Looking Back....an Artsy Memoir

Creating a memoir with Textiles, Paper and Old Hardware

One day last week I wanted to do something different. I found this old framed piece of store bought art that I used as my technique/experiment board. It was kind of calling out to be transformed. At this point, I didn't have a clue as to what my goal was, but just wanted to experiment a bit. I thought it would be fun to put some different mediums on this one, like material, paper, some paint....then my mind started reeling and I rummaged through my box of goodies and found some old keys, hardware to an old Singer sewing machine and a sawed off end of this broken down crate I found on the side of the road one day. Now we're talking!! I thought, "Jen, let's put all this wonderfulness on this 'Masterpiece in the making'!!" (I like to speak things into existence) lol. So I got to work: cutting up an old dress of my daughters, measuring, painting a bit, gluing, but no waxing on this one, since I didn't want to dull the vibrancy of the beautiful colors. This piece forming it's theme, and as I worked on it, thoughts of my grandparents overwhelmed me. "Looking Back" had become a memoir of them. This is what it finally ended up to be, and I really love it!!

Here is a close-up of the "side of the road" wooden crate piece (bottom left of the photo) and one of the two keys. I left parts of the original "practice board" showing, like the pictures of the beach and tree scene. The tally marks are all part of the meaning of this piece. I wanted to pull out parts of my past...of my Grandpa Tord, who was a school teacher, and my Grandma Florence, who sewed and also created things as well.

Here's one more close up, showing the Singer hardware, which has numbers on each "hook part", tying in with the tally marks, and also the other side of the beach scene. I grew up with my grandparents on the Great South Bay on Long Island, so leaving these photos, embodies my upbringing. My Grandparents have been gone for many years now, so this piece is a touching reminder of the blessing they were, giving me love and a beautiful life, as a little girl.

This piece is called "Looking Back"

and is in memory of my Mor Far and Mor Mor

(Swedish for mother's father and mother's mother)