ma vie trouvée

I am puplished in Somerset Studio!

 

January/February Edition

 

 

It is always a THRILL to be published in the fabulous Stampington family of magazines.  I actually found out on Christmas Day from a blog friend - Merry Christmas to me - what a GREAT present!! 

 

I was waiting to post it on my blog as I wanted to see the magazine first.  BUT, with the move, the mail is very mixed up and delayed........so I thought I would just share the photos I took before I sent it off to Somerset Studio.

 

In Brussels, I  bought a delightful old book, Les Douze Filles de Le Reine Mab, at a flea market.  The images were very whimsical and inspired me to create a variety of chartreuse collages.  For the cover (above), I layered several pieces of patterned paper and stitched on top of it.  In the circle, I placed a piece of text from the book and a photo of the queen and covered it with ice resin.   

 

The book was dated 1920.  When I looked up the translation of the title, I learned that Queen Mab was a fairy from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. 

 

 

I paid 8 Euros ($11.50).  It was a bargain, as I saw it on-line for $65.  For the inside pages of my folder, I selected four images I liked and layered them with text from the book along with patterned paper.

 

Collette

 

 

I colored on top of the collages with watercolor crayons and painted over the colors with a wet paintbrush.  I stitched around the edge using chartreuse thread.  I glued the collages onto pages I had from an old photo album from Poland. 

 

 

La Sauterelle

 

 

I added mica and ephemera:  vintage lace, leaves, and buttons.

 

Janine

 

 

Minnie

 

 

On the inside of the cover I glued the table of contents from the book. And highlighted those “daughters” I featured.     

 

The very last page is patterned paper, text, and a piece from the cover of the back of the original book.   

 

 

 

I can't wait to see which image made the magazine - maybe more than one??

Triple Delight - Somerset Studio Gallery Summer 2011!

 

I mentioned I had two pieces in the summer issue of Somerset Studio Gallery - men men men and Flanders Field - but I am very excited to tell you I actually had a third piece - The Poppies Blow!!!!   It was the companion piece to Flanders Field.  I think it photographed really nicely.  The poppy you see in the piece was an actual photo of mine.

 

The fact that I found out about each one over a three week span - I deemed it "the issue that keeps on giving"!!  A triple Thank you  to Somerset Studio! 

Surprise! A second piece in Somerset Studio Gallery!

A blog friend told me she saw my "poppy" piece in the magazine.  Huh?  I was not aware of this.  I went back to the Summer issue of Somerset Studio Gallery, the same issue Men Men Men was published in and sure enough - Flanders's Field was published!  Below is the actual photo in the magazine:

 

Here is the text I submitted along with the collage: 

 I am not much of a history buff, or a fan of war memorials.  But living in Europe I have gained a new respect for memorials, especially from WWI and II.  Last fall we visited Flanders Field in Ypres.  As my group entered YET another museum, I slipped into an antique store and found two postcards of young soldiers.  We then went to Tyne Cot Cemetery museum where they had on display the original letters sent back home to the families of the soldiers who were missing or killed in battle.  I was very moved by the letters.  How heartbreaking to be on the receiving end of such a message.  

 
Since my visit, I have wanted to create a collage incorporating the letters, the postcards, and my experience at the museum.  My mother-in-law recently sent me the poem “in Flanders Field” by John McCrae and it clicked as to how I was going to respond to the Poppy Challenge.  The two collages I created, “In Flanders Fields the Poppies Blow” and “And Now We Lie in Flanders Field” are darker than my usual collages.  But I felt it captured the feeling I had that day at the cemetery.

Below is a photo I took of the other piece - it was not in the magazine.

UPDATE:  IT DID GET IN!!!  CLICK HERE.

  

 

Thanks Somerset Studio for publishing two pieces of my art!

Somerset Studio Gallery - Men Men Men

  

Men Men Men - Mrs. Gukert’s Courtship Cards

 

 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was published in the Summer edition of Somerset Studio Gallery Magazine.  My copy finally arrived today!  Always a thrill to see your art in print.  Especially this one, as I was a Spotlight artist.  As always, they do such beautiful layouts.  Below is a scan of the actual magazine.

 

 

I was hoping the story I wrote about the dating cards would also be published....but it did not make the cut.  I am sharing the story on this post, with all 30 cards in the series.

 

 

 

Poor Mrs. Gukert was fearful that her lovely daughter Georgette would never marry and become an old maid.  She was turning 23 in just a few months and in 1910, this was very late to be marrying.

 

 

 

Now it wasn’t that Georgette was an unattractive or a dowdy girl.  Quite the opposite, she was one of the most beautiful young ladies in town. 

 

 

 

Georgette did not want to get married.  She wanted the freedom to draw and paint, embroidery, and write poetry.  She preferred the company of her beloved Springer Spaniel, Biscuit.

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Gukert was diligent about making sure Georgette was invited to all the popular social engagements in town.  But at the last minute, Georgette would always say she was ill.

 

 

 

 

Many arguments were had between Mrs. Gukert and Georgette.  But deep down inside, Georgette knew it was time to marry so she told her mother that she would start courting men IF she could preview photos of each man prior to meeting him in person.

 

 

 

At her wits end……Mrs. Gukert created courtship cards so Georgette could select a husband.  The cards were made with photos of the young man on the front and pertinent information on the back.  She got this idea from the popular baseball trade cards her young son collected.

 

 

 

To make a long story short, the courtship cards were a success and Georgette married a man she adored.  Albert Dettmann, an elementary school teacher. 

 

 

 

 

Not only did he allow her to continue her arts, but he too loved to paint and write poetry.  He even had a little dog, named Cupcake. 

 

 

 

This perfect match was fashioned all thanks to Mrs. Gukert’s courtship cards.  

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Gukert became famous in town for her matchmaking, which she continued until the day she died.  In fact, in many circles, she is credited for creating the very first dating service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are several more cards: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have many vintage postcards of men, but I tend to always work with my women and children images.  I wanted to create a fun project using “my men” and came up with the idea of courtship cards.

Most of my time was spent selecting paper that coordinated and researching facts to help create the story.  I am a researcher at heart, so when I create a piece of art that is a specific era in time, I make sure the facts are correct.  For instance I searched the Internet to find the most popular men’s and women’s names in 1910 and real occupations for men during this time.  Were baseball cards even invented in 1910?  The answer is yes; they were called trade cards and were produced as early as 1860.

 

So who would you have selected to date?

 

A sneek peek - I am in Somerset Gallery Summer 2011!

I submitted a piece of art for publication called Men Men Men - Mrs. Gukert's Courtship Cards, along with a story.   

The new Somerset Studio Gallery Summer 2011 is not out until June 1, but they just posted the cover and the table of contents on their web-page.  I held my breath and took a peek....and there I was under Artist Spotlight:  Mini Articles!

 

 

I have no idea what the layout looks like or how many pages.  The piece of art I submitted was a book and had 15 courtship cards - decorated on the front and back of each page.

 

This is the cover of the magazine if you are in a book store or craft shop and want to take a look.  Once the article is out, I will post photos of my art. 

Such a THRILL to be published!