Found Poem-Mixed Media Workshop Highlights!

What fun!  I was honored and thrilled to present a found poem-mixed media workshop here in Beaufort last week, downtown at Coastal Art Supply, just a block from my studio. We had a full table with nine folks, with lots of earnest creating and snips of scissors. (This was a more intimate version of the Found Poem Makerspace workshop I presented in Bellingham, Washington, in the fall of 2016 with a few dozen children’s poets and other brave creative souls. Revisit that link for more of the step-by-step process.)

DSC07450 group shot workshop 2018 03 p a

Our text for finding poems, also serving as our substrate (surface) were Edu-cards from the 1960s or so.  I offered a choice of “shell” or “butterfly,” with complementary vintage bookplates, postage stamps, and bits of stamped brass bling. Of course, the actual subject of the poem and visual elements were up to each artist!  That’s the fun part.  The art (made in just two hours!) was tucked into a 5X7 mat, ready to pop into a frame.

Jill made this gorgeous piece:

©Jill W.

©Jill W.

take a hike

in the spring encountering

Every roadway while

butterflies

rise in clouds

Being strong intelligent

they have 

ability

are

successful

©Jill W.

Yes!  Butterflies as strong and successful!

Jill and Sierra creating mixed media magic!

Jill and Sierra create mixed media magic!

For her collage, Jill’s daughter Sierra conjured up WONDER, from an Edu-card with text about a shell.  (I’m featuring this poem over on my author blog for Poetry Friday, too!)

©Sierra W.

©Sierra W.

WONDER

grace    beauty   perfect

strange

oriental

But, let’s stop and think.  Maybe it is

a builder

for 

ideas.

©Sierra W.

I just love that – and the cool tones and mysterious palette Sierra chose to illustrate it.

Kim Poovey reads her found poem as her mom, Karen, adds finishing touches..

Kim Poovey reads her found poem as her mom, Karen, adds finishing touches..

I was thrilled to have Kim Poovey, author and historic reenactress, join the party!  She came with her creative mother, Karen. In fact, we ended up with three mother-daughter sets – an extra fun element to our creative afternoon. Can you tell Kim is a novelist from her workshop piece below? She picked some lovely language, including “…winged creatures/fairies arising/ nightly wanderings/Luna glow….”

©Kim Poovey

©Kim Poovey

Here’s one last sample from the day – ALL of the pieces were unique and beautiful! This colorful creation is from Mikka Dutton:

©Mikka Dutton

©Mikka Dutton

I love that Mikka included the “From the Library Of” part of the bookplate(!) and followed that with some sassy introductory lines and images – “one courtly/highly prized/”hard to get”/as well…..”

I am always surprised and delighted by what folks come up with, and it’s magical to me to see individual personalities shine through the choices of words, elements, colors, and the particular combinations of all of these.

MANY thanks to all of our afternoon creators – and thank you for letting me share your work.  Thanks also for asking if I would offer another workshop sometime – I am DEFINITELY game!  :0) If you’d like me to keep your email address handy for info about future classes, toss me a line at Robyn@artsyletters.com

Art Break Wednesday: Some Gothic Shakespeare for your enjoyment…

gothic shakespeare shadow box collage with c

Seems an appropriate season (and time – it’s coming up on midnight!) to share another recent mixed media adventure.  As my daughter, Morgan, was helping me enter items into my Square inventory on my mini iPad, she asked, “What do I call this?  Gothic Shakespeare?”

I liked the name.

This 6 in. by 8 in. shadow box features an embellished experiment.  I printed my fairy door relief print design on a page from a vintage reader, and the result was rather ethereal and dreamy – but gritty, too.  I loved its mysterious “air” and pondered using it as the backdrop for an altered page collage.  Pondering turned to pasting…

Somehow a vintage typewriter key seemed perfect to place near the top – the numeral 0 with a parenthesis which looks quite like a moon.  Then, the “Floating Shift” key, featured in a copper tray and attached to a mini canvas on light green paper and a gothic shakespeare top closer uppainted black background, floated itself up in a corner.

In another vintage book, I found a wonderful snippet from Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” – this seemed just right:

Hermione.    Pray you sit by us,
And tell’s a tale.
Mamilius.      Merry or sad shall ‘t be?
Hermione.   As merry as you will.
Mamilius.      A sad tale’s best for winter.
I have one of sprites and goblins.
Hermione.  Let’s have that, sir.

shakespeare detail winters tale gothic collage

Beside this text I added an old clock hand (the reverse side – the lighter color contrasts with the black frame), and a small vintage metal rectangle graces the bottom edge.  On the top right, I placed this luscious little embellished metal door hardware.  (This was a find from my favorite antique dealer at the monthly Flowery Branch (Ga.) Antiques Market – I was able to get  a few!)

Here’s hoping a little haunted art makes you smile.  Wishing you ghoulish inspirations as the month carries on… Bwa haaa ha ha ha.gothic shakespeare angle