Oh My Gothic is so SQUARE!

One of my  on-line collaborative groups, Oh My Gothic,  commenced the 2011-2012 season this month with 4 x 4 inch squares.   After eighteen or so months of  creating works in a 4 x 8 inch format aka "a SKINNY PAGE" I initially felt a little 'boxed in'!   So, it's no coincidence, that I've been experimenting with this size for the past couple of months.  I'm quite certain, I'm the only one in the world that knows this until now. If you don't like square, you'll want to unsubscribe from my blog now! :0)

The 'theme' for June and for Connie  was 'white with a touch of color' and what follows are a series of

 snapshots of how this very 'early' page  unfolded.

I occasionally will read poetry or look through old favorite art books to find inspiration. Do you?   Not always, but if I'm in the mood for some very quiet reflective time.  That's how this particular process went. 

With inspiration in mind and even though I was quite smitten by the lovely aging....I chose to spruce up this vintage photo below,   erasing the time worn smudges of years of wear and adding color and flowers.  If only I could photoshop my own face each morning...sigh...

 Above:  The MakeOver - Before and After (scattering of flowers by Tangie Baxter and Lorie Davison)

 At the same time, my  'internal dialogue' was focused on recalling  several recently read lines  from French poet Gerard de Narvel  ... as An Old Tune echoed in my mind....


"There is an air for which I would disown
Mozart's, Rossini's, Weber's melodies, -
A sweet sad air that languishes and sighs,
And keeps its secret charm for me alone.
Whene'er I hear that music vague and old,
Two hundred years are mist that rolls away;
The thirteenth Louis reigns, and I behold
A green land golden in the dying day.
An old red castle, strong with stony towers,
The windows gay with many coloured glass;
Wide plains, and rivers flowing among flowers,
That bathe the castle basement as they pass.
In antique weed, with dark eyes and gold hair,
A lady looks forth from her window high;
It may be that I knew and found her fair,
In some forgotten life, long time gone by. "


another s i g h - isn't the imagery incredibly rich???

Unfortunately, limited by size and space, I  chose to insert another one of  his magical quotes:

"A flower is a soul blooming out to nature"
- Gerard de Nerval

Next up, machine stitching, beading, into some soft pink wee  tatting I hand sewed on (how did they do that?) and my favorite tiny antique lace.

A few miniature buttons sewn on (and I mean mini - although these photos are large, this is a tiny 4 x 4 inch finished size)

Folowed by  finishing touches and  now ready to send off  to sit at a Canadian post office for ???? who knows how long?  (for readers from other countries Canada is in the midst of a postal strike)

Oh My Gothic - 4x4 Page Front and Back - An Old Tune, An Old Soul

Thanks for reading...

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