2306 2nd Avenue North: What's on 2nd?

Delaine Derry Green was born in Ohio but has lived in Alabama for over 20 years, currently in Birmingham. With a BFA from Auburn University she works as a graphic designer by day and a fine artist/zine-maker by night.

She began turning her obsession with retro/vintage fashion into art in 2005 by creating mixed media pieces and 3-dimensional works inspired by sewing patterns of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. The mixed media works integrate acrylic paint on glass, vintage sewing patterns, hand-sewn vellum and fashion-related items such as zippers, antique buttons, tape measures, etc. The 3-dimensional works take the form of jewelry hangers, clocks, lamps, ornaments and magnets made of sintra (plastic material) cut into silhouettes taken from the models on sewing patterns. These shapes are painted and adorned with zippers, tape measures, buttons and other sewing ephemera. Hooks for jewelry appear on the larger silhouettes while other silhouettes have been converted into free-standing lamps and clocks.

When not creating fashion-based art, Delaine stays busy with various graphic design projects as well as comic art. Delaine’s cleverly designed zines, filled with autobiographical comics, have appeared in several museums including the San Jose and Baltimore Museums of Art and the Athens Institute of Contemporary Art. Her design work is a favorite with local theaters and clients around the country. Her projects have ranged from a cover for the Birmingham Weekly to a logo for a British band to a museum display on the history of flight in Alabama.

Delaine has been a member of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) since 1992. Her artwork is shown exclusively in Birmingham at Naked Art Gallery. Her influences are Charles S. Anderson, thrift stores and pop culture.