In the tarot deck, the “Hanged Man” shows a man hanging upside down and contemplative. The card is a symbol of being suspended between two realms, and in that timeless moment acquire knowledge for the journey forward. Using this interesting concept as our inspiration, we will quite literally levitate a piece of art, and in order to heighten the metaphor of being caught between two worlds, our creation will be suspended and then placed inside a little universe our making.
We will begin our day by creating a sophisticated multi-layered mixed media collage on a small wooden substrate. Throughout the process we will discuss the best ways of incorporating our own personal symbols into the work and techniques for adding found objects to really push our collages into a three dimensional realm. With the focal point complete, its time to transform an empty box into a domain for our central character. Using chains to attach our collage in a manner that will keep it hovering inside the box, you will create a unique artwork that effectively captures a suspended soul in a moment of time. How your suspended soul journeys forward is up to you.
Supply List:
- Photos from magazines, vintage photos, family portraits (we’ll be working on substrates between 3”x4” and 4”x6”, so nothing too large– please make sure they are photocopies and try to have them copied onto photo paper if possible.
- A large, sturdy cigar box, shadow box (glass removed), or wooden box of some kind for our “suspended soul” to live in – should be at least 2” deep. (Cradled panels used on the “wrong” side work well if you can’t find a box) Dimensions should be at least 6” x 8” and no larger than 9” x 12”
- Paper, ephemera and collage items, think textures and symbols
- Paint: Golden Acrylics fluid or heavy body (white, black, any blue, red, and yellow, plus a couple more of your favorites)
- Paint Palette (a paper plate will suffice)
- Paintbrushes: bring just a few in different sizes, and one detail brush
- Water Container
- Foam brush
- Black sharpie extra fine tip
- Matte medium (liquid not gel)
- scissors
- E6000 Adhesive
- Feel free to bring some of your favorite stamps and Stayz On ink if you wish
- Small assortment of found objects, old jewelry pieces just about anything, bits of ribbon, sequins (if you are so inclined)
- A chain with links that can be separated (no more than 9” is needed
Teacher will bring:
- Wooden Substrate for our collage
- Hardware for building our piece
- Paper towel
- Tools for assembling our project
- Metallic paint
- Portfolio Brand Pastels
- Other mark making tools
A Little About ME
Andrea is a mixed media artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her creative career began at the University of Waterloo and led her to the world of graphic design and teaching Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers. Art like life, does not always evolve in a straight line and after disappearing into the world of computer “geekdom”, Andrea has returned to her creative roots and taken up the pencil and paintbrush once again. Captivated by the human face, with all of its phenomenal subtlety and uniqueness, Andrea’s work most often portrays an emotional narrative of the human condition. Much of her current work involves the fusion of digital and traditional mediums to uncover new and engaging methods for expression in illustration and dimensional mixed media collage.
