Wednesday 29 November 2017

2017 #18 Torn, Ripped, Burnt: Torn Memories with VID {by Lynne Moncrieff}

2017 Topic 18: Torn, Ripped, Burnt

It's always a treat when one of our bloggers lets you inside their head; explains how they think, how they create, how they arrange... and it's super-fun when that head belongs to Lynne Moncrieff!


Hi everyone, it's Lynne Moncrieff, Adorn, with you today, and I'd like to share with you a project which found me immersed in my comfort zone where I dipped into many of my tried and trusted favourites to achieve a torn, ripped appearance.  I will throw my hands up in the air, I did not actually burn any items!  In my defence, I hope that some of the  elements have a burnt appearance even though I did not set light to anything. 



The beauty of such a project, items can be hunted and gathered from around the home and garden, a perfect project for re-cycling textiles, found papers and all manner of goodies.  Investing some preparation time in tea/coffee staining and placing bundles of gathered items outside to weather/rust will pay you in dividends. When moving onto creating the project, there is a wealth of stained and weathered items to select from.

I worked with the wonderful PaperArtsy Vintage Ink and the Dog Collection: set 06, the woman on tag stamp being the central figure in the narrative, the other stamps playing an important supportive role in her story. The high quality of PaperArtsy stamps ensured that I had confidence they would stamp onto a variety of collected surfaces:



I will happily while away time preparing bundles.  Vintage tart tins, wrapped with a mixture of textiles and papers, alongside vintage keys, crochet lace, safety pins.... laid outside, either doused in vinegar, tea or coffee with Mother Nature bringing rain and wind to distress the various items.




Patiently waiting for the items to be weathered, broken down, rusted, a little bit battered and torn, before bringing indoors to dry thoroughly. A beautiful tactile collection of textures in a variety of colour tones which will sit side by side harmoniously.


The pleasure in rooting around home and garden, discovering items to incorporate into projects, items which might appear insignificant at first sight but the magic is, they will soon become part of the story that is woven into the artwork. 


I never tire of tea and/or coffee baths. I used them in two ways, to stain virgin items as above but also placing some of the items that had already been outside, playing around with items which have been weathered and then dipping them into the baths, lots of interesting variations can take place, sometimes producing a very dark, almost black/grey colour. 

Vintage ID06
 


Having a plethora of prepared papers, textiles and extras to stamp onto is in itself inspirational especially when the stamp designs are so in tune with the aged appearance of the papers and textiles, as though each fragment has been unearthed from the past.


When working on such a multi-layered project, I have learned that there is a moment of restraint required from wanting to stamp everything in sight, ultimately there is a fine line, a balancing act of placing stamped elements alongside elements which are allowed to breathe, with no addition of stamping as they paint the narrative as much as stamped pieces.


Sometimes with layers, whether paint, stamping or textiles, they might not be evident to a viewer but that does not make them any less worthy of being included in a project.  For me, layers bring intrigue and in this project the layers symbolize the layers of her life, as though she might be flicking through the pages of her mind, looking at her past.


A wooden vintage clothes peg and craft peg, given a slightly burnt appearance from being weathered with the addition of dipped into a coffee bath. The clothes peg brings visual weight to the top of the assemblage, layered onto a variety of textiles all with torn, raggedy edges, including the fragment of lace which tops of the focal images.



When editing photos, my eye was caught by the fact that this element could be a mini assemblage, ideas already circulating in my head for future projects. . 



Torn, ripped edges of found papers, cardboard paper, calico, all previously stained and weathered with the addition of some of the edges being dipped into coffee or tea, with loose hand-stitched threads adding to the overall distressed appearance, as though memories that are fragile, about to be whisked off in a passing breeze as she desperately tries to grasp hold of those fading memories.


When you take the time to stain, rust, weather, it connects you even moreso with your project. Although ultimately, you cannot control the outcome of any of those processes, you are invested as you patiently wait for the result to unfold.

Try, if possible to re-cycle items or utilize found items as it is so rewarding when those items are transformed into a project.  When sourcing items, keep in mind that a variety of surfaces will not only bring more visual interest to your project, it also heightens the pleasure of stamping and can sometimes result in viewing a stamp with new eyes.

For me, such projects are layers of joy.  From the moment I begin gathering items to the  staining and weathering,I treasure those times as they are meditative, a time when the creative brain is on a different frequency, allowing ideas to brew.  It is also a time to simply experiment, play around with different textures, notice how some tear/rip differently creating different torn edges, some might not stain, rust as successfully as others.  

As for the tea baths, add a dash of Infusions. There is no right or wrong so long as you ensure you are not working with fumes, anything which could be toxic and be careful when handling rusted items, in other words, be creative and play but keep safety in mind.
My mind is already brewing with project ideas and yes, next time I will be burning something up!

