Food for thought

I've been working on a series of collages for an upcoming exhibit at The Bonbonerie Cafe - no date yet - that are based on people's food memories. I thought I'd give a sneak preview of two of the pieces in progress. I plan to finish these and the remaining three this week, now that I've wrapped up 90 new collage tags - including a batch of Halloween ones you'll see soon.

I read, and re-read, pages and pages of memories that were collected during a series of dinners last winter and spring at a large, communal table in The Bonbonerie's former tea room. Each meal had a theme and during the dinners, people shared their stories of the role that food's played in their lives. I found myself attracted to far too many of the stories and overwhelmed as I began to gathering paper for them. So, I winnowed it down to five stories that resonated the most with me.

The collages shown here - which I haven't titled yet - are about a first-time lobster experience on a date in Miami and a grandfather who owned a cafe in Northern Kentucky and, for a time, sold sausages from his bicycle. I loved that image and was lucky enough to find a large-scale bicyclist in my stash, along with some beautiful sausages. The gummed price labels were a fab find tucked inside a box of cardboard price tags I bought two years ago on a trip to New Harmony, Ind. I was looking for a tag and had forgotten the labels were there. That's one of the things I love about what I do: constant surprises!

I'll let you know when the exhibit opens.

The gift that really did keep on giving

When I was in college, I received a terrific gift: a drawing table with a large surface and the ability to be folded to a 6-inch width. Handy when you moved as much as I did in those days and the decade that followed. The table was from one of my four brothers, David. Today is the 20th anniversary of his death at age 36. He was one of the early AIDS victims and it was shattering to watch such a vibrant, athletic man wither before our eyes.    

David had a knack for finding the right present and followed my late mother's dictum of giving gifts that the recipient would never buy. Generally, though, my mom's gifts were whimsical while David's were far more practical. Like her, he was thoughtful and knew me inside out. He always surprised me with exactly what I wanted - even when I hadn't asked for it. I still carry around the beautiful, leather knapsack he gave me when he knew I longed to travel but couldn't afford to. I did eventually get to tote it around Europe, and still take it with me when we go.

David and I shared our birthday celebrations. He was born Sept. 27, the day before me, and two years after me. When we were young, there was a big sheet cake divided in half by pink icing on my side and blue on his. Later, my mom began a tradition of making us our favorite meal on our birthdays and I opted for pumpkin pie instead of cake. I loved the pie, but missed blowing out all the candles on our shared cake.  

The drawing table ended up being the only one I would own, and has been at the center of every studio I've had. It is scuffed; embedded with ink, paint and glitter; marred by hundreds of cuts made by razor blades, knives and Japanese hole punches. But I'd never part with it.    

Fortune found ... and maybe lost

New collage images are coming soon. Honest. I'm in the midst of making pieces for two fall shows, plus a gazillion collage tags - many themed to Halloween. Meantime, I'm corralling images from the attic archive for future pieces and that brings me to a new post on The Paper With a Past blog. It's about a cache of Fortune magazines I've been sitting on for a while as I wrestle with what to do with these valuable beauties.

A mixed Fortune - as in the magazine

For the past two years, I've been sitting on 12 classic Fortune magazines from 1932 and 1933 that are in mint condition. I was dumbstruck when I found them selling for a mere $7 each. I never thought I'd own one of these beauties, let alone for such a modest price.

At first, all I wanted to do was read them - partly because the issues were right in the throes of the Great Depression - ogle the stylish covers and swoon over the equally stylish advertisements. Fortune has always been a well-designed magazine known for bold art direction and the high-profile artists hired to illustrate its covers and features stories.

Once the initial wonder wore off, I debated whether to sell them intact, cut them up and sell them piece by piece - I discovered that early covers usually fetch at least $60 with many in the $100+ range - or use them in collages. My find was quickly turning into a mixed Fortune.

I both hate and love when the material I collect for collages turns out to be more valuable than the collages! I did approach a few area galleries and booksellers but they low-balled me at $10 an issue - even as I stood in front of covers they had priced at $125 a pop.

As I continue climbing the decision tree, the magazines sit in their crisp archival sleeves. Maybe its time to get the Paper With a Past etsy shop that I set up last year up and running?

Note: covers shown are by (clockwise, from top left) Ernest Hamlin Baker, F.V. Carpenter, Carpenter again, and Thomas Maitland Cleland.

Found: a treasure trove of botanicals

A few weeks ago, I posted the collage "Lila's Magical Night Garden" and noted that it contained a tiny section of a lithograph from a John Lewis Childs seed catalog. I was hoarding the plate, because it was one of only two in my archive. Well, that all changed with a fantastic find this week. Read more about it on the Paper With a Past blog and view five more of the 40 plates that are now mine!