I was up for a challenge. So, when asked to contribute a sculptural work of art for a late-summer auction, I said yes. The cause is a good one: Cincinnati's YWCA, and the benefit at which the piece will be auctioned Aug. 24 is being cooked up by some of the area's top female chefs. On top of that: all the art is created by women.
Besides, ever since making a trio of cake collages for an exhibit last year, I've toyed with the idea of creating a 3-D paper cake. Here was my chance. It turned out to be, um, a learning experience. It also turned out to take more time, much more time, than I thought it would.
I punched paper, cut it, glued it, braided it, tore it, die cut it, twisted it, made it double sided, wired it for flexibility, sewed it, curled it around pencils and paint brushes, played with color combinations and shapes, and even colored it. A bin of rejects attests to my experiments.
Book making, and sewing techniques were employed to cover the boxes, and to make some of the icing" trim (such as the pleated fancy on the middle layer). A look through newly purchased Victorian cake books, gave me almost too much to think about, After all, excess is a hallmark of the Victorian era.
Here's how it came together. And even though it's on exhibit in Brazee Street Studios' gallery one one through Saturday, it wouldn't be difficult to sneak in and tweak it. After all, the gallery is right across the hall from my studio.
