Storm Ritter
- 5 days ago

artisan smocks

Updated: 3 days ago

Dig those crazy jackets. Painted patches all over a vintage cotton/denim barn smock – hot damn, ma'am! This year of 2020 is all about searching for my fresh meaning for authenticity, beauty, and quality. Wait...what the fuck does that mean? So broad! I know, I know. What I am really saying is that my growth as an artist continues onward. On a journey to refine my life to the HIGHEST of fulfillment. Or maybe all that pot has caught up with me. Haha, but in all seriousness, moving forward, new pieces have a fresh playful spirit, purposeful intent, and unexpected individuality.

Inspired by my surroundings and mental images, most jackets are tied to a reference, unknown or known. For example, the Village Artist jacket below has a painted sign on the back mimicked from the 1960's Greenwich Village shop sign. If I was walking the streets in 1963, that would def be my spot.

Time and health are the biggest luxuries out there. The pandemic x quarantine obviously gave everyone a taste of isolation-station, you know, embedded with countless self-quandaries! How lucky are/were you if you were healthy, had access to food/water, and a safe emotional place to be in. After that being said, I had hallucinations of me and Velvet packing up old school hard suitcases with only the coolest of cool clothing, books, jewelry, and chackqkis. We'd hop into a psychedelic VW van and fly off, like in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Needless to say, that did not happen. But what did happen was growth. My artistic vision turned towards creating rare-feeling pieces that would be worthwhile packing in your one suitcase to travel the world. 2020 turned into a year of focus on self, business, and renewal. Adapting and changing to the times was something I always vibed with, but what's different is my interest in taking a step back.

Ok so back to these jackets! I am a collector of meaningful things, and nothing beats a patched up jacket from years of experiences and stories. I wanted to recreate the feeling of vintage garment filled with life. Starting with mint condition vintage barn jackets, each patch is hand painted while the jacket is overall aged with paint and styling. The more you wear it, the more it becomes a part of you.

The Cool People are the luckiest of charms. They appear as accents or as the real deal on the jackets. Thematically, each jacket embodies a concept, whether its based on color palette, composition, or patch meaning. Heavily thought out but organically created. Contradiction? Why, yes, but are you surprised? I usually flow with synchronicity in my artwork. With these new pieces, it triggers the future magic. You can shop or order custom, as always.