PLEASANT FOLK LLC

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5 Years as an Artist: Vintage Clothes Horse

Flower Eye Series by Rae Pleasant, 2021
Illustrations and painting on recycled cardboard

My mother gave me a retro duffle bag of old tshirts as a teen and, coupled with my elementary sewing lessons, it was a match for life. Since high school in 1999, I have been gifted with or buying, wearing, remixing, and selling vintage clothing. Over the years, my personal collection of vintage clothing and decor has grown to be more numerous than the stars, and has become a blurred line with my inventory.

I picked up art-making again from childhood after I graduated from college in 2008, and by 2011, I was showing my artwork, entering lil contests, and selling necklaces along with vintage clothes. As a visual artist, I learned very early on that I felt uncomfortable selling my original artwork. Not because I’m insecure about what I make, but because I want to keep my original pieces for myself to revisit, edit, and tinker with long-term. Selling vintage clothing instead was the perfect complement and solution.

In 2018, when I formed Pleasant Folk LLC to professionalize my art hobby, I kept right on selling vintage. It’s become so intertwined over the years, that my vintage collections have inspired my art-making. I’ve made quilts from my own old clothes or thrift store finds, I’ve made illustrations of my vintage clothing collection, and there are always more possibilities for future projects.

Want to shop my vintage collection? Visit the PF VINTAGE and browse the growing inventory of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing and home decor!

Have a Pleasant Day!
-Rae