Fragile: two views

I've been debating whether this collage should have a vertical orientation (above) or a horizontal one (below) - and am still up in the air. It started with the handwritten text, which is from a series of three 1909 classroom notebooks kept by a medical student that I found at a flea market. To the left of the notes, is a piece of a leather book spine with a shattered surface that reminded me of a fracture. To the right is a thigh bone and text from "Young People's Physiology" (American Book Co., 1888).

Looking at this piece now, I'm also tempted to crop it a quarter-to-a-half inch on all sides, especially if it ends up in the horizontal position. I'll post the outcome when I make up my mind about the final look. 5" x 5" on acid-free paper.   {SOLD}

Update: the vertical orientation won out ... and I didn't crop it.

Eye Contact

There's a company called Papaya, whose graphics I've long admired. They are dreamy, neo-hippie, exotic, cross-cultural - think Anthropologie aesthetic and you have the idea. Well, I was looking at a Papaya ad and admiring the complexity of the artwork when it occurred to me that I ought to try something similar.

There was a catch: digital layering and imagery is integral to Papaya's look but I was determined to stay old-school. In the end, I think I could have achieved more of the style by softening the flowers with an acrylic wash but I did get 10 layers into the piece, and that's not counting the painted and inked rings or the watercolors on her face. I'm sure to try this again. 5" x 5" on acid-free watercolor paper

Wills's cigarette cards

The graphic wallop that can be created in a 2.6" x 1.4" is amazing. That's what I thought when I spied the card above in a case at a Michigan antiques mall. I HAD to have it, and got it for a mere $1.

It's No. 29 in a set of 50 First Aid cards that were tucked into packages of Wills's cigarettes in 1913. I was familiar with sports cigarette cards but not with DIY ones. Of course, the minute I got home I started researching them and discovered that dozens of series were published from Household Hints (in 1927 and 1936) and Flower Culture in Pots (1925) to Engineering Wonders (1927) and English Period Costumes (1929). Oh, and the requisite sports cards of footballers and cricketers, these were British cigarettes, after all. 

I became obsessed with obtaining the entire First Aid set, which I did much later at an outdoor antiques show in New Harmony, Ind. On the back of each card: detailed first aid instructions. I cannot explain it - other than my odd sensibilities - but the images of bandaged body parts on cards, from left, 48, 47,  40 & 39 are among my favorites.

At that same New Harmony event, I also scored a 50-card set of Gardening Hints, from left, cards 5, 6, 7 & 8.  Find out more about cigarette cards at this terrific UK site.

Night Terrors

I've changed the name of this collage about a dozen times and think the title is "Adele Never Left the Dolls Alone at Night" on the actual piece, which is not at hand, so I can't check. It's part of an informal series that starts with innocent Victorian illustrations and turns them into something a bit sinister or weird or unsettling or sexy. I have a stack of illustrations awaiting that light bulb "aha" moment.

Hate to admit it but I can't trace where the main image is from in my archive. Ditto most of the scary stuff in the doll house. I now make a note on images as habit, but didn't when I started some of these. That said, I do know that the arm is from "Morris' Human Anatomy: A Complete Systematic Treatise" (Blakiston Co., Philadelphia, 1893). It's a fat book filled with detailed, spot-color illustrations.

My one surprise - and disappointment - after hitting on the idea was the lack of monstrous images in my stash.Will do something about that when the outdoor antique/flea markets get underway. 5.5" x 7.5" on acid-free watercolor paper {SOLD}

Fresh from my drawing table ... The Grand Tour: 4

I've been working on The Grand Tour series for the past few weeks in anticipation of my first show (see blurb at top right) and just wrapped up 10 new collages. The one here is bit different from the rest, because it incorporates a black & white 19th century engraving from Godey's Lady's Book while all but one other collage use hand-painted, color fashion plates from Peterson's Magazine as a jumping off point.

The maps are from 1872 and 1901 geography books. My favorite part is the background "fabric," which is Christmas wrapping paper designed by post-mod architect Michael Graves. It arrived as a folded sheet tucked inside a greeting card and is based on drawings he made in Tuscany. Perfect for The Grand Tour. 3.75" x 5.75" on archival mat board. {Sold}