Mixed Media - dickinson&blake

 No bird soars

Too high,

If he soars

With his own wings.

-William Blake

I work with mixed media pieces when not distressing some poor piece of furniture.  Here is one piece of a triptych that is newly finished.  I'll have to quickly varnish these or I will change my mind and add something else.  I have had these canvases for so long, there is no before picture.  They were $1.30 at Goodwill back in November.  Each featured a close-up of sunflowers. 

First they were covered in gesso, then doilies were tacked down with adhesive, and I sprayed a bronze paint over them.  They sat around for awhile until one day I had a tiny bit of Tattered Angels blue mist and needed to use it up. (Yeah, like one tiny bottle would make a difference in my craft room, er, house!) They turned out like this:

I loved the texture and the depth.  All three looked different, but the same.  I knew I wanted to keep with this theme of different but the same.  So keeping with the theme different but the same, I put them away keeping them the same and yet thinking about them differently.  (Ha-Ha!  You thought I was actually going to go deep - I think art should be fun!)

This week I decided to use some images from Karen at The Graphics Fairy and transfer them to the canvas using a reverse Mod Podge method.  I have been using this a lot and have gotten the feel for the result to be suitably distressed.  Printed out the image of a turquoise and pink trade card (4 X 6) and a pair of nesting birds watching a butterfly on the ink jet.  I wanted to try something different - placing an image over another image - would it adhere?  I am never really afraid of destroying a piece - you can paint over it.  A person always learns from failures! 

I covered the front of the image (just the colored part - leave an edge) with a medium coat of Mod Podge., used a folded cardboard to burnish and smooth the image, and after about two minutes, began to gently pull the paper away leaving the ink behind.  This is not exact - my previous post explains this in more detail. (See Birds of a Feather http://distresseddonnadownhome.blogspot.com/2012/05/birds-of-feather.html)

As you can see, I did not take the time to reverse the image - it did not matter that the writing was backwards - I wanted the rose on the right.  I was pleased with the way these three turned out

Remember the theme - different but the same!

Next was the great experiment.  Would an image transfer on top of the first image?  I had mixed success with this.  I plan to use this again, but next time I will take the time to varnish and dry between each layer.

I used the nesting birds to layer over the trade card.  Here I am sizing up for placement.

Then I used the reverse transfer method.

I rather like this effect and will definitely use it again - maybe even use multiple layers.  The more the merrier!

I even cut out the tiny butterfly and transferred it to the top of each canvas.

 I have a stamp set by TPC Studio called Vintage Birdcages.  I use it to death because it features great-looking birdcages and two poems by Emily Dickinson and William Blake.  I pulled them out along with a script stamp by Inkadinkadoo and my trusty StazOn ink pad (timber brown).  I went to town stamping the three pieces - different but same.

 Here is the result - a triptych of turquoise and pink and birds and poems and script. Oh, my!

All three different but the same!

A few small details that did not show up on the above photos  ( I know you faithful followers wish I would quit taking such lousy photographs, but I am addicted to it!)

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without the words,

and never stops at all.

-Emily Dickinson

Hope your weekend is a great one.  Those of you who are mothers enjoy your special day!  Come back and visit some more.

See y'all!

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