Time capsule

I'll fess up, I've long been one of those "stashers" whose idea of cleaning up is putting things in a storage box, drawer or folder and getting it out of sight. It seems like a valid approach, however this strategy (if you can even refer to it as such) doesn't effectively deal with the clutter issue. After deciding to open up a plastic shoe box, cutely labeled with the equivalent of "miscellaneous", I was presented with an amazing collection of partial art, shall we dub this "partart"? For me this is artwork that was created for swaps, artwork created while learning a new techniques or items that just could not be otherwise tossed in the recycle bin.

My criteria for what to save has evolved since I first began making art almost 20 years ago. At that time a small piece of paper the size of a credit card was to be saved and reused. The problem with this approach is that I didn't go back to the stash to use these pieces and it eventually pushed me to a potential hoarding situation. So, I now am much more discriminating now on what I keep.

The fun bit is that I have approximately 20 of these shoe boxes, so this is just the beginning of raiding my lost art.

Now that I've highlighted the problems of having all this stashed stuff, I'll turn the tables and find the silver lining. One benefit is being able to take a trip down memory lane. Colors, stamped images and even techniques are like food. They can be trendy and looking back can make you realize how far you've come artistically.

So here are some crackle stamp backgrounds, and an attempt at a collage.

This collection is from classes I had with a favorite teacher MaryJo McGraw. I stalked her years ago.  I went to see her at every convention and took any class she offered. This technique used acetate and Diamond Glaze.  I don't recall exactly how it was done, but the translucent and glassy finish is great.

http://maryjomcgraw.blogspot.com/

The images above are backgrounds using alcohol inks and it was called "polished stone."  In addition to the inks, we used the Krylon leafing pens.  Brings back memories.

This is another MaryJo McGraw project involving clear shrink plastic, flattened with a stamped image to get a relief, then using alcohol inks to get the amazing colors.  

These are some polished stone pieces that are stamped and ready to go.  I also worked on a book cover and used some Ultra Thick Embossing enamel (UTEE) powders to make the gold design on the front.  I have two mini book covers in the back on the right, with what appears to be wax seals on the front.  This was when the glue sticks were being used to create the look of a wax seal, but they were much more flexible. And you could add embossing powders to the glue and heat them prior to stamping.  It was a great technique.

The one piece here I want to talk about is the lower front piece which was made with strips of paper, woven together and then attached to a backing.  Then the entire surface was covered with clear embossing ink and UTEE was applied to create a clear thick coating on the surface. This would make a great cover to a book. There is some gold powder as well.

So, I made an attempt to color in a stamp, inspired by a teacher I loved called Kristen Powers. Look how I even wanted to map the colors used, like a legend.  So adorable. 

http://kristenpowersink.blogspot.com/

This is from a class I took from a teacher long ago.  I'm not sure I recall her name but we used products to get a patina on the paper that made it look like metal.  So cool.

So this is it.  The assorted ephemera from years ago.  I want to use it or lose it at this point.  Remember, this is only the first box. Wow, can't wait to see what else lies ahead.