The Past IS My Present

Another one of my gifts (to myself 😉 was a weekend art class…

A serendipitous search of the Internet led me to a weekend class being taught by Sandy Webster (www.sandywebster.com only 1 1/2 hrs away from my home at The Creative Arts Center in Dalton, GA.          “Building Boxes:  Creative Spaces for Small Collections”   

Two important items to note; 1.  OMG! The Creative Arts Center in Dalton is a hidden gem – would take another class there in a heart beat.  2.  Sandy Webster – my kind of teacher.   I was concerned about the size of the class – 12 – and needn’t have been.  Sandy didn’t sit down for two days!  She was ALWAYS roaming the class and teaching to EVERY student; she got as excited about a student’s project (all of them different) and their process as they did (sometimes more) and stayed with a student until he/she “got it”; she received as well as she gave. I like teaching and hope to publish a book on foam core one day 😉 – she was an inspiration.

Most of the students were from the Chattanooga, TN Book Arts Group.  I didn’t get permission to post pictures of any other student’s project (if I do I’ll post them later).  Their projects were all different and were incredible.

“The Past Is My Present” –  I can’t help it – while I get excited about new and modern – I’m most comfortable with what I can identify with (even a little bit) and what has a “story”.

This is my project:  Outer Box (green) 17″h x 11.5″w x 1.75″d – Inner Box (Magenta) 11″h x 8.5w x 2″d (before the walls were put up the back was covered with a newspaper ad from 1956).  All made out of book board (thick chip board) covered in Lotka Paper (a nice handmade, mailable paper).

Contents:  String of crystals from the Treasure Bay Hotel chandelier that fell during Katrina; old copper number 3(I’m the middle child of 5 girls); loose tumbled Apache Tears behind Mica (my grandma brought them back for us after a trip panning for gold in California);  My Aunt Ginger was rooting thru some things and found my Grandmother’s false teeth in a little change purse – of course I got them.  Her teeth are here surrounding her picture with a vintage metal yellow flower earring in the corner.  (my Grandmother was a piece of work);  false set of miniature books made from the spines of vintage books (behind the books is a box containing a scroll describing the box’s contents); small sea urchin; vintage watch (the metal bar rolls away and the watch comes out to reveal loose old watch parts behind it); miniature Miss Worth perfume bottle and old necklace; old rusty wheel (I love wheels) and sea glass; vintage watch parts box (pull the rhinestone string at the bottom and the box comes out to reveal a hidden alcove); vintage contact lens bottle (I know because it was mine) filled with Peridot melee; Old composition doll; key guts and hanging key (I love keys) over Herkimer diamonds (double-terminated quartz crystals).

I have a week left of my Birthday Month – Ya Hooo!