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
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.
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.
( Beatrice Shilling british aeronautical engineer and motorcycle racer)
Inside left of cigar box Tilly, her map and her tools.
The box open.
Top view.details
The box closed
The ephemera: originals: registered mail sticker, torn bit of letter sent via clipper, ration stickers from World War II, vintage French envelope addressed to a Parisian doctor, antique manuscript from the 1800s and reproductions of vintage map of the south of France, reproduction of a vintage photo of Beatrice Shilling aka Tilly.
The found objects: old cigar box, vintage anagram letters, old gages, antique pocket watch, old switch, vintage key, vintage castor wheel, vintage zinc letter 3, old door knob.
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.
The ephemera: vintage photo of the dolly sisters, French antique dictionary pages, vintage handwritten letter, fragment from a vintage French school book, old colour swatch image, vintage tobacco labels.
The found objects: old optical lenses, watch face, peacock feather, metal crow’s foot, tiny watch part vial with pearl beads, typewriter keys and game pieces to form the word sisters, vintage buttons, old heart charms, the lid of a vintage music box, old tobacco box.
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.
The ephemera: old architectural plans, vintage photos of flying french nuns, french manuscript from 1868, antique french hand written letter from the 1800s.
Found objects: frozen charlottes, old metal slide frames, a broken bit of old pottery, a vintage clay poker chip, an old door knob, a tiny blue bottle, top of a broken antique ink bottle, old print block ampersand , vintage house number and a vintage cast iron decorative detail.
This man refused to open his eyes
to the possibility of a different kind of life.
He remains imprisoned
by the same old patterns
that got him here in the first place.
Trapped by his unwillingness
to make a change.
Assemblage box: How to
Step one Find a suitable box: old wooden whiskey crate
Step two:
Cover the box inside and out with old papers…in this case city plans from an old atlas and an old french document from 1868
Step three:
Gather found objects and ephemera that suit the theme or idea
Step four:
Make shelves to fit chosen objects
Step five:
Affix shelves and main image (mug shot from the 1920s)
Step six:
Affix found objects
beach combed door handle, padlock, key, metal arrow tag, safe dial, glass eye ball, fishing hook, mouse trap, wooden castor
details
creartfuldodger 
