May Day Remembrance-A Peek-a-Boo Project

Long ago and so many years ago I was invited to a friend of a friend’s house for a May Day Celebration. They lived in a cottage by a spring fed river. She was a Wordsmith-a poet, he a Silversmith-a jeweler. Their home was a land of enchantment. Libations and morsels abound. There were Charcuterie boards before we even knew what they were. A maypole was erected with delicate ribbons dangling in the spring breezes. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Supplies: GSLC Layered Frame Victoria Round, GSLC Layered Frame Victoria Oval, GSLC Layered Frame Bella Round, GSLC Layered Frame Bella Oval, Pencil, Magazine Pictures, Scissors, UHU GlueStick, Nail-file, Green and Bronze Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush, Antiquarian Sticker Books, WeldBond Glue, Blue Glitter, Turquoise Stencil Butter, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint, Dura Clear Matte Gel Medium

1. Gather Supplies
   
   
   
2. Use a Pencil to the trace Bottom Portions of GSLC Layered Frames Onto a Magazine Picture of Your Choosing.
   
3. Cut Out With Scissors and Glue to Bottom Portions for GSLC Frames Using a UHU GlueStick.
   
4. Use a Nail-File to Smooth off any Rough Edges.
5. Use Green and Bronze Metallic Paints to Soften the Edges and Unify Pieces.
   
6. Go Through Antiquarian Sticker Books, Selecting Items You Wish to Collage on these Frame Back Portions. 
   
7. I Use WeldBond to Add Blue Glitter to Top Portions of GSLC Layered Frames. I would Caution Against This as It was Extremely Difficult to Separate the Delicate Frames from the Substrate.
   
8. Once Delicate Frames are Separated from Substrate I Added Turquoise Stencil Butter as Most of the Blue Glitter was Removed by This Time.
   
9. To Add an Aged Patina I Used a Dry Brush Technique to add Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint to These Upper Portions of the GSLC Layered Frames.
   
10. Use WeldBond to Attach the Delicate Tope Portions of the Frames to their Prepared Bottom Collages.
    
11. Dry Fully, Flatted and Weighted Down.
12. To Unify the Art Pieces Coat with Dura Clear Matte Gel Medium.

Final Thoughts

May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on May 1st. Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches, weaving floral garlands, and setting up a Maypole, around which people dance. It is also often celebrated with bonfires and a good bit of drinking.

There are days I wish I could live again. May Day at the Bastian’s is one of them.

"The world's favorite season is the spring. 

All things seem possible in May."

- Edwin Way Teale