Inspiration: Tin Tile

Distressed white tin and quilted crimson.

1898 Art Nouveau Book

 Not too long ago I was picking up some old art magazines from a library archives building. While lifting one of the boxes of magazines onto a trolley, a book in another box caught my eye. I saw something turquoise and ornate, and pulled out this Art Nouveau beauty.

I cracked it open and found that it was printed in 1898! As I was flipping through it, I turned to the elderly woman who was the volunteer book sorter helping me with the magazines and asked where this book was going. She said to a used book store. I asked how much it would cost there. She said probably around $30. We flipped through it some more. I drooled. She saw me drooling. She said she'd give it to me for $5. I grabbed some change out of my coat pocket.   

And now it's sitting in my house.

It is such a fancy book--complete with a gilt pages and golden lily motifs on the covers!

As it turns out, it is a French biography about Capitaine Belletable. I guess I'll have to read it to find out what made this dude so special.

Something I love about old books is the bookmarks that hide in them. I found this perfectly-penned list (look at that calligraphy!) snuggled between the pages.

What a find!

Creation Painting

Once upon a canvas I began painting a glamorously staged room.

I wanted to cover the bottom of the canvas in bright splashes of paint, but since I wasn't sure if it would ruin the effect of the pastel-colored painting or not, I was reluctant. However, my friend suggested I could frame it and splatter the glass with paint instead. Thanks to her genius idea my painting was popped into a frame, although it was a plastic faux wood frame that I immediately painted white.  

I was about to paint a trompe l'oeil ornate design onto the simple white frame, but I realized it wouldn't have the same great texture as the real deal.

The next thing I knew, I was frosting the frame with acrylic modelling paste smooshed into a Ziploc baggie.

I kept building it up, smoothing it out, adding a little white paint here and a little podge there, and sanding the rough edges.

And that is how my art projects usually progress. They are whims of weirdness that end happily ever after! 

Thrifted Frames

I love ornate frames, so I always keep an eye out for them during thrifting jaunts. As you can see, I've found quite a few at various spring sales! The large gold frame was $3, the white and gold one (my favourite!) was $1.50, the round one was $0.33 (I got 3 for $1), and the two gold ones in front were $1 each.