Following the light of the sun, 

we left the Old World. 

christopher columbus

Hot rollers, sponge rollers, perm rollers. Metal clips, barrettes, and hairpins, not bobby pins. These are the styling tools of the old world, and indeed, the vintage supplies pictured are mostly mid-century pieces belonging to my 97 year-old grandmother. Because she uses only a comb and a brush to keep her hair neat now, these supplies would have eventually been tossed if I hadn't rescued them. I wasn't completely sure what I would do with them, but shortly after they came into my possession, I was cleaning out an art file when I found some drawings I'd done in the late 90s. Here's one:

Seeing this reminded me of the beauty routine and supplies I once had, and beyond that, I recalled the days of watching my sisters primp. They were so glamorous with their lighted make-up mirrors and Conair Ready-Set-Go steam rollers. I thought about how we all knew what phrases like "get ready" and "go out" entailed. I thought about how the process of getting ready to go out oozed with hope and anticipation, but sometimes the prep wasn't worth the trouble. Some events and outings just never measured up to the efforts we put into our look.

In the end, I realize I took my grandmother's supplies because there are stories in those items, and now I see characters in most hair styling tools. Thinking about those characters prompted me to reimagine the girl above, and as I messed around with pattern paper and some canvas and fabric scraps, a whole group of girls stepping out into the world began calling to me, wanting their story told. Hopefully they don't mind waiting while I organize a few other art novel ideas I'm toying with. But you know a girl in rollers...she can be antsy and impatient.