New York artist Gina Nagy Burns is giving accessories a bit more flair with her unusual business The Painted Sole. Nagy Burns treats shoes and handbags like canvases, and turns them into wearable works of art.
Nagy Burns works with her clients’ own items, whether they’re beloved accessories in need of a facelift or new shoes and handbags lacking in individuality. Some of her favorite surfaces include silk, satin, suede, and nubuck, but she’ll happily work on leather or any other material you desire.
Extensive consultation ensures the customers are generally thrilled with the finished works.
“It’s a very collaborative effort,” explained Nagy Burns. “The client can send me their own image references or use my gallery and archive, and then I will send them a sketch. However, I will do a freehand design on the actual accessory so it doesn’t look like a print.“
Prices vary depending on the accessory’s finish and the design’s intricacy, but expect to pay several hundreds of dollars for your customized purse. Remember too that this cost doesn’t include the accessory itself. Original art never comes cheaply though!
