"Chuck and The Pinups" (Digital photograph) by Terry Telford

"Fashion by Nature" (Hardshell Gourd) by Betty Finch

By Terry Telford

You are, who you wear it’s true,
A girl’s just as hot as the shoes she choose.
(Fashion by Heidi Montag, also sung by Lady Gaga)

From rompers to runways, our culture is obsessed with how we and others choose to adorn our bodies. Whether it’s choice of shoes, eyewear, dress, or even shade of lipstick, the world of style surrounds and identifies us. Homage to that world will be paid at an art exhibit opening Saturday, June 19, at The Micro Gallery, a home-based art venue located in Northwest Bakersfield which opened in April. The show features more than a dozen artists interpreting the theme “Fashion Forward.”

Gallery owner Nicole Browning, who studied fashion photography during her graduate studies (in particular, photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe of Harper’s Bazaar), says she has always been a fan of fashion and fashionable art which is why she chose Fashion Forward to be the second show and first “call to artists” featured at the gallery.

Browning was curious to see how our local art scene would respond to a call for artwork centered around what we wear. Photographers (including myself), painters, sculptors and other visual artists heeded that call with artwork ranging from the fanciful to the glamorous.

Artist Linda Shaffer designed a dress, matching jacket, purse and collar from recycled shopping bags while Patti Doolittle reinterpreted the classic Mona Lisa with a fresh look. Several members of The Shutter Clique, a photography club for amateur to professional photographers, entered work from their last group shoot featuring the rockabilly styled Pink Ladies, and Betty Finch formed a gracefully decorated dancer from gourds. Not to be minimized, our love of shoes is evident in paintings by both Linda Osburn and Beverly Carrick as well as photographs by Rocio Garcia, Alan Urquhart and myself.

Also included in the exhibit is a selection of fine jewelry created by Penelope B. All jewelry and artwork will be available for purchase at Saturday’s opening, or by appointment through Aug. 5.

Fashion Forward opens Saturday, June 19^, from 1 to 4 p.m. at The Micro Gallery, 6300 Coffee Road (between Olive Drive and Norris Road). Champagne and hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Admission is free and RSVP is requested. Call (661) 301-3283.