Low-Hanging Fruit

© Low Hanging Fruit (2012)
mixed-media collage: antique illustration (The Gibson Book, Vol. 2, Scribner's, 1906),
vintage clip art, recycled gift bag and children's book proof, wallpaper sample,  ink,
 watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic sealer. 11.5" x 5.5" on archival mat board.
Matted & framed. Price: $150. (SOLD)

Surreal. That's the first word that popped into my head when I found Çharles Dana Gibson's illustration, "A Peach Crop." So, I opted to make it even more bizarre by adding male hands plucking the ripe fruit. I selected pears rather than peaches, simply because I liked the colors. In truth, either fruit works, since women are compared to both. Some of the hair was colored to accent the fruit, and all of the women's cheeks and lips were painted to help draw attention to the smaller heads.

There are a lot of shadows being cast since every piece is not completely glued down. I hoped to create the illusion of depth by letting some sections of the drawing float. I'm doing that more often with pieces that will be framed and under glass. The "sky" is a wallpaper sample that includes pears, but they are covered up for the most part. The "ground" is composed of handmade paper - a recycled piece of a nice, gift bag - and a children's book page proof.

Gibson could be highly critical of the upper classes and surprisingly wry about both sexes. I'm not sure whether he was being ironic here or not. But, that's good. I like art that makes me think.