Have I left you all in suspense for long enough?
It's probably time to put you all out of your misery and let you all in what has been going on in the studio for the last few months!
As many of you know I have been buried deep in the Pulp Redux collaboration and am really enjoying it too, but what I haven't let out before is that I am also involved in another collaboration with the gorgeous Caterina from La Dolce Vita.
When Caterina and myself decided to embark on a collaboration together I had all the usual ideas but somehow it wasn't working for me. I just wasn't satisfied with how things were shaping up in an already existing book structure so decided to make my own.
Introducing...
Postcards from the Heart.
The book is constructed entirely from fabrics, many hand dyed along with the embellishments.
The story is set in the late 1800's and finds our heroine about to undertake a tour of the continent, something reasonably common amongst the well to do families of the time. The story is told through a series of fabric constructed postcards sent by our heroine back to her friend in England. The pictures on the postcards are actual photographs of various european cities taken during the late 1800's and transferred onto the fabric. The reverse or postcard side of the cards is also achieved using transfers and are also photographs of actual period postcard documents. Each postcard sits inside a pocket on the page and is an interactive element.
The pages themselves reflect the nature of the postcards they contain, contributing to the overall theme and feel for the story.
Of course the story remains unfinished until Caterina adds her own piece to the whole so you will only be able to view the goings on so far as I have done them. There are a number of pieces of prose throughout the book contributing to our knowledge of our heroine for whom you never find out a name. She signs everything only with an 'A'.
To bring you to a starting place I will give you this piece which is included in the first page of the book. The words by James Kavanaugh provided me with a wonderful starting point for the story.
Some people do not have to search - they find their niche early in life and rest there, seemingly contented and resigned. They do not seem to ask much of life, sometimes they do not seem to take it seriously. At times I envy them, but usually I do not understand them - seldom do they understand me. I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach - we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with the one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it is to share our laughter. We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we want to love and be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love. We are wanderers, dreamers and lovers, lonely souls who dare ask of life everything good and beautiful. - - James Kavanaugh
So would you like to take a peek at the book now?
Enjoy the slideshow!
(You can click to bring it up full screen size)
I can't wait to see what Caterina does with the storyline, or what happens to our girl. The photographs used in the book are all curtesy of the Commons project and available to the public under a commons licence through Flickr. Many thanks to all those institutions for their continued support of a wonderful resource.
and...
The central picture is constructed using unbleached calico and an iron on transfer of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" which has been reversed by the transfer process. The background is coated in polished pigments and impasto which gives it that beautiful shiny look, then edged in vintage lace. The overlaying mask is constructed using felt and vintage silk sari fabric then it is built up in layers using more of the silk then some vintage laces and trims, beading, silk and velvet flowers and leaves and a few little charms to add some interest. She was then attached to the background which was made from a lovely course textured fabric and appliqued with gold vines and leaves. The whole idea for the piece came about from looking at a series of beautiful photos of the venetian carnival. Since the early Renaissance period the city of Venice undergoes a transformation and around February each year Carnivale is born. The city's residents don fabulous costumes and masks and enjoy a range of festivities culminating in the masked ball. Now doesn't that sound like a great time! Anyway I love Vermeer's painting and why not get the girl out for a good time! So that's it really, there she is. She now graces my wall and I was very pleased with the result too! Hope you enjoy looking. Leave me a comment if you do, or even if you don't! I love feedback!
