Collected 1 & 2

The first two of a new collection of eleven framed collages.

I thought it was about time I made some more wall art, and with the promise of new lounge decor on the horizon, what better time than to design some new art?

I chose to emulate my favourite collage artist, Sarah Lugg for this collection and after purchasing eleven white box frames in various sizes (selection shown above), I set about designing and making them over the spring of 2019. Here are the first two, with more to follow.

 

Designing

 

Designed as a pair to be hung side by side on one wall, Collected 1 & 2 share similar layouts and complimenting elements. The overall size of the box frames used are 12″ x 16″ (glass size).

The idea for the layouts came from this collage by Sarah Lugg (above). I liked the layers and the mix of block sizes. Sarah’s collage is mostly made up of stitched fabrics, but I knew I could do something in paper and objects instead.

This early design shows both layouts side by side. It was basically to get a feel for the design and what to put into it. I liked the idea of using the wax seals from old documents, so set them out on one design, while marking the space for another strip with my ruler. The layouts and elements went through a few changes before the final designs were settled.

This is the final layout for Collected 1. A piece of an old legal document was used as the background and then the other elements were placed on top. Smaller blocks of old document paper were used as sectional backgrounds. The strip of paper containing the wax seals had to be cut up for three seals to be visible.

 

Collected 1

Once I was happy with the layout I removed the mount board from the back of the frame and constructed the collage directly on to it. In the image above, the background paper has been stuck down with lengths of double sided tape. This stops the paper from wrinkling and causing the board to warp.

The next stage was to add the other background pieces, such as the envelope, script paper in a contrasting colour and strips of wax seals. It was at this point I felt the design could do with something bolder to cover the horizontal joins. I stuck down some vintage rick rack braid in off white which seemed to do the trick.

It was then time to add all the objects. Each was stuck down with silicone glue for strength.

 

The Finished Collage

Here is the finished picture in it’s frame. From the top left we have, a silk flower with a large coat button in the centre and a key underneath, with a red stamp to finish. Next, a dried starfish over a blue stamp, plus three small tags with white shells on them. Next, a large chipboard number ‘3’ painted duck egg blue, with three small paper flowers and buttons above. Below left, a plaster moulding and three tiny tags with shells on them. Next, two silver skeleton leaves with tags and buttons on top and a blue stamp above. Below that are three sections of old document with original wax seals and signatures. Below left is a tag with a skeleton leaf and a smaller tag and button, a vintage floral hat embellishment and a blue stamp. Next, an old advert, a mother-of-pearl fish and a silver heart charm. Finally, an old shop sale ticket and a red stamp.

Here are a few close up shots showing the objects in more detail.

 

Collected 2

With the first frame completed, it was time to tackle the second. I actually ended up changing the layout quite a bit from my initial design as I wasn’t happy with some elements of it and felt I needed to keep to the largely horizontal look of the first.

So, after sticking down the large background sheet, I assembled a new layout with smaller script pieces, a postcard and more wax seals.

Most of the objects I had planned to use made it on to this new design, just a few changes were needed before everything was stuck down.

 

The Finished Collage

The finished and framed Collected 2 has similar objects to the first which I feel is important when making a pair. The vintage rick rack braid also mirrors the positioning on the first picture. From the top left we have, a floral hat decoration with a blue stamp, plus two small shop price tickets. Next, a silver skeleton leaf with tags and buttons. Next, an old button card with four tags, paper flowers and buttons. Below are three more wax seals and signatures. Below left, a vintage floral hat decoration and blue stamp. Next, a large tag with plaster bird, skeleton leaf, tags and a chipboard number in duck egg blue. Next, Three fancy keys, which were sanded clean and waxed, three tiny tags and shells and a slightly larger shell. Below left, two tags with shells and stamps on. Next, an old advert with a dried starfish and silver heart charm. Finally, a speedometer dial from a classic car and a red stamp.

Here are a few close up images showing the detail.

You might have noticed a small tag in the bottom right hand corners of each picture. Those are signature tags and will be found on all these pictures. A V for Alison Vainlo, 19 for the year, 2019.

 

Alison Vainlo 2019