Barbara Segal

Peering into my mother’s dressing room while she and her friends prepared for a costume party, my eyes fell upon the satin, lace and gems. Remembering my mother posing in an elegant white dress and my father handsome and larger than life sitting for their portraits. Viewing the portrait of the children dressed in finery - puffy sleeves, lace collars and full skirts. In 1972, I flew off to live in Paris. Our lives had changed. My father had died. Living in Europe was a fantasy. Exploring caves of 12th century abbeys, filled with hand painted wood and stone statues. Driving wildly through the limestone quarries in the south of France. Living in the mountains of Carrara and learning to carve from the best artisans in the world.  My eyes were opened by beauty, Returning to the States, I felt I could make clothing out of stone, the clothing I had seen as a child, constructed like the Duomo with the sensuality of the Baroque artists. Having viewed architectural masterpieces in Europe, I selected stones that incorporated beautiful color and texture. I was able to create clothing with many different personality traits: sexy, childlike, sports-like, iconographic as well as the mundane. I was empowered! In my latest series, Little Girl’s Dresses, light plays a critical role. By choosing translucent stones and carving delicate layers of lace and fabric, light passes through transforming a simple child's dress into a lush, sensual memory. According to accomplished Westchester sculptor Barbara Segal, “Sculptures can bring individuals and communities together,

Scarsdale High School 1970 Pratt Institute of Technology, Brooklyn, NY 1970-72 L'Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Art, Paris France 1972-74 Pratt Institute of Technology, Brooklyn, NY 1996