Left: Apryl’s denim pieced curtains, made from old jeans, line the windows of local artist Diana Parrino’s creative space. Right: Painted odds and ends in Apryl’s workspace.
fit or entirely reconfigure the material into something brand new! It’s a very personal and creative dance between us. You come back to try them on and I make any necessary adjust- ments until you’re happy. I’m always experi- menting with various fabrics and designs, and as I’ve accumulated so many clothes from clients and ideas thru Pinterest, I also have several new creations on hand to choose from, to purchase or to inspire. VKC: What do you love about working in the Kansas City Metro area? Apryl: I love living and working in the KC Metro area because it embraces and supports the arts, local creatives, and small businesses. It’s a big city with a small town heart. I moved here from Tulsa, Oklahoma to attend KCAI (Kansas City Art Institute) in 1987, have journeyed often, tried to settle elsewhere, but always come back Home to KC. ^
out of wall space! Artists are compelled to create even if their artwork remains stacked in their own homes. Working with clothes provides me an opportunity to create in such a way that combines my drawing skills with found object sculpture and gave it a much richer life beyond static confines. Now my artwork moves about the world with the client, it lives and breathes and can be con- stantly reworked as it gets stained and torn and loved like a child’s favorite toy.
VKC: What’s the process from concept to design to construction and final finishing?
Apryl: My process begins with the client “shopping” his or her own closets. Bring me anything and everything you no longer wear for whatever reason — too small, stained, torn, things you would give or throw away and keepsake clothes — your favorite child- hood T-shirt or a deceased loved one’s shirt. We’ll go thru them together and discuss any attachment to the
items, what you like or don’t like about them, the way you prefer clothes to fit, your personal style, while I measure you and take notes. And you walk away while I play according to your needs and measurements, to make things
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