This is the stupidist tea party I ever saw!

Hey, I didn't say it...this is actual text from a vintage book I have that includes the Alice In Wonderland story.  I personally never liked Alice and the story but when I got this little teapot (for free) at a garage sale, I knew that it had Alice's name written all over it.  I found the line in the Alice book and the rest is history as they say. 

I have been looking to alter little objects for a quick create fix since I just finished my altered box for the Yearlong Workshop group I am in.  So, what better way then to dress up some vintage bottles of which I have many.  Here is the first bottle I made.  It's entitled "fly" and I used vintage paper from a music book, a cutout of a swallow from a vintage bird book, and I made the nest with some wire and blue beads.  I had seen a lot of examples lately of artists making their own bird nests using wire and so I tried my hand at my own.  Here is how it turned out...

A few more bottles I've done recently and one I am currently working on.  It is an inkwell and I am using an old barrette to decorate the front of the bottle.  It's in progress, but will post the pictures when it is done.  Oh, I also thought I would include a picture of all my bling.  I just love these old costume jewelry pieces and digging through the old jewelry box gives me inspiration when I feel like I have none. 

Free Images

I thought it was time to share some free images with my friends and followers.  This is especially for my fellow group members from my Yahoo Group Altered Pages who helped me to figure out what I can use to help to protect my vintage papers (letters, sheet music, book pages etc) from further age damage.  I decided that Archival Mist from EK is probably my best bet.  This product should change the acid in the papers and keep them from falling apart when I use them in my art--at least that is the idea.  I'll let you know how it works when I get that far.

Here are some old photos I have in my collection.  I love the chubby faced baby and the sisters who look a bit unsure of getting their picture taken.  They would both probably make great subjects of an assemblage.
I hope you enjoy the photos and if you make something with them I would love to see your creation!!!
Now, back to my current project:  working on an assemblage for my year long workshop group (see previous post).  I'll post pictures soon.
Till then,
Marianna  

Saturday Mornings Are Great!

I love Saturday mornings. 
Sitting here on my bed amongst the dirty clothes, half-empty glasses and the overflowing ashtray on the bedside table I plan my day, update my blog, think about what I can make today as I reach over to kiss and talk to my always loving lab Molly.  It is a great day when I don't have to jump out of bed and get ready to leave for the workday.  I am reviewing in my head the treasures that I bought at the garage sales I went to Thursday and Friday.  I got some great stuff and should post a picture of the kitchy Jesus night light from the 60's, the old 50lb typewriter I practically stole for only $5, the Easy Bake Oven with the beautiful blue-green color that invokes the 50's, and vintage stamped brass tags I found in the bottom of a shoe box full of other beautiful rusted objects from someone's past that will now get a new life.  I also hit the jackpot at a garage sale that was selling the remains of the art pencils and inks owned by a local artist who created the Schwebel's logo.  I grabbed an old bandaid box full of grungy calligraphy pen nibs and ink bottles and a few boxes of charcol and colored pencils from the 60's.  Great stuff! Maybe I can channel the artistic creativeness of the previous owner as I use them.   The small old German Bible I found for only a couple of dollars will get to spread its message again but this time as a background for my next ATC. 
 I also have had a fixation on letters and numbers picking up any metal numbers I run across.  The older and more beat up the better.  While walking by the dumpster at work a few days ago, I happened to look down and find five or six round discs that had numbers printed all around the edge.  They were obviously from some type of counter that was on machinery and I grabbed them all and kept looking around the ground finding some great rusty metal, gears, and even an old registration plate from a piece of manufacturing equipment and have will make it a point to take a walk around that dumpster at least once a week looking for more of these wonderful stragglers of the past.   Yeah, anyone who sees me picking up this 'junk' thinks I'm crazy, but where they see only junk, I see one of a kind artistic elements that tell a story and call out to me.  Finding and picking up these pieces destined for the dump is like finding a stray diamond laying in the dirt.  How could I just leave it laying there?  
Now that I have a plan, or many plans for the day, I'll get up and get moving.  
Maybe.  Or maybe I'll just blog surf at my favorite art blogs for a bit. 
That's the beauty of Saturday mornings.  

  

Here are more pictures of pieces I created at Artiscape. 

