Inside the Apothecary Emporium-A Peek-a-Boo Project

As stated in my last post I have had a long fascination of apothecary  but not in the traditional sense I described there but more of that of the Harry Potter stories those shoppes found on Diagon Alley-Slug and Jiggers Apothecary-although not mentioned often as compared to the other shops, it's definitely an exciting place to think about. It is where the Hogwarts students buy ingredients for potions class. I like to think of the weird and magical ingredients found there.  I like to image the twee boutiques, with their eclectic  collection of herbs bundles, unpredictable potions, intoxicating elixirs, cleaning crystals, oozing ointments, jars of jubilee, and other magical enchantments. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC Tiny Apothecary Bottles, GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine, DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish, Glossy Accents Clear Dimensional  Medium, Alcohol Inks, Micro Clear Glass Beads, Halloween Stickers, Tim Holtz Curator Ephemera Pack, Tim Holtz Vintage Wallpaper Pack, Wooden Grain Pictorial Paper, Cosmic Shimmer Lava paste, Transparent Red Iron Oxide Paint, Nickel Azo Yellow Paint, Art Alchemy Metallique Hazelnut Paint, Small Plastic Palette Knife, Heat Tool, Tim Holtz-Scattered Straw, Salty Ocean, Bundled Sage  Distress Stains, Strips of Bookboard, Micro Screws, Awl Screwdriver, Folk Art Painted Textures Moss, Clamps, Hinges, Painters Tape, Chili Powder, Cinnamon, Crackle Texture Paste,  Interference Blue(Fine) Paint, Matte Gel Medium, Hairspray

1.  Gather Supplies

2.  Coat GSLC Tiny Apothecary Bottles with a Layer of DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish and  Glossy Accents Clear Dimensional  Medium.

3.  Sprinkle on Micro Clear Glass Beads.

4.  When Fully Dried Add Alcohol Inks Randomly.

5.  When Dried Again Carefully Remove Tiny Apothecary Bottles from Their Base.

6.  Use Tim Holtz Curator Ephemera Pack for Labels for the Bottles.

7.  Attach Using Glossy Accents Clear Dimensional  Medium as an Adhesive.

8.  Cover Back Portion of GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine with Wooden Grain Pictorial Paper.

9.  Cover Inside Portion of GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine with Tim Holtz Vintage Wallpapers.

10.                Coat Frame of GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine with a Mixture of Cosmic Shimmer Lava paste, Transparent Red Iron Oxide Paint, Nickel Azo Yellow Paint, Art Alchemy Metallique Hazelnut Paint Spreading  Randomly with  a Small Plastic Palette Knife. Use this Same Mixture to Coat Small Strips of Bookboard.

11.                Cure with a Heat Tool.

12.                Splatter Tim Holtz Vintage Wallpapers with  Tim Holtz-Scattered Straw, Salty Ocean, Bundled Sage  Distress Stains.

13.                Make Small Shelves for Flaps of  GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine.

14.                Screw Frame and Tiny Shelves into Place Using a Screwdriver and Microscrews.

15.                Add Halloween Stickers to Background of Shelves.

16.                Edge  GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine with Folk Art Painted Textures Moss.

17.                Hold   GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine Together with Clams and add Hinges with Microscrews and a Screwdriver.

18.                Use Painters Tape to Isolate Hinges.

19.                Make a Concoction of Chili Powder, Cinnamon, Crackle Texture Paste,  Transparent Red Iron Oxide Paint and Nickel Azo Yellow Paint. Spread on Hinges and Cure with Heat Tool.

20.                Add Highlight to GSLC Tiny Apothecary Bottles with Interference Blue(Fine) Paint.

21.                Use More Halloween Stickers To Decorate Back Portions of GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine.

22.                Coat Entire Artwork with Hairspray of Matte Gel Medium.

 

Some Final Thoughts.

I found this poem, The Apothecary's Den, by Hybrid Doll intriguing:

In the heart of the woods

An aromatic hovel stood

desolate is vivid disarray.

A  hopeful asylum for ailing strays,

A flimsy curtain between life and death,

For souls hanging by abysmal thread.

 

Herbal Remedies, by Gothicghost95, explores the magical medicinal properties found in these sometime flamboyant flora sometimes pedestrian plants:

 

Lavender, Basil, Rosemary and more

happily spread you love forevermore.

