Alyssa Johnson and one of her final pieces.

Alyssa Johnson always knew she wanted to do something in the arts. She toggled between acting and painting, and finally chose fashion design because she could incorporate her love of fine arts into her own version of wearable art.

“I liked the idea of creating something and having it afterwards and it being a functional piece,” recalls Alyssa. “After taking a surface design class here [at CCAD] I realized I could do both fine arts and fashion by creating textiles of my own.”

Her love of textiles, prints, and patterns were part of her immediate vision for her collection this year; however, she also drew inspiration from Gustav Klimt’s painting “Water Serpents I” and Boleslas Biegas’ sculpture “The Haunted House.”

“I immediately knew I was going to use Klimt for my painter [muse] and based my entire collection around him,” says Alyssa. “I wanted to focus on surface and textile design and Klimt does a lot of really intricate patterns and the colors are something I’ve always been drawn to. The simple silhouettes in my collection come from Biegas’ sculpture.”

Alyssa used her knack for surface design in creating many of her silk-screened pieces. Organic shapes flow cohesively with other elements of the collection and are mixed with structured geometric shapes. She achieved clean lines in her fabrics with the use of applique, and added several embellishments with “little fun circles” and gold accents throughout the pieces.

While creating her own textiles and patterns is something she is passionate about, there are key aspects of the design process that also keep her motivated.

Elements of Alyssa's organic geometric shapes in sketch and fabric form.

“My favorite part is still finding inspiration and making mood boards. My computer is full of many different folders that contain tons of images that inspire me,” says Alyssa. “Its so interesting to me to see what else is going on in the fashion world and what else is possible to do through clothing design.”

As the days to the CCAD Senior Fashion Show draw near, Alyssa has thoughts of graduation and a big move to New York City on her mind. She readily admits that she values the experiences and education she received from CCAD and her fellow students. She notes that it’s not always easy to take criticism, especially when it’s about something so personal; but as a student of design, peers and faculty are trying to help, not offend. She also notes students should be aware of their weaknesses and either work harder on them or accept them and move on.

“I’m very self aware. I know what I’m good at and I know what I’m not good at and I know when to ask for help,” says Alyssa. “I’m fearless in terms of design, so I’m not afraid to fail or mess up.”

Perhaps her most sound and lighthearted advice is to never say that you don’t know how to do something.

“It’s 2012,” she says. “Google it!”

You can Google the CCAD Senior Fashion show or just click here to get your tickets today.

The jury. Photo by Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012).

The jury results are in and 15 designers will show their collections (more than 50 garments total) at the 2012 Senior Fashion Show. The designers were allowed to show up to six garments at the judging on March 1, after which the jury recommended the final  garments that should be in the show.

This year the designers were asked to find inspiration for their collection from both painters and sculptors. The works had to be produced in the same era and the artists had to be working prior to the mid 20^th century.

Below is a list of the participating designers and their collection inspiration. If you want to see their garments walk down the runway, you better get your tickets soon. (Prices go up March 15.)

1.) Tasha Naneth Bolton
Painter: Albert Henrich, “Still Life with Hat and Collar”
Sculptor: Axel Erlandson, “The Basket Tree”

2.) Rachel Cass
Painter: Salvador Dali
Sculptor: Louise Bourgeois

3.) Tasha Dircksen
Painter: Max Ernst, “33 Little Girls Chasing Butterflies”
Sculptor: Rudolph Belling, “Bluetenmotiv”

4.) Alyssa Johnson
Painter: Gustav Klimt, “Water Serpents I”
Sculptor: Boleslas Biegas, “The Haunted House”

5.) Rachel Kaplan
Painter: Georgia O’Keeffe, “Red Canna”
Sculpture: Umberto Boccioni, “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space”

6.) Sarah Pruden
Painter: Salvador Dali
Sculptor: Louise Nevelson

7.) Skyler Riggins
Painter: Georges Braque, “Man with a Guitar”
Sculptor: Barbara Hepworth, “Group of Three Magic Stones”

8.) Kristin Rose
Painter: Vincent Van Gogh
Sculptor: William Rimmer

9.) Nuonan Ruan
Painter: Chu Teh-Chun

10.) Annika Simmons
Painter: Jean Honore Fragonard, “Stolen Kiss”

11.) Amanda Mae Smith
Painter: Alphonse Mucha, “La Blonde”
Sculptor:  Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona’s Park Guell

12.) Joella Stallard
Painter: Max Ernst, “The Blind Swimmer”
Sculptor: Constantine Brancusi, “Bird in Space”

13.) Jennifer Tang
Painter: Wassily Kandinsky
Sculptor: Edward Erikson

14.) Michele Watson
Painter: Yinka Shonibare
Sculptor: Armand Fernandez

15.) Shirley Weng
Painter: Francis Picabia
Sculptor: Nanm Gabo