Flea Market Find

Several weeks ago, I went to Renningers Antique Extravaganza in Kutztown, Pennsylvania searching for vintage photographs. I already have a large collection, so I was looking to buy only what really struck me. Nothing did.

But I came across these interesting advertising cardboard cutouts. At about eight inches tall, they look like someone has cut them out of a catalog's cover. On the reverse side of each one is the name of a department store and a year, for example, "Lord and Taylor 1960."

The antiques vendor, who was selling lots of paper ephemera, had no idea where these fashionable ladies came from. At just one dollar each, I promptly scarfed up all 16 of them.

I thought I'd try using one of these figures in a collage held together with clear encaustic wax. As an artist without formal training, I find the decision-making aspect of creating a new piece of art difficult. Just because I like the way something looks, doesn't make it the "correct" choice. Still, my gut is all the rationale I've got.

I started with choosing the background of the collage from a package of scrapbooking papers. (Friends "gift" me their leftover crafting supplies. It helps them feel less guilty about their compulsive Michael's shopping.)

Resembling wallpaper, I find this overall circular pattern pleasing.

I also like this background a lot, but it distracts from the figure.

This striped pattern will support adding additional design elements. So I will use it.

My idea for this collage is to balance out the sweetness of this well-dressed young woman with something sinister. You know, like a the image of skull, which currently is so popular. Part of my design decision-making is trying to select something what will help the piece sell.

In my paper stash, I found this little label from an arsenic bottle. Even the rosy color seems right. The label comes from a packet of paper scrapbooking elements from Jim Holtz, a wildly popular designer in the arts and crafts world.

This little label will add the sinister element I'm looking for.

I decided to draw a bottle on printmaking paper called Reeves Heavyweight. My daughter-in-law told me about this paper and I wanted to try it in my encaustic work. I've taken some drawing lessons, so I could do a better drawing than this, but for some reason, I actually like this quick, crappy style of mine.

This printmaker's paper was purchased at Dick Blick Art Supplies in center city Philadelphia.

Time to pick some colors to paint the arsenic bottle. I enjoy using watercolor pencils. They are so easy to use. You color them in and then wet the drawing with water and a paint brush.

These colors are too matchy, matchy.

Yikes! These colors don't match at all.

I decided on brown, straw and light blue.

Next I needed to select a vintage photograph to make the label interesting, nothing with too much contrast. I want the bottle to remain in the background. I selected the portrait with the man looking to the right. Otherwise he would be looking directly at her rear-end.

I have a bunch of these.

The collage has been assembled and held together with clear encaustic wax. I like it.

With the collage complete, I asked my hubby to print three of these fashion plates as big as he could on our home printer (17 inches tall). Then I glued them to foam core and he cut them out with a special knife. I glittered the edges and embellished each one with a little "jewelry."