Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Still perched, but now downtown

Out On A Limb: 80 rpm (2012)
mixed-media collage: antique trade card (American Song Birds: No. 12, Mockingbird,
Singer Sewing Machine Co., 1898), record sleeve (Columbia Grafonola) and endpaper;
vintage sheet music (The Etude magazine, 1905) and endpaper (Field Guide to the Birds: 
Eastern Land & Water Birds, 1947); ink, watercolor, acrylic sealer and acrylic varnish.
 6” x 6” on a cradled, hardwood panel - ready to hang.
(SOLD)

Out On a Limb: A Little Bird Told Me (2012)
mixed-media collage: antique engravings (Chatterbox magazine, 1872 and 1905),
trade card (American Song Bird Series, No. 14, Song Sparrow, Singer Sewing Machine Co., 1898),
Columbia Grafonola record sleeve, endpaper (1887 edition of Paradise Lost);
 vintage sheet music (A Little Bird Told Me, Harvey G. Brooks, 1948); acrylic gel image transfer;
ink, watercolor, marker, fluid chalk; acrylic sealer and acrylic varnish.
6” x 6” on a cradled, hardwood panel - ready to hang.
(SOLD)

These are the final two American song bird collages for the 5th Street Gallery. I packed up all the birds ...  Wait! I've gotta come clean, there is one more. It's not posted, because it includes an American music legend whose resemblance to the Umbrella Bird is remarkable. His estate would probably nail me for using his image, but I couldn't resist. The title may give you a hint of who it is: Out On a Limb: Thank you, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, as you can see, every bit of that antique Columbia record sleeve found in the basement is being put to use with pieces of it in both collages.

The top collage was pretty much finished when I hit on the idea of using the sleeve to frame the mockingbird. Unlike the collage posted last week with a Brunswick Record sleeve, this one does not cover the entire surface. It was torn and once it was glued down, more of it was peeled off so that the silhouetted birds were a bit more visible, especially, bird No. 9, which is a mockingbird.

Both are hanging downtown at 5th Street Gallery, which is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, now through July 15 while the World Choir Games are in town. Hope you stop on by.