Collage/Altered Art

This website is a portfolio of my work in collage and altered art. 
( I usually post once a week on Sundays...but no promises. )

Prints of some of my pieces are available for purchase at Fine Art of America

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/wilma-millette.html

I see beauty in everyday objects from the past and like to re-purpose them in  artful ways in my pieces. A trio of old door knobs, well worn from all that opening and shutting, the patina is perfect.An ordinary document, for the sale of a parcel of land, so beautifully written, on parchment paper.

Why?

Why?

 

Why only the bare bones?

Why turn left?

Why take the key?

Why take flight?

The ephemera: 1936 atlas page of city plan: page from vintage calligraphy book; page from old technical manual 1939; vintage postcard purchased from Trishia Jacobs Carney ;  image of a wing from the Graphics Fairy; image of a flying flock.

Found objects:  small bird bone, vintage key

Size : 8 inches square on wooden block

 

 

The process:  layers of original vintage papers with topcoat of gesso; completed with images, both reverse transfer and collage; finished with found objects and archival varnish. This was my demo piece made during my summer collage workshop. 

 

La Favorita Circus Girl

She was La favorita, the Circus Girl, darling of the big top, the main attraction.

The ephemera: Vintage Sheet Music; natural history illustration of elephant; muybridge’s man with a hat; vintage stamp.

Size: 7 inches square on wooden block.

Coeur de Cygnes

C’est mieux à deux, les yeux dans les yeux, les  cœurs des amoureux savent se battre à l’unisson.

 

The epehemera:  Antique French document, natural history image of black swan (times two), old letter and diamond decorative paper.

Size: 8 inches square on wooden block.

 

 

Autruche Pardevant

She was running out of time.

Would Guillaume still be waiting at L’Hotel du Vieux Quartier?

The ephemera: Old French document from 1800s; natural history illustration of ostrich, old clock face.

Size: 8 inches square on wooden block, or prints up to 20 inches square.

 

Faisan Présent

Monsieur Faisan

ici présent

fait son entrée

dans la société

sans se gêner.

The ephemera: Decorative paper, natural history image of ringed pheasant, beautiful French document from the 1800s.

Size: 8 inches by 8 inches on wooden block.

 

PAR VÉLO

Par Vélo

La lettre,

si attendue,

est arrivée enfin,

ce matin,

livrée

par vélo.

par vélo

The ephemera:  vintage air mile envelop, vintage air mile stickers and stamps, vintage bus ticket stub, vintage food ration tickets from 1940’s France, image of vintage bicycle.

The size: 4 inches by 6 inches, ready for framing.

Available at Bound to Be Different in Chemainus BC.

Asphyscie

Just breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Life will go on.

The ephemera: Original page book from old French school book 1899. High quality copy of anatomy illustration of the lungs, vintage red dot stickers.

Size: 4 by 6 inches on matte board,  ready for framing

 

On top of the world

She was feeling on top of the world, it was going to be a good day.

The ephemera: world map from vintage atlas, natural history image of blue bird

Size: 4 by 6 inches on matte board ready for framing

Hygromètre

But the plans are upside down she said, how will you ever build your tower M. Eiffel? Hmpf he replied. Leave me alone woman, and so she did.

The ephemera: hygromètre of the eiffel tower, old airmile stickers.

Size: 4 by 6 inches reading for a frame.

Owl of the Week

He was thrilled to appear in the registry book as Owl of the Week.

Finally his wisdom was being recognised by the Parish.

Maybe now, he would get the respect he KNEW he deserved.

 

The ephemera: Old Parish Ledger from Halifax; natural history illustration of an owl, registered mail sticker from Marseille.

Size 4 by 6 inches, ready for framing.

Handled with Care

He soon learned that all adults needed to be handled with Care.

The ephemera: Wooden postcard, old vintage photo, reproduction of natural history illustration of a crow, reproduction of vintage tickets, original chart from mechanic’s hand book from 1930s,  original vintage stamp and postal sticker, reproduction of typewriter key.

Gifted to Julie-Marie. 

Love in a Mist

 

Love-in-a-mist,

It is truly hard to resist!

Perhaps Alys will remember, with pleasure, her stay,

And return again one fine day.

 

Gifted to Alys of  Gardening Nirvana

 

 

The ephemera: original seed packet label for Nigelle aka Love in a Mist 1900; original airmail sticker, original vintage stamp, original blue denison label, original document from 1811; photograph of a peacock; original war ration stickers from 1944 France; vintage book cover.

