My New "Vintage" Collage

As promised, here is my new "Vintage' collage.  At the downtown studio yesterday, someone asked me where my ideas come from and I had to say "I just don't know."  They just happen.  Sometimes I might choose a paper napkin to use and that sparks an idea.  Sometimes I might choose a old ledger sheet that might give me an idea....or a color, or a photo, or a flower.  I never know as these things just seem to EVOLVE.

I think I've mentioned before that I am just 'playing' when I'm in the studio.  Unless I'm working on a commission piece, I just go where the mood takes me.  (And, yes, it's true, I'm no longer doing those pieces...at least for a while.)  Anyway, I just gather my little bits of 'this and that' and try to make something out of them.  I've got my personal favorites and this one is my favorite of the three I've shown you lately.

You already know that I use lots of paper napkins in my collages.  What a great idea it was to use those and NO, I didn't come up with the idea.  I saw it a couple of years ago on Sharon Tomlinson's blog and immediately went crazy over the idea.  Visit her HERE.  She is so COOL!  Isn't it amazing what we learn out here in Blogland?

Now, back to this new vintage piece.  Well, I call it a vintage piece because of two things.  #1, I chose to use one of the vintage ledger sheets from the very old ledgers I received from my son-in-law.  The date is Monday, May 15, 1916.  That sounded like a good place to start to me...so I tried to find a picture of a woman from 'around' that time...nothing has to be exact...isn't that a great thing?  So, I found this lady in a copyright free Dover book and promptly cut her out to add to my selection.  Always wanting to add birds, I found this little bird and the bird cage, in some scrapbooking papers I had.  See how this is going?

 There's that little tree also.  It's an odd little tree, but I really enjoyed drawing it and painting the leaves.  I WANTED a tree on this piece, although I've no idea why...except that I love trees.  Once again....it doesn't have to look like a real tree.  You KNOW it's a tree...no matter how it is drawn.  And, do you remember what I always say about trees?  I feel they are Nature's version of Lace.  Have I told you that I never knew what a tree really looked like til I was nine years old and got my first glasses.  I needed them from the beginning, but no one noticed til I was nine.  My teacher, Mrs. Ledbetter, kept putting me closer and closer to the blackboard until my desk was touching the blackboard and I still couldn't read it.
So, she took me home that day and I was taken to Waco where a nice lady eye doctor found out I couldn't see too much and gave me glasses.  We lived about twenty miles from Waco and all the way home I was amazed by what I saw...including trees.  Up until then, I thought trees were one big roundish thing...never knowing there were individual leaves.  I've loved them ever since that day!  Have you ever been driving at dusk and seen the trees against the sky....so 'lacy.'  That is how I decided they were Nature's version of lace.  I love that!

In this piece, I also wanted to use the rose napkin, as I have so often done.  (I need to quit using this particular napkin.  I do love it so, but all my pieces are beginning to look alike!!)  And, I also found a paper napkin with pretty pink and yellow butterflies.  My plan  (really - a 'plan'?) was coming together.  I painted the canvas and began laying out the piece....usually,  my collages have no message whatsoever...they just turn out the way they want to turn out.  After gathering together all these 'bits' it occurred to me that this woman was on the verge of getting to VOTE!  WONDERFUL!!  And, that's a message for sure!  Here she is...in 1916...and in just a very few years...she would get to vote...so the little bird is telling her to 'Spread Your Wings and Fly' and I expect it was (in 1920) like letting a bird out of a cage!  What do you think?  Well, that might be reaching, but I really like the concept as I think we should all be out there voting each and every time there is an election.  Especially women....so many have done so much so WE could vote.  So, there's my one attempt to be profound.  I like it.


I'm also showing you a black napkin with butterflies on it.  That is the one I left out of my last post if you'd like to go back and see these butterflies with the red tulips.  I did add a touch of oil pastels to them for a speck more brightness.  Also, I need to tell you that I did shine up the pink and yellow butterflies in this piece with a bit of clear embossing powder and my heat gun...I don't think it shows up in the photos, but they do have a nice clear shine on them that is raised from the surface a bit. 

So, there you are.  Hope you've enjoyed these last three canvases.  Yes, you will be getting a break from them, as I've no more to show at this time....so expect something completely different in my next post.  It could be flowers,  it could be chairs....maybe bread...who knows?  So, have a great 'rest of your weekend' and take care out there.  pat

PS.  I've noticed that I'm not the only person trying to get used to the new Blogger.  Forgive me if this post looks kind of awkward.  I figure it's better to get it posted than it is to post it perfectly.  Or, something like that!!