We have family arriving from out-of-town this afternoon so I'm taking a breather for a few days to spend some time "off-line". Wishing everyone here in the USA a pleasant Memorial Day weekend and all of you elsewhere around the globe a beautiful weekend as well. See you in June!
Several new assemblage pieces are the result of that 1950's newspaper I shredded the other day. The colors were so perfect for these small collaged landscapes. You can view more of these in the shop right here.
Patrick was shredding some old bills this weekend which influenced me to borrow the machine and shred a stack of 1950's newspapers I'd been saving for collage work. I incorporated these paper shreds in several assemblages I've been working on the last few nights. I'll have them ready to show you in a day or so. Just keep an eye out!
Propellers.
These seed pods (aka helicopters and/or whirlygigs), found on a recent walk with Lizzie, inspired this collage in my sketchbook.
Have a beautiful weekend.
Doll House no 340 (with profile of man) is in the shop.
And...a set of blocks with images of anatomical dissection circa 1892.
How often do we overlook the backs of things? That part of the object which rests on a surface or hangs flush against a wall often goes unnoticed. When I photograph objects for my vintage shop I always include an image of the back as it is usually just as intriguing as the front. This is where the maker's markings are found, the scuffs of daily wear are pronounced, and from this vantage point, the object can become transformed in the viewer's mind. Yes, I have purchased many art objects based solely on the beauty of their backside.
Sushipot Vignette no 12 (pile of shoes)
Each image in the Sushipot Vignette series is composed of a grouping of objects found in and around my home or studio. Our house is in need of a good cleaning as this pile of shoes inside the front door reveals. Take a peek at previous images in my vignette series here.
I've posted a selection of fun vintage finds over at Sushipotparts. This Changeable Charlie puzzle is a hoot and would make a great Father's Day gift!
A darling set of old-school animal alphabet letters.
A couple of new Doll House pieces were posted in the shop this evening.
Doll House no 338 (with womb) is embellished with an image from an 1889 obstetrics book.
The exquisite image of an eye adorning Doll House no 339 was gleaned from a physiology textbook published in 1876.
A new Etsy team, Old Time Etsy, has been founded this month by the talented designer Yaelfran of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The team is made up of a group of 70+ Etsy sellers who joined the site several years ago when it was fledging handmade marketplace. I was thrilled to be invited for a little interview today on the team blog. You can read it here and see how my cup of coffee ('76 vintage Taylor & Ng!) image ties into this post.
Have a good weekend everyone! I'll be right back here on Monday.
There is a bit of randomness to the way I contain my collections of objects and they are constantly getting mixed up, used in my artwork, resorted and/or borrowed by Lizzie. As Patrick likes to point out, "there are no sacred objects in our house."
So, I'm continually pondering ways to better organize all the junk in my studio. It's a constant battle of sorts and has been known to get out of control rather quickly. I would have to say my solution (when asked) is that I have learned to collect containers: tins, jars, boxes, etc. so that I always have somewhere to place my "somethings".
And...as I always say (about more than one thing in life), "it's a vicious cycle".
An exquisite French volume on human anatomy and dissection has been added to my collection of anatomical imagery.
I was recently asked how/when my interest in human anatomy began. Looking back I would have to pinpoint the couple of years fresh out of college (13 years ago this week!) when I would obsessively attend open life drawing sessions at the University of Kentucky. During this time I was privileged to take part in a couple of extensive drawing sessions at the medical school's gross anatomy lab. I remember being hooked after about ten minutes in the laboratory after the initial "omg, I'm really doing this" wore off. The experience of being able to reach into the chest cavity of a cadaver, hold a human heart in my hands, examine it and sketch from it was beyond fascinating. I obviously have not recovered.
This small bundle of letters was obtained for a couple dollars on a recent thrifting trip. When I returned home and opened them I found they were written to a woman named Hattie by her daughter Lillian in 1935. There is nothing out of the ordinary in the correspondence, just an exchange of daily news, weather and inquiries into the well-being of loved ones back home. Anyhow, I thought it would be the perfect treat to share with you for Mother's Day.
It's unnecessary to point out how much our favored modes of communication have changed since 1935. I do know that my Mom reads this blog so excuse me for a moment while I say, "Happy Mother's Day Mom! How 'bout we Skype at some point on Sunday?"
Have a beautiful weekend!
UP.
A little bit of this and that--always remember to place right side up! Can you tell I like graph paper? Oh yes, I also cannot resist the ubiquitous paper bag. I used to hoard them years ago for figure drawing sessions when I couldn't afford those big sheets of nice, clean paper.
I've recently discovered that Myndology's 3" x 4" disc-bound memo pad is the handiest little blogging tool. Previously, I was using a small composition notebook to jot down blog ideas and topics but got frustrated when I couldn't re-order the pages.
Yes, I did consider using a small 3 ring binder but I can be impatient when writing/sketching and end up just tearing pages out of the rings without snapping them open. This may seem a bit obsessive but it's very handy to be able to scribble thoughts down in any progression and then rearrange them quickly once I decide on the details of when/what/where the post will be used.
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