honey Lake. Thus began my love of nature.
I chose to create these sandals because flip-flops remind me of childhood and being at the beach. They are a child's size and were designed from the heel vantage point. The right sandal reflects an underwater perspective and the left sandal the water's surface. The cattail image, the water lilies and the lotus are a recurring theme in my work.
I tried to use as many natural materials as possible. The form was made out of two layers of cork. The sole of the shoe is coiled twine. The surface is a combination of string, waxed twine, lake sand and stones. The stem of the cattail is rope strengthened with acrylic medium and the cattail is made out of felt. The lake grasses are raffia painted with Kakishibu. The lily pads and flowers are felted with embroidery.