Sunday, February 21, 2010

"ART SAVES" Canvas book group with Carmen!

Several of us are in a Round Robin using a small, handmade blank canvas book. We start by working in our own book and will eventually work in 7 other books for other artists! The theme of the round robin is "Art Saves". This is true on several levels, for me, art brings inner joy and a sense of belonging among other things. Then there is the fact that as an artist, I save and recycle many things into my art, it seems nothing is without possibilities!
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I recycled an earlier collage into a cover [below, see the cover open flat showing front and back] which I sewed into the spine of the canvas pages.
Then the collage was stitched with free motion quilting, I attempted to write/stitch, "Lila her book" on the back cover (in the dark blue area). Then the whole thing was given a coat of Mod Podge.
[note: You can "click" on any photo for an enlarged version.]





Just inside the front cover is another part recycled from the same collage....it says "TAKE JOY" I can see that I need to get a brayer to use when I am gluing photos from glossy magazines...I will do that before I work in anyone else's book!

Across the page is the first canvas page, treated first with gesso. The paper cuttings feature a bird in flight, a pink rose in bloom and 2 clocks. These are glued down and then covered with some sheer chiffon which is embellished with embroidery and sequins, then free motion stitched again. The words, "ART" and "NOW" finish off the page.

Inside the back cover, is a little collage of art paper and old dress pattern piece along with iridescent silver rickrack. There is a quote from author Faith Baldwin which says, "Time is a dressmaker, specializing in alterations".

The theme for our Round Robin is "art saves"....I love to use images of clocks and of fiber arts in my work. I seem to be unable to escape doing a lot in the sewing world, so of course this quote was just perfect. AND it was in the February 21st (TODAY!!!) reading in "Simple Abundance" the book by Sarah ban Breathnatch.

This has been great fun, I have one more page to design before I am through with my own book for a while...