IF YOU ARE READING THIS by Shelby
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
There is wisdom in the saying “One person’s trash is another’s treasure”. For a collage artist, the aftermath of the Holidays brings with it the immense potential of discarded materials. There’s a lot to be said for scavenging through the rubbish to find an inspirational gem or two. It was there I found the start of my next Design Team project.
My substrate is a piece of thin corrugated board that surrounded a picture frame. Using an inexpensive one inch brush I applied gesso with a light touch. I liked patchiness and bristles left behind as the gesso dried. You can still see a little of it through the brushed and sponged acrylics. My stencil choice this time was Open Work from the Blocks Series. Rather than spray, I used a wet sponge to dab on Bubble Gum Dylusion Ink Spray. I liked the watery finish as it bled under the stencil.
Greeting cards are a wealth of ephemera. The gold foil was peeled from the inside of an envelope. Next to it I layered sewing pattern paper, a price sticker, a stamp and a line found in a magazine: “If You Are Reading This”.
My final bit collage work included a clipping from a book page that I infused with beeswax some time ago. Many of us have hailed the end of 2017. With the start of the New Year, my waxed paper seems timely…quotes about the qualities of the word “smile”. My continued goal for 2018 is to live mindfully, to slow down, and to enjoy the wonder that surrounds me. This is the reason I inverted the waxed paper quote. If anyone is reading, perhaps they will pause and enjoy the moment…and hopefully it will encourage them to smile as well.
The Quasicrystals’ Infra stencil applied in a variety of contrasting Dylusion Paint colours completed the work.
The New Year is here. I am filled with hope. And is there any better way to make the world a beautiful place than with a smile?
MATERIALS USED:
- ARTISTCELLAR STENCILS: QUASICRYSTALS (Infra), BLOCKS (Open Work)
- LIQUITEX WHITE ACRYLIC GESSO
- LIQUITEX MATTE MEDIUM
- SCOTCH SCRAPBOOKERS GLUE
- DYLUSION PAINT: Squeezed Orange, Bubble Gum, Vibrant Turquoise, Fresh Lime
- DYLUSION INK SPRAY: Bubble Gum
- DINA WAKLEY MEDIA: Blushing
- PLAID: Sunflower
- DECO ART: Sky Blue, Blue Harbor, Sea Glass
- RUBBER STAMP
- PRO ART BRUSH: 1” Bristle
- NATURAL SPONGE
- CORRUGATED BOARD
- WAX INFUSED BOOK PAGE
- VINTAGE POSTAGE STAMP, PRICE STICKER, DRESS PATTERN PAPER, MAGAZINE CLIPPING, GOLD FOIL
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