gloves, anyone?

I love these hand painted vintage gloves by artist Ellen Greene. Though they are not made to be worn, they would be the perfect accessory if you were heading down to Coney Island.



I have always loved old gloves and bought them regularly though I never wear them...and
her nod to old style tattoos is awesome and her placement on the gloves perfect.


I cannot help but want all of these to be embroidered but alas we cannot always have what we want. Ellen has a plethora of this work so you should go and check them all out.


She states this about the series:

No one else shopping at thrift stores digs into those overflowing bins of stockings, hankies, coin purses and gloves. These small, personal, feminine accessories speak of a time past when fashion upheld strict rules and certain items were mandatory in a wardrobe. When viewed in today’s “casual age,” the accessories seem almost exotic- with the glove being the most exotic of all.

I bought my first pair of gloves purely out of sensual longing. The leather was so buttery and smooth, a slight beige color with only a faint indication that they had been worn- just a bit of discoloration in the fingers. My imagination ran wild with all the people and things these gloves must have touched. These gloves I knew were worn for special formal occasions, like weddings, funerals, and dances. Certainly these gloves were present at rituals tapping the strongest human emotions.

I didn’t paint on the gloves immediately; they hung around my studio as odd objects often do. It was much later that I was overcome with an urge- not a thought or concept- but an urge to paint on the gloves. I was immediately shocked and pleased by the way the image changed the gloves from a recognizably wearable item to something else. They transcendend their objectivity, they spoke about the emotion that I felt was inside them when I first held the gloves.