Parasols

"The 61-year-old artist was born and raised in Georgia. She had a 40-year career as an advertising graphics designer, art director and small agency owner. Now, she's designing parasols radically different from the colorful Asian-motif paper umbrellas with which most people are familiar. Some of Troy's creations are inspired by the Victorian and art deco eras. They're made from fabrics foraged at auctions, flea markets and out-of-the-way antique stores and embellished with vintage handles, beadwork, feathers and frills. Or they might be practical and contemporary-looking, covered with sunblock-treated fabrics that would look as at home in modern draperies or furniture as they are on an umbrella frame."

"The film's opening scene shows a French courtroom moments before a verdict is read. Immediately we flash back to the terrible day in 1767 that the king's soldiers murdered Valois' father for his protests about the poverty of the French people under Bourbon rule. We flash forward (still technically a flashback if the courtroom scene is the film's present) to her arrival at Versailles as a parasol maker."

"Her passion for Japanese culture, art, and people started ten years ago when she visited Japan for the first time. This trip to Gifu was an eye-opening experience for Ms. Fishbein. Even though she learned about Japan prior to her visit, she felt that being there in person greatly deepened her understanding of Japan ."