Nellie and Abby's Amazing Shrunken Men!!!

The Grand Tour: Nellie and Abby's "Amazing Shrunken Men" 
 Packed 'em In at Opera Houses from London to St. Petersburg
$225Mixed-media collage: antique, hand-painted fashion plate (Peterson's magazine),
vintage illustrations (Architectural Forum, June 1960; Harter's Picture Archive, 1974),
watercolor, marker, ink, UV sealant. 8" x 11.5" on acid free mat board.
Framed with museum glass. (SOLD)

The Grand Tour continues with two fashionable Peterson's women - I've named them Nellie and Abby - taking their novelty act, Amazing Shrunken Men, on tour. In my mind, they sneak away from their chaperones to perform when everyone else is tucked away in bed for the night. And they're packing the house, as you can see.

The house, in this case, is from the June 1960 issue of Architectural Forum. Thanks to Carla Morales, the graphic designer for Cincinnati's Brazee Street Studios, I received stacks of vintage architecture magazines from her architect sister. While I wrote down the date of the issue, I forgot to note the building. I think it's Philly's Academy of Music, because the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts' wildly eclectic building is on the flip side.

This is another piece for next week's Art Affaire in Milford. Cannot wait to see how they look in the dining room - that's my designated space - of the Promont House.

Their bags are packed ...

Hard to believe it's been 6 months since I made a Grand Tour collage. Well, the ladies are touring again as I make new collages for Milford's 7th annual Art Affaire on Saturday Sept. 22. As intrepid as ever, the gang is traveling under the sea (above - early working version); performing on stage; trying their hands at fly fishing; and there may be some time traveling, too. You will be seeing more soon but, for now, it's off to the studio ...

9.13: Update: The almost-finished collage with significant changes. I'll add more shadowing, seal it 
and whisk it off to the framers ...

The Grand Tour: Submerged (SOLD)
mixed-media collage: antique, hand-painted fashion plate (Peterson's Magazine, Sept. 1880) and illustrations (Popular Educator, circa 1880; Art Forms in Nature, 1899); vintage illustrations (Handbook for Shell Collectors,1948; Harter's Picture Archive, 1974); recycled wrapping paper; acrylic, watercolor, dye, marker, ink. 14" x 11" on acid free mat board. 

A piece of cake? Hardly.

 

 

Sooooo, I've been working on a commission the past few weeks. Well, actually, longer than that. Much longer than that.

It grew out of a collage made for the Art of Food Exhibit in March. Someone wanted to know if they could buy a print of the piece - "Her Friends Felt That Roberta Was Overzealous About Protecting Her Recipes - which was sold.

The collage featured a vintage image of a knight wielding an oversized knife and fork, with various cakes and cookies. Vellum covered a large image of a cake that was the background. Well, I couldn't make a print because this was one of two collages from the show that I forget to scan. I offered to make a new one, and that's when the trouble began.

I was sure I knew where the knight was from. So, I hunted down and bought copies of the two vintage books I thought it was in. Wrong. Now, why didn't I write down where it was from as I usually do???

I scoured up more knights, including the amazing one above from an 1837 costume book. It was her favorite. There was paper leftover from the original collage, including the text at the bottom and another piece of the vellum with words on it.

So, I began. The client and I went back and forth on the images, with minor changes along the way. She visited the studio last weekend and the bottom right collage was her final choice.

Easy, right? Not a chance. The vellum didn't adhere as cleanly as on the original piece. She LOVES that cake, because the recipe she guards is a flourless chocolate cake. So, I spent a few hours yesterday trying to remove the vellum. Need I tell you that that didn't work?

Now, I am going to cut out the knight, text, cake, etc. and start again with a new background image. Luckily, I have more of the marbled endpaper - which came from a chocolate cookbook, and one last piece of that vellum. This time, I know how to adhere it.

But will she will like the new background. Stay tuned ...

 

Annie Got Her Guns: A 19th century morality tale. I think.

Annie Got Her Guns:
A 19th Century Tale of Self-Defense
mixed-media collage: antique engraving (Chatterbox, 1893) and
 illustration (Mother Goose, Volland Popular Edition, Donahue & Co., 1915);
vintage illustrations (Anatomy of the Human Body, Lea & Febiger, 1959;
Art Forms in Nature, Dover, 1974); recycled catalog and folder; ink, watercolor,
marker, acrylic paint, acrylic UV  sealer.  7.5" x 9.5" on acid-free mat board.
(SOLD)

Okay. Before you get your shorts in a bunch. I'm not pro-gun. I'm not a member of the NRA. But I am imbued with a wicked sense of irony. I came across this illustration in the Chatterbox, a popular 19th children's magazine. It accompanied a story titled "The Valor of a Girl." In short, it's 1820 and the eldest daughter is left alone in her family's home deep in the German forest while the rest of the family goes out.

A beggar knocks on the door and feeling sorry for him, she invites him in for a bowl of hot soup. She quickly realizes he's not who he seemed and throws the hot soup in his face. He flees. Then, another man knocks on the door, and when she refuses to open it he breaks it down. She grabs her father's rifle and shoots him. Shortly after that, yet another man appears, who she shoots and kills.

I couldn't believe I was reading this in a children's magazine. The collage is meant as a graphic commentary on the kinds of stories told to children - then and now. The story ends with the two surviving men in jail and the "kind-hearted" girl feeling sorry about the man she killed. It certainly demonstrates valor, but I'm on the fence about how the lesson "to be brave" is taught.

Look for it - along with the original text - in the upcoming exhibit "The Hunting Season" at the Thompson House's Shooting Gallery in Newport. It opens 7-11 p.m. Sat. Sept. 8.

    

A 5th Street Gallery welcome

The September issue of Express Cincinnati magazine is out and includes a lovely ad welcoming me to the 5th Street Gallery.  It's on page 9, in case you're looking in print or online.

The ad was designed by fellow gallery member Marcia Alscher, a painter and architect who dabbles in sculpture, photography and who knows what else. The entire group of artists at the gallery - a co-op, as I'm sure I've mentioned before - have been generous with their time, tips and compliments since I became a member last month. Yes. Hard to believe it's only been two months.

By the way, I'll be working in the gallery from 2-6 p.m. this Friday (8.31). Drop by and say "hi" if you are downtown. I love showing off everyone else's work, as well as my own.