Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Night Terrors


I've changed the name of this collage about a dozen times and think the title is "Adele Never Left the Dolls Alone at Night" on the actual piece, which is not at hand, so I can't check. It's part of an informal series that starts with innocent Victorian illustrations and turns them into something a bit sinister or weird or unsettling or sexy. I have a stack of illustrations awaiting that light bulb "aha" moment.

Hate to admit it but I can't trace where the main image is from in my archive. Ditto most of the scary stuff in the doll house. I now make a note on images as habit, but didn't when I started some of these. That said, I do know that the arm is from "Morris' Human Anatomy: A Complete Systematic Treatise" (Blakiston Co., Philadelphia, 1893). It's a fat book filled with detailed, spot-color illustrations.

My one surprise - and disappointment - after hitting on the idea was the lack of monstrous images in my stash.Will do something about that when the outdoor antique/flea markets get underway. 5.5" x 7.5" on acid-free watercolor paper {SOLD}