 

Modern Geography

She turned the handle and escaped the schoolroom. She wanted to experience geography first hand, out in the real world, the modern world. No more books, no more governess, no more boredom. 

The ephemera: Vintage photo of a pram in the Canadian winter; vintage portrait, old clip art of a door handle.

The found objects: Old house number, book cover of a school atlas from 1878, piece of a vintage yard stick, tiny draw pull, old corner stickers for photos.

2oo Recettes

200 Recettes  de vol, de fraude, de déception , de fausses déclarations, de détournement des fonds, de chantage, de mensonges.

The ephemera: old book cover, old yard stick, anagram letters, vintage photo, copper crown

 

Famous Operas

 

She always attended the most famous operas.

Her lorgnettes always ready at hand, not so much for the opera,

as for acute observations of her fellow opera goers.

The ephemera: antique game piece, vintage photo, old book cover, vintage scrabble tile, old yard stick, heart charm.

Crabbing

Let’s going crabbing down by the shore.

I’ll bring the net you bring the pail.

The ephemera: original letter from 1878; original map from 1921 atlas; original stamps and postal stickers; original ration stamps from 1947 France; high quality copy of natural history image of a crab.

Fly fish, Fly

Fly little fish, fly. Registered, par avion, stamped and sealed, you are ready to go. Make haste, across the ocean,  Monsieur is waiting.

The ephemera: high quality copy of natural history illustration of fish; original letter from 1855; original airmail stickers, registered mail labels and stamps; original atlas map of the California coast from 1921.

 

 

 

Limber

Limber: limp; easily bent; pliant

He was limber; flexible; but not easily swayed by the currants and tides of the political times in which he lived; and certainly, not pliant.

The ephemera: high quality copy of natural history illustration of octopus; original letter from 1888, original vintage stamps and airmail stickers; original dictionary snippet 1900. Original atlas map 1921.

Size: 7 inches by 7 inches on wooden block

Like, likeable, likeableness.

It’s like…you know, I like you…you like me….we like the same stuff. Like I said, I’d like to hang out with you. Right, like, I get that! Let’s go for it, like maybe we could go for a bike ride. You’d like that right? Like, yah man! Cool, I like it!

The ephemera: vintage time card, vintage number line, copy of vintage hotel sticker, vintage photo of the grand-parents in law, old dictionary snippet, vintage denison label, snippet from vintage envelope

size : 9 cm by 12 cm handmade greeting card

 

Saltair

Summers at the beach at Saltair. 

Alberta and May gossiping in the shade.

The picnic, tucked in the basket can wait awhile.

Halycon days, watching  the grand children

sailing, padding, collecting shells.

Altered Cigar Box

The ephemera: Vintage photo of  Alberta and May. Antique original handwritten letter, original vintage postcard of sail boat, original vintage Map Projections from old Atlas, original vintage bill receipt and and a snippet of an original  vintage program to see Madame Butterfly.

The found objects: antique glass bottle, small sea urchin skeleton, fish vertebra, quartz crystal, bit of broken shell and and old cigar box.

Back of the Box : Map Projections

Details: Alberta and May, my two grandmothers, relaxing at the Beach at Saltair, Vancouver Island, Canada, in 1949 or 1950.

 

 

Swan song

Strongly Silent

Simply Serene

Seriously Stunning

Swan

Bee hive

1, 2, 3 … y ‘en a un de trop.

C’est pas toi, c’est l’autre.

1,2,3 c’était mieux à deux

les yeux dans les yeux…

mais pas deux sans trois,

Je  veux  vivre sans toi.

1,2,3 mon soleil était toi

Je suis perdue.

3, 2, 1 c’est trois fois mieux toute seule

sans compte à regler

Et puis de deux perdus

Dix de retrouvés

1,2,3…..3,2,1.

– Camille St. Saens

 

Text bubbles

Snatches of conversation float about, landing where they may.

A handful of heartaches,
 born with silent resignation.

Not your average crap. Mixed media: encaustic wax, oil stick, various snippets of text capturing brief moments of the past.

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Five Golden Rings

Four Colly Birds 

Three French Hens

Two Turtle Doves

and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Size 5 inches by 7 inches on wooden block and available as digital collage

 

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Five Golden Rings!

FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!!!

Four Colly Birds

Three French Hens

Two Turtle Doves

and…