Artwords - Home

What a busy week - I can't believe it was Monday when I last blogged!

This week's Artwords theme is "Home" so I am posting a piece I had published in Somerset Studio's "white" edition. It is based around a gel medium transfer onto canvas duck of a family picture (from the first Beth Cote Ephemera book). I then painted and stamped a text background and glued and sewed on a variety of laces and trims, adding some beading and a zipper. It was meant to represent the family in their home surrounded by their particular history/story (the text) and love (the lace). The zipper represented those things being private and closed off most of the time from other people (but able to opened and closed when sharing was desired on a wider level).

In terms of technique I found the canvas duck a fabulous surface for the gel medium transfer as I put it between layers of waxed paper and heavy books to "set" but the paper stayed moist and was very easy to rub off as a result. The canvas texture shows through the transfer. Using the canvas duck also meant I could machine sew on it which made adding the zipper a lot easier.

A Gel Medium Transfer

I couldn't get on the computer last night as Zach was researching stuff for a history assignment. What he thought would take an hour or so, took a lot longer! So I had a computer-free night ( a bit like an alcohol free night I guess - might not be a lot of fun, but probably good for you!).

Anyway I started looking for a particular something in my stamping room (old coins) and I lost so much of the evening when I couldn't find them. The stuff I did find though! Wow, now I have lots more ideas to pursue ...

One of the yahoo groups I belong to has announced that a commitment to participation is going to be a requirement of continued membership. I always have good intentions regarding participation but I am usually so far behind reading digests on these groups that it becomes a bit pointless to try and contribute to the discussions. Anyway this is a great little group so I am going to make an effort to stay in it! The current topic is transfers and I have a real addiction to trying every sort of transfer I can find, so today I loaded this scan of a gel medium transfer I did a while back. It is of my maternal grandparents (Ethel and Harold) and it is a favourite image of mine. The text is an Oxford Impressions image and the whole transfer is covered with bridal tulle and I have used gesso to soften the overall look.

(Mum - if you are reading this, I hope you like it!)