Sunday, December 7, 2008

It's Those Ornaments Again







Last Christmas (or was it the Christmas before that?), I was fascinated by small "collage sandwiches"...two pieces or glass: either microscope slides or a couple of the sizes offered by Ranger and Tim Holtz...with small vignettes that we now call 'inchies, twinchies and moo's'...or a rough approximation...the 'sandwich filling' told a story, a theme or a moment in time &/or imagination. These later grew into the Laura B that I posted below, and a series of other 'sandwich people'.
This year, spurred on by Sue Shotwell, I began a new appreciation for the silhouette. I have begun to see the woods around me, full of winter tree branch and bird silhouettes, as rich food for my artistic soul. The devil is in the details, as they say: I found it was a little more difficult than I had anticipated, in that tiny silhouettes are not all that easy to find for this application. I had no difficulty with the Christmas sheet music background, as old discarded hymnals abound in thrift stores. I looked at diecut images from a few of the cartridges available on the market, rubber stamps in silhouette, and, finally, hand punches. That still gave me only a limited number of options, so it was a choice whether to go with what I had, or spend studio time tracking down these pesky sized images...laziness and high fuel cost (and the cold!) made me use what I had on hand. (I have roughly a year until I need them again next Christmas!...Plenty of time in January and February for cyber wandering and searching!).
These, then, are two different types...one, retro with a hand punched pine tree: I embossed the rubber stamp, then, as I was melting the pseudo-soldered sides, managed to remelt the embossing powder...now on the inside of the sandwich. The other, with handmade fusion paper (by me!) and another tree from a hand punch. I finished it all off with a blurry and full of light reflections series of photographs...arrrrgggghhhh....
So, with full apologies for technique, etc, here goes...at least I am sticking to my resolution to continue to blog!!! (Patty, I ache for your proficiency on so many levels!!!)

3 comments:

~*~Patty S said...

Love your silhouettes (sp always gets me on that word ;) under glass Lansie, perfectly lovely! Your orchids are fantastic too! Look at you posting up a storm, Love it!

Jen xo said...

oH I love these, they look gorgeous with the paper and silhouettes[sp!!
oh and wouldnt they be wonderful made from embossed tin, you gave me the IDEA!!!

I used to have few orchids, they are indeed beautiful flowers.....

thanks for visiting me and thanks for your lovely comments. Feel free to link all you want!! jenxo

Margaret said...

So lovely to hear of your travels Lanise! I've added you to my favs! want to read more of what you're getting up to! I think these ornaments are beautiful, they remind me of 'Scherenschnitt' pictures you might have seen in Germany, little cut-outs usually from black paper. I think work of this size is challenging but sooo addictive!

Summer Sunday Art Musings

Mid-summer again, and I still am not an experienced blogger...but I am back to working in my studio and have too many ideas to fit them all into a working day format...how exciting is that!??? This week I have still been at the Piano Hinge Books (refreshing my mind about working with tree wrap for gypsy moth paper aided by Lumiere metallics (!)...intriguingly easy and so organic to the eye. I am working on a series of Buddha greeting cards (with a deadline). The weather here in the Blue Ridge has been a mixed bag of hot and humid and rain...great for indoor sports like studio time! I must get busy and download the photos from my camers so I can showcase a few of my week's endeavors...

Medieval Illuminated Manuscript Book

Medieval Illuminated Manuscript Book
Thank You Lisa at European Papers Columbus, Ohio

Abalone Button Piano Hinge Book

Abalone Button Piano Hinge Book
That Abalone Left Its' Shell 4 Art!

Bliss Girl

Bliss Girl
Transcendent Bliss Girl