"I am abusing the concept of ruffles."

Phil stopped into the studio to chat, as he does, and when we got to the art part he talked about some drawing work he's doing for a new painting. Mike mentioned the prints he's been painting over, and a color-mixing experiment another painter from down the hall  shared with us — then I gestured toward the dress form and announced: "I am abusing the concept of ruffles."

Phil blurts — "You're abusing the concept of everything!" He waves his arm to include Mike. "That's what you do! Both of you." I do not protest.

I'm exploring ruffles as yet another sculpting opportunity. They're an easy way to exponentially increase and decrease volume so of course I want to exhaust every possibility of how that works. I'm ignoring (or at least remaining ambivalent to) any notion of ruffles having implications of femininity. I don't want to embrace that or be in defiance of it. I'm a staunch third wave post-feminine-ruffler. Quite frankly I'm more intrigued by how I can make seed pod shapes that conveniently double as clothes.