Constructing the Queen of the Quinns

Joan Agajanian Quinn is a power house. The first time I saw Joan, I could feel her energy from across the room. She shines brightly and it is palpable. Her involvement in Southern California contemporary art has had a big impact on the thriving scene here. From her television series "The Joan Quinn Profiles", which in an interview format has been capturing artists, designers, directors, musicians and actors talking about their craft since 1993, to being the West Coast Correspondent for Interview Magazine, as well as being the founding West Coast Editor of Art Review Magazine, Joan has always kept a dialogue with artists open.

Last summer an exhibition titled "Joan Quin Captured" showcased portraits of Joan by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Shepard Fairey, Jean-Michel Basquiat,  Robert Mapplethorp, George Hurrell, Mathew Rolston and Helmut Newton (among many others) at the newly refurbished Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale. I attended the opening to see how one subject would be interpreted by so many of the greats.


I was not disappointed! In the excitement of it all I offered to photograph a new portrait of Joan and in the midst of the frivolity she turned to me with a rather serious look on her face and accepted my offer! Well, being an unknown artist in the vast sea of established artists in Southern California the prospect at first seemed daunting but studying Joan's features, observing her mannerisms and feeling the depth of her energy, I had a feeling this opportunity could be an interesting journey.

While I was thinking about how I wanted to photograph her, I was struck with the desire to construct a hand made paper costume to emphasize the qualities I was seeing in Joan.

The choice of a paper costume was born out of a current project I have been working on for the past two years titled "Fleeting Perspectives: A Paper Ballet". The paper medium coupled with natural light against a black fabric Duvetyne will render a portrait rich in contrasting tonalities, connecting it to both the past and the present.

I began the whole process by sketching various ideas I had in my mind and looked at my favorite ideas from antiquity with an eye towards reinterpreting Roman, Greek and Egyptian styles for my current project.

Joan is known for her love of jewelry and is often seen with more than one piece on. I envisioned her with long strands of pearls hanging from her arms. Instead of around her neck, the pearls flowing from her arms symbolically seemed more accurate to represent the generosity of her time and enthusiasm for artistic creations.

Working from the top down, I began to fashion the headdress from a single piece of paper. Folding the band upon itself, helped to strengthen and give it support. Upon looking at the large headdress with Isis Hathor's sun disk surrounded by cow horns, I decided it was too large for Joan to wear and reduced it to the first tier of folded paper. The accordion folding felt a bit more classical to me and I enjoyed the repetitive patterns that are sure to catch the light and emphasize contrast in the final image. 

I then began to construct the structure of the bodice and front panel following the design of my original sketch. I started with the top portion of the breast plate and echoed the shell shape of the folded portion of the headdress. 

Looking over my sketches, I adjusted the bottom panel to mimic the top dimension of the breast plate. It seemed to reinforce the vertical line that was developing and was more visually appealing.

I always leave my choices open and allow the piece to change as the medium dictates. I enjoy seeing how these costumes evolve during the process.

With the bottom panel folded to the equal dimensions of the top of the breast plate, I measured out a single piece of paper to begin attaching all of the elements together with binder clips.

In the wings waiting for me to use is an unusual hole punch that I used in the Paper Ballet construction. Instead of creating a hole, it actually embosses and fuses the paper together. I will employ this tool once the entire piece has been cut out and I am pleased with the results. I'm even thinking of using it to create decorative indentations on the edges of the costume.

Epaulettes mimicking wings or feathers felt just right to me and I did not deviate from my original design. It was a crucial horizontal element that helped to visually connect the upper portion of the costume with the lower skirt. In the research I did before I constructed this costume, I discovered that the Greeks and Romans often employed what is called a Pteruges (a Greek word for feathers) or leather strips on the shoulders of the armor to protect their upper arms. These "feathers" are paper but still lend an air of authority with a feminine touch.

Then I measured two strips which were to become the side panels of the costume. Having the single piece of paper on the bottom helped me to anchor these elements together with binder clips. After measuring these pieces to Joan's height, I sat for quite awhile pondering how I should bring these side panels to life.

Instead of cutting, I went once again to the drawing pad and sketched out various ideas. This helped me to visualize how the final shape would impact the overall look. Happily, the fourth sketch I quickly drew had a symmetrical balance that appealed to me. There is a feeling of a clock face somewhere in this final design which I like and may present itself symbolically in the end results, we'll see...

Finally, the costume and its accompanying headdress had come to life. I now look forward to working on the logistics of attaching this to Joan and will have a fitting with her hopefully prior to the actual shoot.

Joan has been inspiring artists to create her portrait for over 3 decades. I am honored and thrilled to create one for her as well. Next month I hope to photograph Joan in this crafted construction and I will keep you updated with the final results.

Here's to the Queen of the Quinns!

Julie Green

March 21, 2015