New Book and Year Long Workshop

I am a member of the Yahoo Group The Latest Trends in Mixed Media Art.  They have a new book and with the purchase you can participate in a year long workshop for free!  I have the book and am signed up for the workshop.  One of the classes is taught by Lesley Venable (one of my favs).  Check it out and consider participating as it promises to be a great learning opportunity. Just click on the link for more information.
marianna

Back from Artiscape 2010

I can't believe it is over already.  Last weekend was a whirlwind of art that left me exhausted yet fulfilled at the same time.  I had scheduled to take five classes in three days.  I think that next time I will try to focus on only three classes if I can resist. These are the classes that I took:
Creative Composition-The Layering Effect with Lesley Venable
Crossings with Sharon Andrews
Artistic Soldering for Beginners with Paula Hardesty
Triptych with Sharon Andrews
Journaling in Wax with Patricia Seggebruch

I loved every class but really excelled in the class by Lesley Venable and the soldering with Paula Hardesty.  I think it is no accident that I did better in these because they were both held in the morning and because I really connected with both of these instructors.  They were great.  I seem to do my best work when I have the class in the morning and when I sit as close to the instructor as possible.  (note to self)
The venue was great but very jam packed thus tiring - for me anyway. 

One great part of the whole experience was meeting with other artists.  For me this was great because, as I have stated in prior posts, most of my friends and family members just don't "get" my art and I don't have any art buddies that live close to me.  I met some great and talented people and also participated in some swapping.  I was a bit disappointed by the lack of swapping that was going on but still came home with some great stuff. 

I also participated in a silent auction to benefit the Susan G. Kohmen Breast Cancer Fund.  I was delighted to find out that my piece brought in $45!  This was one of the higher amounts that were raised per auction item and I luckily took some pictures of the piece before I left for the weekend which is pictured above this post.  It all started with an old metal downspout strainer.  The theme of the weekend was based on the book/movie Enchanted April and I made sure that I watched the movie prior to creating the piece.

The pieces that I made and my swaps are also pictured here. (working on this)  I have a lot of creative ideas now and just need to find time to CREATE create CREATE!  I hope to add posts more often now so check back soon.
Marianna    

"Family Legacy"

I bought this vintage picture at a garage sale last summer.  I love how each family member, even though touching another, seems so uncomfortable and staged.  While working with the photo, I imagined that they rarely physically or emotionally connected which is why it looks so forced in the photo.  If you look at each of them individually, you can easily imagine that each could have been posing for a picture alone rather than as part of a family.  My mind then wonders if this was a family in which emotions were not considered an important or valuable aspect of life and that this disconnect was a legacy that was passed down from generation to generation. 
Even though I understand that during the time in which this picture was taken getting photographed was an occasion and most didn't smile for these serious portraits, this particular picture still tells me a story.

I have a friend who won't touch or look at any of my art that is made from these old photographs.  She thinks that the spirit of the person in the photo might come back and haunt those who 'defiled' their likeness.  Shoot, I hope that if someone finds a picture of me in a hundred years that they make something fun/artistic out of it.  I'll be sure to smile kindly on them, not haunt them.
Till Soon,
Marianna

As Promised, "The Curse"

This is one of my first assemblage pieces that began with the Midol tin.  I didn't want to make it vulgar, but did want to capture the feeling of what has been called The Curse, Your Time, etc.  I'm one of those persons who doesn't usually make 'cutesy' art but rather would focus on the subjects that others would probably never even touch.  My pictures are obviously not professional, and the glass makes it difficult to see inside the shadowbox so I included a picture of the inside of the box before I put it together.  This was one of those projects where you have to say STOP because I could have just kept adding more embellishments on the outside of the box but I didn't want to take all of the focus away from the picture and objects inside. 
This started with a Dollar Store shadowbox that I think I paid 50 cents for and the Midol tin that I picked up at a vintage/antique store for a buck.  I couldn't resist that tin because I remember taking those things and they sure didn't work for me, but my mind and creativity just took off from there.  As a woman who doesn't have to deal with The Curse any longer (thankyou Doctor!), I guess I can just laugh at what really was a nightmare for me for most of my life.  For me this was great fun to put together because I got to paint.  I love to paint which I think goes back to my ceramics phase that I went through in the late 80's. 
What are your thoughts about the subject matter of this piece?  Do you enjoy the dark humor, or do you feel it is just plain wrong?  What would you have done different with this piece?  Would you have taken it a step further or would you have thrown it in the garbage deeming it innapropriate?  I would love to know your thoughts.