Mostly known for my Collage Art Work, I also love to make assemblage boxes.
Here is a window into my process.
I have begun the process for two new Nature themed Boxes. I have covered the boxes with antique papers and have collected oddities from nature and found objects from the past.
Now comes the fun part…selecting and arranging. What will make the cut and what goes back in the collection for a future project?
My studio work table
Some of the treasures: seed heads, egg, nest, vials , stones, fungus, magic slides , features, paper wasp nest….
what to choose?
vintage photo poppy seed headturkey tailmagic slidehoneysuckle seed headold book pagetropical seed pod
They treasured the times passed and celebrated the marks it left on their faces, of lives well-lived. That was the key.
The Nest they had build had emptied but the bones of it remained supported by love.
Many doors had opened and some had closed.
The ephemera: old damaged vintage photos
The found objects: Original vintage or natural : clock case; brass bell; jar lid; door knob; paint tin lid; sprinkler head; gauge; key to the clock; tart tins; crow skull; bird’s nest; quail’s nest.
Note : This cuckoo clock was a gift from a dear friend. It has been in the studio for 4 years, intimidating me…until now. Thanks Darcie.
It was l’année 1909, and the Season was upon them. It was Swallow Tail Time, elegant, fragile, and yet, anything but sedate.
SOLD 😁
The ephemera: Original Ledger Page from 1909 France; high quality reproduction of an antique, natural history illustration of a swallow tail butterfly.
The found objects: Vintage watch face, antique key; vintage watch hands and small found metal parts.
They were nesting, buying plants, painting old furniture to make it new again, setting up the kitchen and decorating the apartment with a combination of his and hers. Young love blossoming and solidifying in the give and take of yours and mine, becoming ours. SOLD
The nesting box
The lid
The love nests
The ephemera: old love letters and papers from 1800’s France; natural history plate of bird’s eggs.
The found objects: vintage tart tins; tiny pewter hearts; paper wasp’s nest; small bird’s nests; various feathers; seed pod; antique porcelain doll arms; moth cocoon; vintage anagram letters; antique cigar box with labels.
Natural History, naturally became Sir Percival’s passionate pastime. He travelled hither and thither across the globe in search of the quintessential specimen to add to his quirky collection. Meticulously mounted for display in his study at the Manor House, they piqued the curiosity of all those privileged enough to enjoy a peek.
GIFTED to David
Sir Percival himself
his cabinet of curiosities
The ephemera : original old pages from medical dictionary 1933, original chart of systeme nerveux des animaux from French school book 1868, original page from an electrical manual 1924, reproduction of a natural history book title page, original French letter 1800s, original notarized document 1879, reproduction of label for cabinet of curiosities, snippet of a map of India, reproduction of vintage photo of Victorian man.
The found objects: wooden piano striker key, antique optical lens, copper nail, vintage silk cord, old book cover, jaw bone of a young deer, seed pods from tropical trees in Costa Rica, dried fungus, poppy seed cage, robin’s egg, peacock feathers, horse tooth, vial with deep blue delphinium seeds, manuscript dipped in encaustic wax and a small vintage box lid, wooden box with hinged lid.
Size 8 inches by 10.5 inches wooden box when closed, 18 inches by 10.5 inches when open.
le château d’eau , la corde , la somnifère, la clé.
Hélas, ils ont raté leur coup et les voila en dedans…
5 ans au prison de Caen.
Altered cigar box
The ephemera : vintage mug shot, handwritten document from 1828 (original), old image of water tower, étiquette prisons de Caen, page from school calculations notebook 1879 (original) .
The found objects: old cigar box, vintage Canadian uniform button, old wooden checkers piece, small bottle of china paint, old electrical tag, vintage key, old wooden letterpress number.
They went down to London to spend a few days at the Club.
The East India Club, number 16 Saint-James’s Square.
Away from the the toils and trials of country life
Was the motive one of pure pleasure: reading, gaming, brandy?
Or was there something more shifty, more sinister, afoot?
gentlemans club
the ephemera: page from a french school copy book 1889, faded green soft book cover on sides of box, weathered paper, vintage bottle label.
the found objects : stickmen from previous post, red clay poker chip, old black game dice, wooden checker pieces, spectacles, and small bottle of ochre china paint powder.
creartfuldodger 
