Unique Purses and One of a Kind Handbags by Santa Fe Artist

Each purse or handbag is a one of a kind wearable art piece. The artist has combined demented vintage doll heads with found objects and unusual beads, stones, broken jewelry, charms and other odd stuff with painting on new or recycled purses and handbags. The artist is a dedicated recycler who has created something of a cult for her demented doll head accessories. Each piece has a theme and many unusual objects clutter the front of each purse.

This unusual form of wearable art accessories began with the collection of numerous objects and findings over the last 15 years. The artist, Julie Anderson, is a costume designer who has amassed a huge collection of bits and parts of jewelry from garage sales, thrift and antique stores. As she scoured the country for pieces to create her fabulous costume accessories, she inadvertently created a large collection of these bits and pieces. The amount of cool stuff was more than she would ever need for the creation of her costume accessories.

One day she needed a handbag for a special occasion and began gluing bits of jewelry to an evening bag that was just not exciting enough for her. That night the other guests were enchanted by her purse. The idea lay dormant until she opened a drawer of her stash and the weight of it broke the drawer itself. Combining her vintage purse collection with all the great "glop" as she calls it, was the beginning of these unusual art bags. The doll heads were acquired one year for a special demented witch hat collection she and her staff created for a special party.

Since each bag is created one at a time and with many hours of pawing through the boxes of delightful objects, they are rare and special treasures as well as functional handbags.

Her lavish use of vintage and sometimes even 14KT gold jewelry pieces is important to the value of each handmade bag. Finding just the right handbag requires hours of collecting. Close examination of each treasured handbag reveals layers of parts and pieces of sometimes very valuable antiques. Occasionally she uses silk fabrics and bits of rare trim.

To accessorize that fabulous little black dress or to display, these special works of wearable art will constantly treat the eye to a journey of color, form and history. Call for photos of the newest purses and currently available handbags. Commissions will be considered.