“Hurray, road trip!” she exclaimed, “I’ve got the map, I shoddy the front seat”.
“Hold on,” he replied “curb your enthusiasm, so we get there in one piece” as he applied the breaks.
Inspired by a recent holiday with the mister. This is how it goes down for us.
The ephemera : Ledger page for 1901; map of Scandinavia 1933; photo of tree in winter; vintage bicycle image; two pictures of ravens. Encaustic wax top layer.
Size: 12 inches square on wooden cradle.
He saw the first signs of spring and was wistful.
If only winter would be 3 1/2 weeks longer, he sighed.
The ephemera: French legal document 1869; vintage stamps, old map of Ontario, Canada; photo of tree in winter; high quality copy of black bird illustration; label from a tool drawer.
The methods: gel medium reverse transfer; encaustic wax.
Size: 7 inches square on wooden block
There were a million reasons to stay for the winter but still he hankered for the south with it’s warmth and sunshine. He left a quick note and was off, just like that, decision made. 
The ephemera: antique French letter from 1800s; Map from 1921 atlas, old label from tool chest, vintage stamps and high quality copy of natural history illustration of a raven.
Size: 7 inches square, encaustic wax on wooden block.
Slim pickings for the Winter Crow.
Yet the desolate landscape suited him so.
The ephemera: original atlas map 1930s; original French legal document 1889; photo of trees in winter; photo of crow. Top layer encaustic wax.
Size: 7 inches square on wooden block.
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.
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.
She spent her days building the nest.
With care and love, it was warm, secure and nurturing.
It was her most important task in life.
Time passes and the fledglings have left
the nest empty.
The task is complete.
The ephemera : Old map of France, handwritten envelope destined for Paris, handmade paper with tiny twigs, old dictionary pages. Found objects: birds nest, antique key, door handle, small icon, beach glass, old crystals from a chandelier, beach stone and vintage thread.
All is not well with the appareil respiratoire.
It is clogged, the pressure is building, something is going to blow.
Just breathe. Slowly. In and out, in and out .
You will be fine….or not.
The ephemera: photo of old smoke stacks, page from a cahier scolaire from 1889, natural history photos of crows and ravens, a fragment from an old receipt, reproduction of a vintage gage. Encaustic Wax as a top coat.
Size 7 inches by 7 inches on wooden block
This end up! Fragile! Caution! Do not shake!
Prints available for purchase here:http://fineartamerica.com/featured/this-end-up-creartful-dodger.html?newartwork=true
The ephemera: old letter, vintage house number, water tower, old postal label, natural history photo of a raven, photo of a tree in winter, encaustic wax.
7″ by 7″ on wooden block.
Le pont Alexandre III, magnifique en hiver.
Photos, vieux text, encre et cire. 16 pouces par 16 pouces.
un deux trois quatre cinq six sept
violette, violette
un deux trois quatre cinq six sept
violette bicyclette
Step one : glue old papers on to wooden cradle. Add background photos. Layer with paint and gesso. Sand lightly.
Step two: add main image, in this case the bicycle.
Step 3: Layer more paint, gesso, ink. Top with two coats of encaustic wax. Finish off with vintage house number.
NB I happened upon an old dictionary page that had both the words bissextile and bitch on it. I couldn’t help myself and had to use it…but no one else knows they are there…except you and me.
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/for-the-birds-creartful-dodger.html
There goes the neighbourhood…. again. A crowd of crows, watching, a watch-faced moon. A crowd of houses, numbered, oddly. Who would live here?
NB: Having gifted the original “There goes the neighbourdhood” to a dear friend. I missed it and decided to rework it, this time encased in encaustic wax, and rename it “for the birds”.
Wooden cradles, vintage drawer pulls, old papers and images, various bits and pieces from my vintage junk collection, topped off with a layer of encaustic wax.
number three
side view
side view
heart
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD (SOLD)
Well the moment those old crows moved in we knew: there goes the neighbourhood!
the ephemera: old papers: menus, book pages, autographs, ledgers, postcards, letters; vintage game pieces, crows
A Crow is not a bird Benoit (Bella)
Mesmerized by the moon, enshrouded in the mist can he read between the lines.
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/-a-crow-is-not-a-bird-creartful-dodger.html
The ephemera: old manuscripts from the 1800’s, a handwritten love letter, a map of manhattan, an old ledger page, an old recipe, a vintage post card, an old seal and a black bird.
