Saturday, January 10, 2009

ONCE WAS



Someone moved my mojo. It's been missing for a while. Holidays, travel, work. Art and crafting took a back seat. But I think I see a hint of it returning. On my way down the hall tonight, when I should have been getting ready to turn in, I took a detour. And something developed. Grabbing a handful of paper and sitting down at the sewing machine has that effect. Admittedly, this is a total cheater piece. It is very similar to my last piece, but hey, isn't that what developing style is all about ?? Honestly, I figured if I tried a similar technique, the creative engine may fire up. Gotta try something to get back in the groove. Two hours later (mmmn . . . maybe that is a conservative estimate), "Once Was" was born.


I took a few odd pieces of joss paper and a snippet of gesso brushed Chinese text and arranged it as shown. Joss paper is readily available in Asian supermarkets. Do NOT pay those exorbitant prices for the stuff through these boutique sites. It is super, super cheap and sold by the packages in the Asian markets. So if you live near one, be adventurous. Go in and cruise the aisles. There is tons of the stuff and you should not pay more than $2.00 or $3.00 for a large package of papers. Great variety, too. Just thought I'd share that tidbit of info.




Back to business. Given the materials in hand thus far, one would think it would have worked itself into an Asian themed piece. That is the great thing about mixed media. No rules and you can mix and match until your heart is content. Like handpicking a one pound box of chocolates at Godiva. I had a scrap piece of what I though was silk material sitting around for ages. A sample I picked up at a fabric store. Nice conservative, dimensional floral pattern to it. I am not one for florals, or polka dots for that matter, but this bit of fabric had eye appeal. Matched it to the papers, did some stitching and decided to work with another Crafty Individuals contact paper transfer.



That accomplished, the piece needed some finishing touches. A scrap of vintage sheet music and pieces of deconstructed lace were added with stitching. The finished product is totally asymmetrical, but all said it balanced out nonetheless. One thing I would do over if I had the chance: the burned surfaces of the fabric flowers. Turns out it is polyester or some other synthetic, and the material didn't singe the way I'd hoped. The edges sort of melted and look a little sooty. Fortunately, I caught on to this early and used a light touch. So the piece wasn't ruined by my pyro tendencies. Live and learn. Gave some thought to backing the piece on decorative mat board or a book cover. Tried it out on various backgrounds. Nothing jumped out at me, so I left it as a stand alone piece. Completed. Mission accomplished. Mojo found.




Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that your new year is off to a great and creative start !! Happy 2009 !!

Ciao for now.

Shelly

P.S. Submitted for Wednesday Stamper challenge, "Lace".

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

looks fabulos,Shelly!
xoxo
Sanja

Sandy said...

OMG this is absolutely wonderful.
I love it.

Artsnark said...

She's baaack! Looks great, Shelly! Thank's for the tip on the paper - never heard of it but have a great Asian market downtown. This paper junkie will have to check it out.

thekathrynwheel said...

Heyy, you're back. And fab work too. Just love it :-))) Kate

Yitte said...

Beautiful work!!

Lady Di said...

Woo hoo, you're getting back into the swing of creating - welcome back, I love your piece, it's fab. I've never heard of Joss Paper, but we have plenty of Asian Supermarkets here, may have to check them out.

Viola said...

Just gorgeous, Shelly! Soooo wonderful! Big hugs! :o)))

Cindy said...

LOOOVE it!!! So that's what it takes huh? Just grab some stuff and start stitching away and voila! mojo found? mmm gotta try that

Cindy

Cynthia said...

Shelly, yay for that ol' magic voodoohoodoo! Nice process, just a left turn into an alternate universe! My mojo is trying to make a comeback,but alas, the art table is in chaos. and Scarlet says: I'll think about it tomorrow.
Nice work and fun piece!
:)C

Elizabeth Golden said...

Lovely piece. I think alot of people are having a hard time getting jump started this new year.
In fact I have tagged you so we can all get to know you better.
Hope you don't mind.
You can find the info on my blog
Http://thelastdoordownthehall.blogspot.com/

reagan said...

This is such an elegant piece of work-I love it! Thank you for the sweet comment on my blog:-)
xoxo
Pam

Sueann said...

Wonderful piece! I hear ya about mojo needed! My is missing somewhere and I must find it soon. LOL Think I will pull out some papers and do some backgrounds. That should do it. I too have never heard of Joss paper. I have an Asian market fairly close. Have to go and investigate! Thanks for the tip.
Hugs
SueAnn

Dayna Collins said...

Lovely, lovely, not to mention very inspirational.

Five Roses-Prim and Pretty said...

Wow Shelly, I love it, it is gorgeous
Hugs Kirrily

Anonymous said...

Shelly,
Once again you amaze me with your talent. You pick, arrange, a little here a little bit there and You have another wonder piece. Best wishes for the new year, friend.
Lynne

~*~Patty S said...

I could have sworn I left a comment on this amazing creation before! The layers and textures are just fabulous! Life can get in the way of art, can't it......one of my favorite stamps says "Art helps me breathe".....it's so true, I just feel best when I get to play at least a little very day. I do remind myself that there are lots of ways of being creative though!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely gorgeous

Shelly Hickox said...

Everything you do is so incredibly beautiful! I love this. I have some joss paper that I need to unearth and put to use!

Janny said...

Gorgeous!

Anne, Bulles dorées said...

it's stunning Shelly !!!!!

Manja said...

lovely piece!

gunnelsvensson said...

Very beautiful !!!!