Shadow Box # 9 ~ Inside and Outside Series, "When Spring Steps Out"

This one took quite a while. Much of the time being spent staring at it, wondering what to do, making things and changing them...

I started with the colored pencil drawing of trees on Bristol board for the background. I chose the colors randomly and ended up with this bright, springy theme. The bottom shelf is painted with red oxide acrylic mixed with ceramic stucco texture gel. While it was still wet I put the painted masking tape 'rocks' in place as well as the upright stick which is covered with rice paper that was painted with inks and covered with calligraphy of lines from Emily Dickinson poems. This stick has a hole through which passes black thread tied to the hammered eyelets secured to the frame. The flags hanging from the thread were cut from paper colored with pencils. The black-painted grape vine is balanced on a carved shelf. The little package on the right is wrapped in painted rice paper and decorated with a paper bead and another piece of painted vine. The black pieces framing the edge are strips of black core mat board with random designs in cream colored pencil.