Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Lass With The Delicate Air


I matted this collage the other day, so thought I'd post it. It began as a test in adding a mitered border, something picked up in a bookmaking workshop. The border is made from antique endpapers, which I clip from books soon after buying them and now put in an archival sleeve with the name, date & publisher of the book attached. Now being the operative word there! The butterflies were cut from a recycled wrapping paper sample square and the flower is an antique print.

The girl is an illustration from the Chatterbox, which along with St. Nicholas, is among my favorite 19th/early 20th century children's magazines. I blew the image up a few of times on a photocopier, because I was thinking of turning her into a rubber stamp. Still might. After that was done, I painted her with watercolors. Oh, almost forgot to mention the sheet music that gives the piece the title: yes, it's a vintage page. {SOLD}

Note: just found a Time magazine feature about the cherished Christmas annuals that British magazines published that also touches on the history of the Chatterbox.