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| DIE GOLDENE MEDINA - FROM ITALY |
“ALL JOURNEYS BEGIN BY LEAVING ONE PLACE TO VENTURE TO
ANOTHER– Ellis Island
And so began the journey for so many of our ancestors. For
me, it’s always all about the story. I am fascinated by the motives behind a
person making the decision to depart the land of their birth. What made them head
off to begin life afresh in a distant country? Did they ultimately fulfill
their dreams? Was the move as successful as they hoped? Given the chance, would
they complete the journey again?
Ellis Island was, and is, part of the fabric of our family. So
many of the stories passed on to me by my Grandmother certainly were the
catalyst of my interest in all things relating to immigration, especially at
the turn of the Century.
America. Die Goldene Medina. The Golden Land. A land of
opportunity for everyone. A place like no other where every dream, every wish, could
and would come true. Looking at the photo of an Italian woman taken as she
waited at Ellis Island, I wondered about her story.
I have been using my Strathmore Mixed Media Journal quite a
bit lately. With 140lb vellum finish paper that is acid free, it is quite a
help in building a portfolio of backgrounds that I can use for future projects.
For this piece, I started with the Artistcellar Seafoam
stencil and my water colours. I wanted the overall appearance to be bright and
“golden” so I limited the pallet to tints of yellow, magenta and orange. I
allowed the pattern of the stencil to dictate where the colours would fall, as
well as where to use the flat or pearlescent paints. When dried, I stenciled
using one of my all-time favourite Artistcellar products, the Halftone Dots
stencil. This time I reached for my metallic acrylics and layered complimentary
colours. Again when dried, I finished
the background with my Punchinella and metallic acrylic.
I assembled my images…the photo of the lady from Italy, a
postcard of Ellis Island, a map and airship from the Lunagirl Moonbeams collection
of collage sheets. The last element was
a clever bit of repurposing: an artist friend sent me a dryer sheet she used to
mop up paint. I loved the rough edges of the sheet and the lovely texture. I am
a believer in Synchronicity and her generous contribution was flawless! Just
the colour I needed to tie everything together. The timing was perfect!
Looking at my finished work, I wondered, did the Italian woman find her “Golden Land”? What became of her life? I hope she did find all she wished for.
I feel fortunate, as I am sure many of you do, to be an
Artist. Our work and imagination can take us wherever we wish to travel. Art allows us the opportunity of
self-expression and experimentation. Our Art allows us to venture to our golden
land where dreams can come true.
MATERIALS USED:
ARTISTCELLAR SEAFOAM STENCIL
ARTISTCELLAR HALFTONE DOTS SERIES STENCILS
STRATHMORE MIXED MEDIA JOURNAL
ROYAL LANGNICKEL WATERCOLOURS – FLAT & PEARLESCENT
REEVES METALLIC ACRYLIC: GOLD, BRONZE
PLAID FOLK ART METALLIC ACRYLICS: ROYAL GOLD, ANTIQUE GOLD, INCA GOLD, CHAMPAGNE, ROSE SHIMMER, AQUAMARINE, AMETHYST
NATURAL SPONGE
FLAT PAINTBRUSH
REPURPOSED DRYER SHEET
DIGITAL IMAGES
