Today was my first day of Holiday Break, and I was so excited to have the opportunity to spend part of it in my studio! Here’s the newest page in my ABC’s of Alice journal, and it’s called, “C is for Cuckoo Clock.”

A vivid memory of Grandma Alice’s house was the vintage Black Forest cuckoo clock that hung on the wall in her living room. I remember well the audible tick-tock of the clock, as well how the tiny wooden cuckoo flew out of its door on the top, loudly screeching, “CUCK-OOO!” every hour and half-hour. As you can imagine, noon was definitely the most exciting time of day, because the bird came out twelve times in a row, issuing forth its cacophonous call each time. I can recall laughing at it often as a small child.

My grandma apparently admired cuckoo clocks, because another one hung in one of the upstairs bedrooms, though I don’t think that one worked. She was the only person I’d ever known that owned them; I’ve never seen another cuckoo clock in anyone’s home, except in cartoons or films.

I recently asked my father the whereabouts of those cuckoo clocks, hoping that he or my aunt still had them, but he told me that unfortunately, they’d both been damaged beyond repair and were discarded after my grandmother passed away. I was extremely disappointed, because I would’ve loved to hang one in my studio!

This background of this page was created with black gesso and bubble wrap-stamped acrylic paint. The collage was built with a variety of items, including a page from a vintage shorthand book, a vintage sales receipt, other ephemera, a paper doily, Washi tape, ribbon, a Tim Holtz Flashcard, rub-ons, a sticker, pens, and a photo of a cuckoo clock that closely resembles the one Grandma Alice had.

I’m so grateful to have more time to devote to my art throughout the next eleven days, and will definitely share the fruits of my labor here on the blog! Happiest of holidays to you all! 🙂