Blog: Adorn  https://lynnesbowsandbelles.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynne.moncrieff
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stampingandbeyond/
Pinterest:https://www.pinterest.co.uk/lynnemoncrieff/

You do this beautifully! I love the loosely gathered and gently stitched elements, dangling thread, frayed lace, newly stamped papers that look old and weathered. It all comes together with your attention to detail in such a thoughtful manner! Taking time to enjoy the process certainly reaps rewards!Thank you for such an insightful post! ~Leandra


We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog

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Why not join our 2-weekly challenge by blogging your create response to the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link Topic 18: Torn, Ripped, Burnt will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 10th December 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

23 comments:

Helen said...

this topic is right up your alley! what a fabulous project - going back for a closer look now.

geezercrafter said...

A truly magical, thought provoking creation. Love the 'earthy' feel, your story brings to life all of the elements as if they once belonged to the stamped lady.

Seth said...

Love the organic feel to this!

Lemon Creation said...

You are my inspiration Lynne! Gorgeous project! Love what you've done with all the odd bits and pieces and some of them really do look burnt! Love it!

SewPaperPaint said...

Absolutely gorgeous! Love the deep woodsy nature.

Kirsten said...

Beautiful!

Lucy Edmondson said...

Oh this is such a wonderfully evocative and charming project, Lynne! And you write so beautifully!

Lucy x

Chris said...

Such a beautiful project Lynne and I loved reading about your process, I agree it can be exciting waiting to see the outcome of staining and other reactions, it's very absorbing too. Thanks for the inspiration. Chris x

Etsuko said...

Stunning project. It's looks your work the atmosphere of natural things that the paper and the cloth are assimilated into other elements by ripping and adding rust color. Just wonderful!! xx

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

I was just waiting to see if you would be part of this wonderful theme Lynne, so glad you are as the title has your artistic flare written all over it. Stunning outcome and your process is worth it's wait in gold. I love watching my little pots of bits and bobs outside waiting for nature to work it's magic on them.. Wonderful creation Lynne.
Warm Wishes Tracey xx

Jennie Atkinson said...

Oh my goodness Lynne! Fabulous, awesome, stunning .... all seem too tame to describe this immensely personal and inspiring piece of fabulous artwork. I love every bit of it and will come back to this time and again just to drink it all in. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful process. Jennie xxx

Mac Mable said...

Amazing staining, rusting and weathering. Full of memories and thought...Stunning x

Words and Pictures said...

Such beautiful work, Lynne - and I particularly love the photos of your bundles of collected objects and materials. You're so right about allowing time to be one of the ingredients in the work - the weathering and staining and rusting adds so much depth and meaning to the final artwork. Thank you for a wonderful post.
Alison x

froebelsternchen said...

A simple AMAZING project!

Artmadnana said...

Oh Lynne!! Your artwork never fails to inspire me. Until this post, it has always seemed out of reach - something to aspire to - but never quite achievable. However, your photos and wonderful explanation has me giddy with ideas! I see these Tea-stained papers and dried tea bags as folds of dresses and gowns. I think I can have a go now!! Thankyou so much for giving me the courage to try.

Dorthe said...

Oh my goodness, Lynne, this is absolutely stunning, and a fantastic beautiful creation and blogpost.
I so love your amazing photos with your bundles and the results of rusting and dying ,-just look at these beautiful tones , coming from your work, and how gorgeous you have created your art piece using all the torn and reused papers and fabrics.
You are such a gifted artist, and I feel so much joy seeing and reading this post.
Thank you dear friend.

Jo said...

Oh Lynne ... this took my breath away .... such natural beauty .... I love all of the textures created by the rust, the coffe, the elements ...

Annie said...

I have so enjoyed this post Lynne and I am as always in awe of your beautiful makes. Love the various textures and the way you have altered them...fantastic tips and I love the stamp set yo used...amazing !!!

Now on my list !!

Sending my best wishes
Annie x

Art By Wanda said...

Just fabulous, Lynne!!!!!!!!!! And I loved reading the post!!!

Melina Dahl Minas kreativa said...

You create such beautiful art Lynne! Thanks for sharing 😍

Jackie PN said...

Such a stunning piece!!
Jackie Xo

Miriam said...

Lynne, I knew this was your project straight away - totally stunning!

Lynne Moncrieff said...

I am overwhelmed at the amazingly supportive comments for my project, thank you everyone. It is always a joy to be involved with the PaperArtsy blog and this theme was tailormade for me LOL.
I am touched when people say words such as I am an inspiration or that they believe they could not create my style of projects, such words don't fit with my personal view on what I make.
Chris, of course you can achieve this, don't ever doubt that you cannot work on a project such as this. I hope you have already started to hunt and gather bits and pieces and you have a spot outside to place a bundle or two!!!
Thank you everyone, it has been humbling to read your words, your support.
Wishes
Lynne