LETTERS MINGLE SOULS with Shelby

“Postman’s bag is always heavy because it carries the life itself: It carries all the sorrows and all the joys, all the worries and all the hopes!”― Mehmet Murat ildan

Have you ever waited for the postman to arrive? I am sure you have, if you are like me. And do you ever wonder what is in their mailbag? Of course there are bills, and junk mail, which can be a treasure trove for collage artists. But do you ever wonder about the other mail…the messages of delight or passion or longing? And is there still room for them in the age of texts and email?

I recently received a nice collection of acrylics from Artistcellar. They were new to me and I couldn’t wait to give them a go. The Dylusion Paint series is blendable and quick drying, manufactured with journaling in mind. The colours are vivid in the wide mouth tubs. I wondered if they would keep this wonderful quality once applied to my substrate.

I decided to work on illustration board. Rather than prep with gesso, I simply lightly sanded the surface and applied the Squeezed Orange Paint. Coverage was quick and easy, although it didn’t dry quite as fast as I thought it would. But sure enough, the orange kept its vibrant glow after drying. I next stenciled with Quasi from the Artistcellar Quasicrystals Series using the Dylusion Spray in Bubble Gum Pink. Although you can still see the stencil if you look closely, the Paint absorbed the colour. Not what I had in mind for this project, but a finish to keep in mind for the future.

I wanted to put the rest of the colours through their paces, so I sponged them randomly through my Diamond stencil. With the open stencil area it was easy to see how they performed. Again, as with the Squeezed Orange paint, I am pleased to say Vibrant Turquoise, Fresh Lime, and London Blue were easy to work with and held the brilliant colour you can see in the tubs…even after layering paint on paint.

With the background finished I continued by attaching a vintage photo I found in an old magazine. The postage stamps and Priority label just seemed to fit so well with our postman. I found a rubber stamp with beautiful calligraphy. Could the message on the stamp be from a letter in his mailbag? Why not? I inked the stamp with Vibrant Turquoise Paint and stamped on to very fine tissue paper, then attached with matte medium to the board. The final touch was to stencil the Infra image in gold.

Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic, but seeing the postman with his mailbag does pull at the heart strings. And yes, I believe there is a place for "real" mail in the age of texts and email. My question is this: Is there someone who would love receiving a real letter from you? And would decorating it with your stunning art bring joy to you both? Many believe that letters mingle souls. I know I do.

MATERIALS USED:

• ARTISTCELLAR: QUASICRYSTALS SERIES (Infra, Quasi)
• DIAMOND HANDCUT STENCIL
• DYLUSIONS PAINT: Squeezed Orange, Fresh Lime, Vibrant Turquoise, London Blue
• DYLUSION SPRAY: Bubble Gum Pink
• DINA WAKLEY: Blushing, Lemon
• DECOART: Splendid Gold, Champagne
• REEVES: Rose Red
• ROUND SYNTHETIC SPONGE
• LIQUITEX MATTE MEDIUM
• FINE GRADE SANDPAPER
• TISSUE PAPER
• RECOLLECTIONS RUBBER STAMP
• VINTAGE PHOTO, POSTAGE STAMPS, LABEL
• ILLUSTRATION BOARD

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