The Gift of Commemoration
My dear friend and neighbour suffered the loss of the daughter he'd brought up as his own; a twin. Maxine and Danny both shared bright sunshine smiles - the kind that light up a room or event. Nearly two years since her premature passing, grieving that loss is always present, and especially so at significant times in life.
Danny and Jane invited the family to come visit them in their beautiful, cosy Lodge in the New Forest, where they were staying while their home-to-be was in the process of being built. Wanting to say Thank you with a gift, and wanting that gift to include Maxine, I had the challenge of creating something suitable in 3 days. Bob was tasked with finding photographs I could use, and graciously, bravely, told me I could photocopy them or even cut them up - he knew he could trust the results.
We liked the ragged, torn film-strip! Bob asked for a
commemorative artwork as well. I knew, then, I'd include a picture of Natalie, his fabulous wife, who long outlived the dire prognosis of just a few short years: always living life on her own terms!
Just Start
There's a strange kind of fearful anticipation before beginning any project: Will it work? How do I start? Can I do this? The only way to break the spell, is to start.
Starting Wednesday late afternoon, with photocopies, I used Image Maker to transfer the film-strip to material from a textile sample book. This needed to be left overnight. Early Thursday morning, the backing-paper was rubbed away, and the image sealed with a thin coat of Image-Maker. Tricky - as more can be rubbed away than desired, and any air bubbles previously undetected now become glaringly obvious! (Can I do this? Will it work?...)
I found, and cut up, a tulip-print neck-warmer that toned well with the background; riffled through my tins and boxes of broken jewellery; fabric scraps and trimmings - pinning everything in place, and lots of re-positioning.
...and continue...
I had 3 photocopies of the film-strip, so, waste not, want not, decided to make 3 artworks. As it turned out, the 1st one, intended for Danny, went to his niece, while he chose the 3rd panel to which I'd added a little removable, framed photo of him and his twin.
...Until Finished
I learned a lot in the process and appreciated the challenge of making artwork in time for an early morning start on Saturday - just two days to start and complete the project. It helped that Bob had such faith in my abilities!
