I’ve written about my complicate relationship with my father
in previous post- Father's
Day Journeyman-but as I have also stated before our parents lived lives
before we knew them. In the same envelope of treasure troughs I wrote about in
last month's Mother's Days post there were pictures of my dad in his WWII Army
Uniform. When we were going through the contents of our family homestead we
found a box of letters written to my mom from my dad when he was stationed in
Germany. They give us insight to their young love and a side of my dad I never
knew. This letters are the inspiration for this artwork.Supplies:
Gypsy Soul
Laser Cuts-Typewriter Set, Gypsy Soul Laser
Cuts-Eiffel Tower-6 inch, Gypsy Soul
Laser Cuts-Parisian Shape Set, Gypsy Soul
Laser Cuts-Heart of Gears, Gypsy Soul
Laser Cuts-Vintage Bulb Set, Gypsy Soul
Laser Cuts-Display Tray Dome, Copies of Collected
Treasure Trough-Photographs, Maps, Letters, Weldbond, Acrylic Paint-Green,
Yellow, Brown, Neon Pink, Blue, Red, Gold, Silver, Paintbrush, TH Distress
Stain Bundled Sage, Sanding Blocks, Matte Gel Medium, Embossing Powders-Black,
Silver, Red, Yellow, Pink, Embossing Ink, Heat Tool, Copper Foil Cardstock,
Weldbond, Heavy Gel Matte Medium, Thin Plastic Spatula, Paper Ephemera, Vintage
Postage Stamps, Cosmic Shimmer Lava Paste, Texture Pastes, Metallic Gears,
Miniature Screws, Screwdriver, Awl
1. Gather
supplies.
2. The
substrate for this duel artwork is GSLC
Display Dome back section.
3. Make copies
of collected treasure trough-photographs, maps, letter.
4. Do a quick dry brush technique using yellow,
green, and brown acrylic paints.
5. Fill in any
empty spaces with TH Bundled Sage Distress Stain.
6. Use
Weldbond to apply strips of maps and letters to your altered dome
substrate. Adding a few focal point
photographs.
7. Use sanding
blocks to perfect and distress edges.
8. Coat entire
surface with Matte Gel Medium sealing it all in.
9. Use
embossing ink to add embossing powders to GSLC Typewriter Set-I used black
metallic tones.
10.
Once again fill in any empty spaces with TH Bundled
Sage Distress Stain.
11.
Cut a piece of copper foil paper to place behind the
cut out typewriter keys.
12.
Sandwich and glue the GSLC Typewriter Sets together.
Allow to dry fully being pressed down with a heavy book.
13.
Use embossing ink to add embossing powders to GSLC Vintage
Bulb Set-I used yellow, red, German silver. Cure with heat tool.
14.
Use Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint to
fill in empty spaces.
15.
Cut a piece of copper foil paper to place behind
GSLC Vintage Bulbs
16.
Sandwich and glue the GSLC Vintage Bulbs together.
Allow to dry fully being pressed down with a heavy
17.
Use embossing ink to add embossing powders to GSLC
Eiffel Tower-I used yellow, brick, and bronze. Cure with heat tool.
18.
Use Raw Sienna and Yellow Oxide acrylic paint to
fill in empty spaces.
19.
Decide on placement of these larger pieces on your
prepared substrate.
20.
Next Choose items
from GSLC Parisian
Shape Set and GSLC-Heart
of Gears to add additional layers and
interest to artwork.
21.
Use embossing ink to add embossing powders to GSLC
heart of Gears, Chairs, and Corset-I pinks and reds. For Fleur-De-Lis I used
gold and coppers, For scroll work I used silvers and platinum, and on birds I
used shades of blue. Cure with heat tool.
22.
Use acrylic paints to fill in empty spaces and to
add interest, details and layers.
23.
Decide on placement
for assemblage and add to artwork using Heavy Gel Matte Medium and a thin
plastic spatula.
24.
Select postage
stamps and paper ephemera from your collection and add to empty spaces in your
assemblage using Heavy Gel Matte Medium and a thin plastic spatula.
25.
Always allow
everything to dry completely as you keep it flat and weighted down.
26.
Wanted to add a
vintage appeal and unify the piece I added blue and green texture pastes to the
edges using a thin plastic spatula.
27.
Add green acrylic
paint to a small portion of Cosmic Shimmer Lava Paste and dab it onto edges
using a thin plastic spatula. Cure with heat tool.
28.
To further unify
the artwork I added metallic gears using miniature screws, screwdriver and awl.
Some Final
Thoughts.
My parents were married for 59 years, still together to my
dad's passing. They had a relationship that showed their love and adoration for
each other. It wasn't free from bickering-dad mowing mom's flowerbeds, dad
driving too fast, or him picking at a bandage-but I never saw them fight in
front of us kids. They taught me how to be dedicated to another in quiet times,
to share the chores-Mom washed dishes dad dried them, mom canned the Bread and
Butter Pickles dad ate them, dad went to
work and mom picked up side jobs-picking tomatoes, trimming Christmas trees,
selling her produce at farmers' markets, babysitting, selling Amway, vanilla
extract, paring knives, wooden spatulas that doubled as a paddle, helping the
neighbors butcher in exchange for meat for the table...and maybe more I did not
know about. They were not "I love you!" type of people and I wondered
why they rarely said to each other or me while growing up. I knew they loved me
but I wanted to hear it spoken.
Now having the letters and the
history of my parents courtship I know my dad was a romantic and I am inspired
to live my life sharing my love and
kindness with others.
