2017 #8 Growth {by Keren Baker}

2017 Topic 8: Assemblage

Throwing down the 'think outsode the box' challenge with gusto, Keren has used a very unusual substrate as her base for this assemblage! Take a look... 

Hi everyone, it's Keren with you today.

This Assemblage topic is something that I dived into with no real direction and no real clue about what the theme really entailed. This assemblage piece has ended up being possibly the favourite project that I've created to date.

I finally got my head around what assemblage means once I'd completed it (haha!). In my musing over a 'found' object I actually found a child's violin I'd been given years ago and had forgotten about. This sparked the whole project. I used lots of bits lying around my desk that were half started for other projects and inked up some JoFY sets too!

I loved everything about this - gathering unconnected items that fitted into the theme 'Growth'. As a musician, the only way to grow is to practice and repeat and immerse yourself into music. I guess art is like that too. The first sticking point was actually allowing myself to paint the violin! Wisdom would have said to actually sand it down, but I knew that the Fresco paints were good enough to handle my short cuts ;-). Once I'd painted two completely contrasting colours using Hyde Park & Smurf, I added Crackle Glaze before a coat of Chalk

I could have removed the strings but decided to avoid the hassle and simply moved them out of the way. Having unmounted flexible stamps were so useful when trying to stamp onto the neck. I'd previously coated the neck with a couple of layers of Guacamole and then I used the leaves from JoFY set 49

I wanted to change the leaves into flowers, so added a couple of colours plus some gel pen detailing and voila!

The quote is completely perfect for the theme and came from another JoFy set- 52. I was too nervous to stamp onto the violin as I didn't want to mess it up so I just used tissue paper instead.

I loved the idea of butterflies adding movement to the piece and had some white Stazon stamped on acetate that I attached in different areas. Without growth, the caterpillar would never transform into the butterfly so I used the butterflies from Hot Pick 1506

I wanted to add something that tied in the musical theme. I took some sheet music; a piece of Einaudi's 'Divenire' that I'd had to play for a friend's wedding. The culmination of the growth of their relationship was their wedding, so it tied in perfectly with the theme.

You can see a little glitter on the Grunge Paste that are pasted onto acetate. I used a Lin Brown 005 stencil . It does however peel off really easily and is very brittle on the acetate. Next time, I'd gently sand the acetate and perhaps add some Gel Medium to the Grunge Paste to add some flexibility.

I stamped and added the beautiful JoFY flowers and arranged them as if they were growing out of the F holes. The found wire spring and old beaded strings (for the butterfly antennae) helped finish off the details.

Creating Assemblage with leftovers was easier when I didn't overthink it. Taking an unloved instrument and re-purposing it seemed like a kinder act than simply recycling it. Deciding to cluster the main design elements in one area meant the piece didn't end up feeling so cluttered and incorporated my love of white space too. If you get the chance to upcycle an old instrument, do have a go. I'll be hunting out more old/broken instruments and I really recommend it- the sense of the instrument having had a previous life and wondering what music had come from it really added to my creative experience. I need to be brave and now drill a hole in the scroll so I can maybe hang it up in my craft room! 

Thanks for joining me. Do catch up with me over social media too,
Keren xx

Blog: Kerenbaker's Blog
Facebook: Keren Baker
Twitter:@craftstampink
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Wow, I'd be over the moon and totally buzzing with that piece Keren! You conducted your creativity like a true maestro! Fantastico! ~ Leandra

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