A lot of people just want to be rescued from themselves. They want to be airlifted out of their bodies and dropped into someone else's.-- Tara (actress Toni Collette), "United States of Tara"
Make it your own, as Michelle Ward says. So.The quote reminded me of this clip art woman and baby being hoisted by a rope. I started with scrapbook paper of a sunset sky, a fleur-de-lis foam stamp, and a section of die-cut art strips... I think they were originally meant to be used as a border.
I tried to monoprint with the fleur-de-lis stamp, but it turned out messier than I would've liked. Meh. So I outlined it with dots. The monoprinting worked a bit better, if not as sharp, with the art strip bit.
The clip art people comb through all the old drawings so you don't have to. So I printed the clip on papyrus. (It's not just for ancient Egyptians anymore.)
I had one hamsa pendant left in the goodies drawer, and it just about covers the woman's face. So I twisted off the loop with pliers and glued down the pendant.
Yes, you see four eyes in this picture. I layered a transfer of my fourth-grade school picture over a scrap picture of my mother, a picture taken while she was pregnant with me. (Would that be six eyes in this picture, since my mom was wearing glasses?)
Under the clip art is a transfer of my brother running up to the door of the house we grew up in. My mom took that picture during the move-in.The quote from "United States of Tara" is written on elephant dung paper -- really! My mother-in-law brought it back for me from a safari -- coated with matte medium. I wrote on both sides with a paint pen, gluing down the more personal side. Added a little orangey color with ink pads. Then I fitted the paper under the white space of the transfer picture.I may have found a little personal symbology with this piece, which didn't occur to me as I worked. I've always liked fleur-de-lis, and it just happens to be a symbol of my sorority, which brings up a whole host of other associations.
Michael de Meng uses the hamsa as one of his personal symbols, so I may have to work on that one a bit more. But the house photo... the house still exists, but it doesn't look like that anymore. Even better.
7 comments:
Lisa - I love the idea you shared about writing on both sides of the paper, and gluing down the personal side. Cool to hear about your symbols and connections too. Thanks for sharing with the team.
Lisa - I loved that you incorporated pictures of you family in this one, and the house too is great. Thanks for all the thoughts about the symbolism throughout too - gave me good reason to pause and think how I can do more of that too. Great work! -- Michelle d.c.
Thanks, Michelles! It's hard to keep from analyzing what I should add to a piece as I go -- "should I use X to symbolize this? What about Q?" But this one started coming around a little easier.
Elephant poo paper? How amazing LOL
Thanks for talking about the imagery you used; I enjoyed reading your post and learning about the hansa.
Elephant dung paper? What WILL they think of next, LOL! I really like that you used so many personal elements in this. I couldn't be anyone else's.
You mentioned on Rice blog notes about traveling train with children. Other than the bathrooms. Children love the train and do quite well. There were Amish on train with their children when my dd and I went to San Diego- they did great. I took my son when he was 3. Food is expensive, we always bring some.
Hi Lynda,
I think I could manage a train ride w/ the kids, but not a car trip, which is what I meant by "road trip." The distractions of yelling at your kids to be quiet! Hmm... maybe it would be quieter than when the baby's old enough to talk...
The train sounds fun, and your note about bringing food along reminds me of my uncle's childhood memories of going from New Jersey to South Carolina via Travelers Aid. Two little kids traveling without a chaperone, with notes pinned to their clothes about where they were supposed to end up -- wow, it's so not the 1940s anymore.
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