We are living in an 'Ethereal' world

O N E L O V E.

She says it's just who she is. Her chosen religion.

So it seems fitting for adjectives such as bohemian, beautiful, organic and ethereal to flow from local designer Rachel Gordon.

"Ethereal," the show, not the adjective, was the product of something organic and beautiful: photo shoots on a Johns Island plantation and on the side of the road on the way home.

"We ended up with some really beautiful images, but needed to push it, take it somewhere. So we took it under water and then added a white horse. It couldn't be anything but ethereal then."

The upcoming show at Eye Level Art started with Gordon wanting to collaborate with friend Ben Williams. The raw photographer -- think images of the elderly, mangy dogs and commands such as, "Get in that bush!" -- shot Gordon's dress designs on local beauties.

"We picked models that aren't overworked," Gordon says, "Our friends. Just girls that from the inside out are beautiful."

"Ethereal" expanded even more, and the models also became the subject matter of paintings by Kenton James and Patrick Nevins.

The artwork, photographs and designs will be displayed together at the opening on June 19. James' four pieces show girls in tawnies and greens that gradually make their way to the edge of canvas. The girls also will still be modeling the bohemian designs. Gordan is doing an installation complete with glass beads "to make it look like it's raining."

Eye Level Art owner Mike Elder says, "We're the perfect venue for this because of size and our audience's acceptance of the unconventional. There's no box that we're in, just ideas and vision."

Gordon designed with collaboration in mind. "The show is a preview of dresses for holiday winter parties. They have low backs and interesting fronts. I was definitely designing dresses for the photo shoots, and I also wanted them to make sense for the people painting."