Thursday, May 30, 2013

New Work: Vernal Equinox

I have finished one of the pieces from my "Work in Progress" post, and wanted to show you what it looks like in its final incarnation.





The title of the piece is Vernal Equinox, partly because I started working on it around that time, but also because these were the pathways around which my mind traveled as I made it. According to Wikipedia, an equinox occurs "... when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator."

 illustration from Wikipedia

  There are two equinoxes, one around March 20th (vernal), and the other on or near September 22nd (autumnal). On these two days, the length of the day and night are equal- hence, equinox. Originally the festival of the pagan fertility goddess Ostara (Oestre), the date of Easter is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. From the equinox until the solstice, the days lengthen; it is the day that "light overcomes the darkness".  Since it was the first new work I had begun since sometime before Christmas, and the spring equinox signifies renewal and rebirth, it seemed a fitting title.



Usually, I simply list the ingredients of the piece underneath the photo, but I thought that this time, it would be fun to do a pictorial list instead.  As you can see, I'm easily amused!



 I suppose this could be categorized as either a material and/or a technique- decollage is exactly what it sounds like. First, you collage; then, you de-collage- also known as tearing off what you just glued on. It seems like this would just be a slow way of getting nowhere, but it can create some interesting textural effects that you couldn't get any other way. In the case of this piece, I took some of the ripped-off pieces and glued them onto my substrate. Upside-down, actually- I used the back side of the papers as the front. I hope that wasn't too confusing?



Found objects: here are some of the objects in one of my drawers marked, "metal things". 



Soft pastels: I used a mixture of reds to get that reddish-salmon color for the background of the upper part of the piece.


Embroidery floss was used for the stitching. I keep buying more colors, so now there's not enough room for all of them in the box; consequently, it's a mess.  Time to get a bigger box.



Metallic pens: I originally bought these Pentel Slicci pens to use with the guest book for my daughter's wedding. They write very smoothly, and seem to resist drying out.



Gold paint crayon- It's very hard to find these any more, but I just bought this one on etsy!



Vintage map (not this exact one)




Maple seeds from my yard. Photo by Laura Bell.



 Acrylic gel medium- you can never have too much, right?




Brass mini-brads- not even I am pathetic enough to get excited about a photo of brads.



Well, the pictorial list was a lot more work than the usual way, but I kind of like it! What do you think?  Now that school is out, I hope to be posting a bit more regularly.  A demain!





19 comments:

  1. my eyes wander from the reddish-salmon, the tree or vein like lines through the keyhole(o sweet coincidence i choose that as theme for our drawing challenge tomorrow)back upwards, sun and moon, time , i swirl down with the maple seeds into a landscape where rivers flows, mountains and forest.
    i keep looking,from the whole work back to the details, beautiful.

    and the artist's tools make me smile, xx

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    1. Renilde, I love your description of looking at the piece; you have a wonderful way with words. I'm glad you like my pictorial list, too! :~)

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  2. your usual high standard Sharmon - so much interesting detail - satisfying and absorbing to look at.

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    1. Whitney, what a nice compliment! I'm glad you like the piece!

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  3. the subtle movement of this piece is mesmerizing... and I am captivated by the way you presented the ingredients, well done, you! x

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    1. Cat, I love the word, "mesmerizing"! I'm glad people seem to enjoy the pictorial ingredient list; I'll have to try it again.

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  4. This is why I love reading blogs! Thanks for the peep behind the scenes, Sharmon.

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  5. une belle réussite..magnifique..
    je rentre de voyage et découvre avec plaisir tous les oiseaux y compris le mien..merci!

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  6. love this piece & thanks so much for sharing the nitty gritty of your process! am wanting to have a go with the Golden Gel Medium on the cover for my next book, is the Gloss better than Satin or Matte? & have you tried Dorlands Wax Medium...?

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    1. hanks, Mo, and I'm glad you like the "nitty gritty". I love learning how other artists make their work, myself. I'll email you about the gel.

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  7. Beautiful...the colors, stitches and objects meld together for a new world of your making!
    Thanks for sharing your inventory...boxes and drawers full of perfect colors and 'finds' just inviting you to begin a new project! Have a wonderful summer!

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    1. Hi Mary Ann, thanks for the beautiful words. My boxes and drawers full of stuff can inspire me and offer me a wide range of choices in materials- though sometimes I feel like a hoarder! I hope you're having a great summer, too!

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  8. Great post sharmon - your pictorial list is wonderful and very informative. Gives me all kinds of inspiration.
    I love the map -like quality of your equinox piece.
    Happy Saturday,
    sus

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    1. Hi Sus- it looks like the pictorial list is a hit, so I'll be doing it again! I'm glad you find something here to inspire you!

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  9. This is fascinating, Sharman. I love the organics. I love that salmon color, and it makes me want to get out my pastels right now and play with color!

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    1. Thanks, Chris. Do get out those pastels, and have some fun!

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  10. I love the way your ingredients/work are always evolving - and this one is incredible. I just ordered some pastels:) and, while the photo of the brads might not be as juicy as the rusty stuff, they're still pretty cool:)

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    1. Hi Patti! Cool or not, brads are pretty useful for attaching some of the heavier items to my pieces, so I have to give them their due! Good luck with the pastels!

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I'm happy to reply here, but may not always have time for individual emails.