Hello all! It feels like an eternity since I’ve been here on the blog! The past week has been extremely busy. Unfortunately, I’ve had to take work home from my job nearly every single evening, and it’s left me feeling physically and emotionally drained, without much time or energy for creativity.

Fortunately, a weekend relatively free of obligations has provided some much-needed studio time, and I’m so grateful for that!

Two weeks ago, I participated in a boxed assemblage workshop taught by the wonderful Crystal Neubauer at her new studio, which is located a few miles from my home in Racine, Wisconsin. It was my first experience with assemblage, and I was very excited to learn some skills related to this really cool art form! I was able to attend the first day of the workshop and began altering and adding to a vintage wooden spice rack I’d purchased at a local antique mall, but was forced to miss the second day due to illness, leaving my project in limbo. Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to continue working on it, which was a lot of fun!

The spice rack has 9 separate alcoves, which originally featured tiny ceramic containers, inside of which could be stored various spices. When I brought the rack home, I discarded the containers and developed a plan to create mini collaged assemblages inside five of the spaces, and mounted 2 x 2″ canvas collages in the remaining four spaces.

Vintage and patterned papers serve as a base for all of the artwork in the alcoves and on the canvases. A variety of other items have been added, such as gold Dresden foil, lace trim, measuring tape, beads, charms, a frozen Charlotte, a drawer pull, a piece trimmed from a vintage wooden yardstick, and metal embellishments. Two pieces cut from a vintage folding ruler are attached to the outside of the rack, along with a metal label, a laser-cut wood embellishment, and more drawer pulls. Found text has also found its way into several of the vignettes, and on the outer surfaces of the rack.

While I’ve finished creating artwork on all four of the 2 x 2″ canvases, I’ve only been able to mount one of them in the rack at this point. I discovered that a 2″ wooden spool would be the ideal height upon which to mount the canvases, but unfortunately I only had access to one. I was lucky to find an online craft retailer who sells 2″ spools, and I’m currently waiting for my order to arrive so I can mount the canvases and finish the piece.

I’ve added vintage photographs to two of the canvases. The photo that was added to the canvas above features Grandma Alice in 1939, when she was 20 years old.

I’m looking forward to completing and hanging this piece in my home, and when I do, I’ll be sure to post more photos!

Have a great week, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!