Friday, February 27, 2009

The pair of box canvas collages......

It occurred to me you might enjoy seeing the two pieces together. Actually, it is sort of fun for me to see them side by side because I have worked on one while looking at the other. They flow---it works as a pair. Similarities, differences, enough to look at to hold the attention.
Of course, as much as I like the fronts, it is the backs that I take more delight in! I was lucky to find the right paints to use since there had been a fair amount of time pass from when the first was completed. Sometimes I can do this on auto-pilot, but I have two yellows that are extremely close in hue.....not that it really matters. Truly. They all turn out different after the multiple washes of color.

And a close up of one of the unusual elements I put in.....dried spent loose tea. I get it from the Cafe Du Cirque. Chris is a sweetheart and saves me a big mess of it, then I put it by the dehumidifier for it to dry, and also perfume the studio! When completely dry and mixed with gel medium, it is a cranky, messy textured lump that I smash onto the wood and hope it holds. It isn't until painting that it becomes this magical iridescent *stuff*. And the little tree-like form? Grape stem. Yep, saved the stems from grapes.
I will try anything if I can get it dry enough, pliable enough, dipped in something to firm it up......nothing is safe from being added to a collage here!
Think outside the box.
Don't see what is there; see what it could be.
Try things.
Have fun.
No regrets!

6 comments:

Leslie said...

Oh, my gosh, it is even more fabulous. I wants it I do. I love that you used found materials in it and I LOVE the colours.

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Thanks Leslie---I have fun getting things and then thinking, okay, what else could they be? It's like putting a puzzle together that you're not quite sure how it will turn out.
Sometimes things JUST DON'T WORK. I've learned to deal with that. But in that process, it starts me thinking about how they might work with something else, or applied in a different manner.
These really are realtively easy to make as a step by step process; everyone produces something different that reflects themselves. That's the point. It is sort of digging to the depths of what you love and finding a way to express it.

Tristan Robin said...

I agree with Leslie - I thought it would be a really nice piece - but, it's more than that - it's downright glorious!

Love the texture (tea?!) - and I have every intention of stealing your grape stem idea to use as coral in my underwater piece I'm working on! I've tried using small branches, but it doesn't work well - your grape stems are PERFECT!

I just love the way these two look together - how do you propose to display them so that both sides can be seen?

bernadette ostrozovich said...

these are so lovely! the colors just glow! grape stem=resin maybe???

Jan said...

What a pair, quite wonderful. I am a little confused about the tea. Is it on the inside with the grape stems or is it the stuff on the outside bottom? Not that it matters much, the fact that you came up with the idea to use it is most ingenious. How many of these have you made?

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Okay, I'm going to try and answer these all at once; the grape stems must be REALLY DRY. REALLY. Then I dip them in a liquid medium (decopauge, GAC 200, whatever) and dry them again. Miz B's idea of dipping them in resin might work too--I don't have any so, you know, use what ya got! That helps give them body. Then you can paint them. The tea is the lumpy stuff that the grape stem is seated in. Right inside the frame, with the irridescent color.
I think, if I am counting right, that I have made six so far in different sizes and shapes. Two are at the Honeywell show, four here...yes, six. I want to do a series of them.
To see both sides, you can put them against a mirrored sideboard or in a mirrored curio cabinet.
Or do what I do; have one side out for a while, then turn it around. It could always be set on something where it could be viewed in the round........
if you have specific questions, please e-mail. My brain is doing the hokey-pokey at the moment from a sinus headache and I am sure I am missing something important.
Thanks so much for the nice comments!

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