Another participant of Natick Artists Open Studios, the funky person whose funky artwork Moonie had already admired at Renew Arts & Industry, was none other than Virginia Fitzgerald. Virginia is tireless, always chasing opportunities to showcase the whimsy and color and beauty she constantly sees in the world around her. I met her in a photography workshop this summer, but I’d already been familiar with some of her dress sculptures that I’d had a chance to photograph in earlier workshops. Now it was Moonie’s turn to get up close and personal with Virginia’s work, and he was more than happy to run around her colorful studio with dresses made out of every material imaginable – and some beyond imagination.

Some were just Moonie’s size…

…And some were way too big for him.

He loved this peace sign in a bird’s nest.

And this pretty dress made out of latex gloves.

He played on the easel where Virginia paints when she’s not sketching, drawing, sewing, collaging, photographing, decoupaging, and any other which way to express herself.

And he loved the colorful butterflies on this piece.

And this Moonie-sized little paper mache dress.

And this beautiful Moonie-sized dress of feathers.

And this whimsical use of cat food cans.

Moonie totally agreed with one of Virginia’s many greeting cards…

…And I totally agreed with this little sign my little stinker dug up while playing in a bucket of Virginia’s beads.

Moonie admired this framed evidence of how Virginia can find a pretty dress anywhere, in anything.

And he went through her button collection to find “the prettiest beret” to wear.

This dress certainly got him in the Christmas spirit! He is still humming “Jingle Bells” right now.

But his favorite part was posing with “Lilith,” because Virginia had spent the Natick Artists Open Studios weekend taking photos of visitors posing with “Lilith” and he loved being one of them.

Even better, he loved posing with “Lilith” AND artist Virginia.

These two are way too cute.