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| MID-CENTURY MODERN DREAMS - Collage |
“Fashion is Art and You are the Canvas!” – Velvet Paper
Fashion truly is Art! From Haute Couture to Prêt-à-Porter the designer escorts us through their passionate journey. Colour, form, and pattern: our shared tools of the trade inspire them to make their concepts tangible. And how heartening it is to be wrapped in someone’s dream!
When my Artistcellar box arrived in the mail I couldn’t wait
to experiment with the Marked Series Stencils. With circles, X’s, and an
interlocked ladder the graphic feel made me think of Mid-Century Modern art and
interior design. And I was in luck: my Artistcellar treasure trove also
contained Dylusion Bubble Gum Pink Ink Spray and Dina Wakley Lemon and Lime
acrylics. The stencil pattern and my acrylic colours were perfect for taking me
back to the time of Bakelite telephones and the Camel cigarette man wafting
smoke rings across Times Square from his billboard.
I wanted to start with the background. I went to a new page
in my Strathmore Mixed-Media Visual Journal. The ladder stencil and Dina’s
Lemon acrylic came first. Slowly, I built up the layers using each stencil in
the collection and a variety of acrylics. Then came time to throw caution to
the wind! I grabbed my Dylusion Bubble Gum Pink ink and sprayed away. I loved
the hot pink colour, mopped up a bit with my sponge and pushed it through the
stencil. I really was pleased with the effect and will be adding it to my
favored techniques. I completed the background with Punchinella, Artistcellar
Halftone Dots Stencils and metallic acrylic.
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I love the fact that
the Artistcellar stencils hold up to anything I throw at, or push through them.
Clean up leaves them in perfect condition ready for my next project.
Now that I had my background ready, and my colours were just
as vibrant as they were wet, I knew the focal point needed to be just as bold.
I am a great fan of black and white fashion photography of the 1950’s. I chose
a photo of a woman, head titled back, with eyes slightly closed. What was she dreaming
about… Perhaps a great adventure? And who would accompany her? And most of all,
what clothing would she pack! I thought of the Bakelite phone…and the phone
book she would peruse. To the left of the work you will see a page which I infused
with bee’s wax.
This is what I love about Art. We have countless ways to
express what comes from deep within us. With so many tools at our disposal we
are only limited by our imaginations. By sharing what is essential to us we
give it life, and hopefully nurture the spark in others.
So the next time you put on that favourite piece of
clothing, just think…you are the canvas helping to make a designers soul immortal!
MATERIALS USED:
- ARTISTCELLAR MARKED SERIES STENCILS
- ARTISTCELLAR HALFTONE DOTS SERIES STENCILS
- PUNCHINELLA
- DYLUSION BUBBLE GUM INK SPRAY
- DINA WAKLEY LEMON & LIME ACRYLICS
- REEVES METALLIC ACRYLIC: GOLD, ROSE RED, BRONZE
- PLAID FOLK ART METALLIC ACRYLICS: AQUAMARINE, AMETHYST, CHAMPAGNE
- NATURAL SPONGE
- STRATHMORE MIXED-MEDIA VISUAL JOURNAL
- BEES WAX
- TELEPHONE BOOK PAPER
- DIGITAL IMAGE – FASHION OF THE 1950’S