The ancient battles of timely folklore;

Aloe Vera does not mind the gore.

 

Chamomile, Foxglove, and St. John's Wort too.

blithely bring relaxation to you.

The deadly might of Aconite is true,

just like the terminal poison of Rue.

 

Agrimony, Comfrey, and great Yarrow

hire the dire wounds of any fellow.

Demon Protection helps you to mellow

use dainty Mugwort's Flowers of yellow.

 

An Eye disorder or aliment we fight

with the healing herb of mighty Eyebright,

Profound melancholy, vertigo, fright

the very curative Feverfew shall smite.

 

A gift, immortality surely would,

if only majestic and noble Sage could

Absinthe infused with bizarre Wormwood

Careful! for far too much cannot be good.

 

To soothe burns with Poplar you must combine

jointly with Poppy and Henbane in time

Chives and Garlic, Oregano and Thyme

used in cooking is superbly sublime.

Echinacea, an awesome herb to trade

purifies blood and is never delayed

But Lobelia, Saffron and Nightshade

will only cause your life to slowly fade.

 

 

 

 

April Apothecary Trading Cards-A Peek-a-Boo Project.

I been intrigued by apothecary and curiosity cabinets most of my life. I enjoy searching for hidden treasures is roadside junk shops and random thrift stores. I love the mystique behind the apothecary lifestyle and a more holistic way of viewing our world. Although Apothecary has been misunderstood through the centuries at their core they are herbalist or pharmacists.  The labels on the jars of ointments, elixirs, and cures are the inspiration behind this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC-Small Tag Set, GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks, Vintage Script Index Pages, Weldbond, Paintbrush, Distress Stain-I used Gathered Twigs and Scattered Straw, Acrylic Paint I used Pale Green, Nickel Azo Yellow, and Titan Buff, Small Plastic Palette Knife, Apothecary Labels Stickers or Printed Images, Emboss Ot Dabber Clear, Seth Apter Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Metallic Copper Paint and Fluorescent Blue Paint, Pieces of Flannel Shirts, Awl, Micro Screws, Screwdriver, Matte Gel Medium,

1.  Gather Supplies.

2.  Use Weldbond to Adhere Torn Vintage Script to GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.

3.  Distress with Distress Stains Randomly. Sealing with Matte Gel Medium.

   

4.  Use a Small Plastic Pallet Knife to Randomly "paints" GSLC Small Tags with Pale Green, Nickel Azo Yellow, and Titan Buff Paints. Seal with Matte Gel Medium.

   

5.  Choose Apothecary Labels and Stickers to Embellish the GSLC Small Tags.

6.  Once Fully Dry use Emboss it Dabber and Seth Apter Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powders to Age the Prepared Tags. Cure with Heat Tool.

7.  Add Patina and Interest Using Dry Brush Technique and Metallic Copper Paint and Fluorescent Blue Paint.

8.  Cut Scraps of a Flannel Shirt and Fray the Edges.

9.  Use an Awl, Micro Screws and a Screwdriver to Assemble your Trading Cards.

   

Some Final Thoughts.

How sad to think that some herbalist and apothecaries were accused of practicing witchcraft when in many cases they were just trying to cure people's ailments. many of them held the belief that plants have a "signature"-color, texture, shape, sent, even the environment in which they grow that resembles the body parts and diseases they heal. For example blood root whose roots when cut ooze red were thought to heal blood disorders and hasten wound healing.  The concept of using herbs and minerals as cures is both ancient across numerous cultures and healing traditions.   

In Medieval Europe There was a close connections between Christianity and Herbalist. Paracelsus was a 16th-Century Swiss physician, alchemist, and philosopher wrote "God does not want things to stay hidden, which he created for mankind's benefit and which He gave man as his property God did mark upon it outer, visible signs that are special marks." as if God himself divinely  orchestrated a scavenger hunt for us to find herbs healing powers.

With the advent of modern medicine, herbalist fell out of favor and nowadays is mostly viewed as pseudoscience. But as with most things in more recent years it has had a resurgence as many people are now weary of the conglomerate overpriced medicine of Huge Pharmaceutical Companies.  

As with many things there are two sides to the story and we should adhere to the cautionary saying "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" meaning something good id eliminated when trying to get rid of something bad, or rejecting the favorable along with the unfavorable.