ARLENE
GRASTON was born in Reims, France, to an American father and French mother
giving her a dual nationality. She
began her career with the haute couture house of Nina Ricci in Paris, where she
apprenticed as a fashion designer. In her early twenties Arlene came to America, and, working
with Nina Ricci over the following years, created an original lingerie line;
designed a collection of gold-and-diamond jewelry; served as a consultant on
North and South American advertising and promotions; and produced the graphics
for the Mademoiselle Ricci Parfum, which became a great success in Japan.
Through
her own graphic design studio, Arlene later wrote copy, designed logos and
advertising, produced catalogues, brochures and illustrations for businesses in
the arts as well as numerous national publications including VOGUE, HARPER'S
BAZAAR, WWD, and THE NEW YORK TIMES. She
also designed the posters for the original Broadway productions of BUBBLING
BROWN SUGAR and EUBIE! among others. Her
trompe l'oeil murals decorate apartments from Fifth Avenue to Long Island.
Her corporate clients have included American Cyanamid, Pierre Cardin,
Union Carbide, Kayser-Roth, Time-Life Books, The National Energy Foundation, The
New York Public Library and Rodgers & Hammerstein.
In
the late '70's Arlene wrote a television show for "Lamp Unto My Feet"
which was so well received that CBS broadcast an expanded version as part of
their Christmas Eve programming, narrated by Beatrice Straight.
The project subsequently became a children’s book for Bantam, SPECIAL
FRIENDS, and in 1997 Arlene's illustrated THUMBELINA was published by Bantam
Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.
However,
as her success in the commercial world spiraled higher, Arlene – an entirely
self-taught artist – found herself more and more drawn to the magical images
that have pervaded her heart, mind and soul since childhood.
In recent years she turned away from the design work to concentrate
entirely on her own art. These three series of Giclées published by Jane Kahan Folio
are the first fruit of these endeavors, to be followed very soon by other series
of limited edition prints.