Life is a Minestrone -by Shelby

Who doesn’t like soup? Warm, comforting, encouraging you to release your creativity with each new recipe, it is just the thing to lift my spirits. And as we trudge through more cold and snowy winter weather the smiling woman in the vintage ad carrying home her paper bag of Campbell’s soup and an article in a local magazine inspired me.

I have participated in a charity postcard exchange for the last several years. I knew my mind was set on the image I wanted to use for my next design. If you are like me, you know when an art supply is “just right”. The incredible range of Artistcellar stencils always help me find precisely what I am looking for in minutes. Spreading out my stencils, my eye was drawn to the Quasicrystals and Blocks Series. Yes…they were “just right”.

The card came together fairly quickly. I lightly coated a postcard size piece of cover stock with gesso. Using my sponge with the most texture, I applied several shades of Dylusion Paint. Working wet on wet I sponged the wonderful Dylusion Ink Spray to build the background. I wanted to create a sensation of warmth and happiness. Using the Dylusion products never disappoint. The colours are as rich and vibrant dry as they are wet. Again…they were “just right”.

Cutting out the image of the woman from the ad, I glued it to the card.

A local monthly magazine runs the most amazing food column. The recipes are carefully thought out which makes them easy to successfully replicate. This month paid homage to a rich and robust Minestrone, one of my all-time favourites. Reading through the ingredients, an old song came to mind…"Life is a Minestrone". I cut out sections of the recipe to surround our shopper.

I completed the postcard with a spray of colour in the shape of Quasicrystals Infra. Adding balance to the design, I stenciled Open Work Blocks in metallic gold.

Returning to my inspiration, I believe our lives always revolve around choosing a little bit of this, maybe a tad of that. We make the best of what we have on hand. But I am convinced that with a dollop of creativity and a dash of invention our lives can be as truly nourishing as a simmering Minestrone.

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: Blue Harbor
• REEVES: Gold                                                                        
• PRO ART BRUSH: 1” Bristle
• NATURAL SPONGE
• 130 LB COVER STOCK
• VINTAGE ADVERTISEMENT IMAGE
• RECIPE FROM A MAGAZINE

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