Monday, August 27, 2012

CREATING A BACKGROUND WITH PERFECT PEARLS


In another life, my sister taught French in a university setting.  It was just not French that she loved, but all things French, including history.  During her more than 70 years, she has amassed quite a library of books, and recently decided it was time to pare down her collection.  I am lucky enough now to be the owner of a book more than 50 years old, entitled THE AGE OF IDEAS, dealing from "reaction to revolution" in eighteenth-century France!  So, am I interested in French history?  No, but I am definitely interested in the photos inside this wonderful, only slightly musty, book!



First, let me introduce you to Madame Emilie du Chatelet in a photo of the original work created about 1736.  To me, she appears a beautiful woman, full of femininity, poise, intelligence, and strength...perhaps even power.  I found it interesting to learn that Voltaire, one of her lovers, declared in a letter to his friend King Frederick II of Prussia that du Chatelet was "a great man whose only fault was being a woman."  Ah, but I digress . . .


Following the application of a healthy coat of Gesso to prime my journal page, I chose three colors of Perfect Pearls to create my background, Forever Green, Blue Smoke, and Perfect Copper.  Using the bristles of my brush, I lifted just a small bit of this pigment powder and placed it directly onto my non-stick craft mat.  Using a mini-mister, I sprayed water directly onto the powder and swirled it around with the paint brush until all the power had dissolved.  I then just "painted" each color onto my page, overlapping them so that they blended together as they met.


I hand tore the photo of Madame de Chatelet directly from the page of the book, then cut from the same page both her name and approximate date.  I added a bit of text from the same book, then a butterfly for interest.  I enjoyed working with Emilie, so also gave her some rub-on flowers at the bottom.  What doesn't show in the scan of my page is the pearly luster created by the Perfect Pearls.

Thanks for coming by today.  I hope that you will leave a message.  If you would like to receive an e-mail notification when I update my blog, that option is available to you just under the PLEASE FOLLOW ME button above and to the right.

Cheers!

13 comments:

  1. Another beautiful page for your art journal, this one is particularly striking. Great job.

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  2. I really like the glimmery effect of the page. I am now looking to start a collection of many different elements for a journal. I look forward to your future email.

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  3. This is so beautiful Kay! I like the colors and how they blend. Really beautiful work.
    Hugs
    Rachelle

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  4. HI Kay,
    a wonderful page and thanks for the information about this strong and beautiful woman!

    Ciao Beate

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  5. What a treasure of a book - what you've done with it is fantastic!!

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  6. loving the background Kay and the page from the book finishes it beautifully. Thanks for your comments on my blog and I have added the 'follow by email' button for you!

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  7. Hey, Kay! I don't have any Perfect Pearls, but I love my glimmer mists. :-) Very pretty!

    Re: your comment on my blog, I've been keeping an art journal for years. :-) Just not something I share, it's just for playing. Thx, though!

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  8. Love that you are still playing and creating Kay! Love Perfect Pearls...it is really nice to experiment with....and I think that is the great thing about art....it's all an experiment! Have fun playing! ;-)

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  9. Thank you for such a kind comment- you have no idea how true the "What do I do now?" is!

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  10. I've never tried perfect pearls, but I do use a craft mat...love what direction you're going in, Kay! What fun! (That book looks like a great resource.) Hugs! -E

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  11. This is awesome with the perfect pearls. I will try that! And I love the story about Madame Emilie du Chatelet. LOL :)

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  12. Stunning! Love your colours. I too love perfect pearls.

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  13. Great work Kay, give perfect pearls a go.

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