Today would have been my sweet Momma’s 94th Birthday. Hard to believe she’s been gone 5 years now. I know I honor her in my art and hope she see herself reflected there.My Summer Vacation started on June 16, a day I feel I emerge from my cocoon of restricted constraint. One of the few books I have read in the past 10 years was, The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd. The Pre Civil war era novel opens from one of the main characters, Handful’s perspective, as she retells an African legend of people who could fly but lost their wings once they were taken to America. I feel like this school year has taken away my wings and broke my spirit. I know that “Summer Jon David” is going to soar in the summer sun, stay up past sunset, sleep in setting no nasty alarms and rediscover his majestic wings. It is my season of exploration and artistic creations. One of my favorite podcasts is Atlas Obscura, celebrating the world’s strange and wondrous places. These are the inspirations for this artwork.
- Gather Supplies.
- Add Marbleized Washi Tape to Spine of GSLC ATC Folder for Added Durability.
- Cut Decorative Papers into 2.5 by 3.5 Piece to Attach to Inside and Outside Cover Potion of Folder.
- Glue Papers Securing with a UHU GlueStick.
- Use a Sanding Block to Tidy Up and Distress Dried Paper Covers.
- Use TH Distress Stains of Iced Spruce and Pumice Stone to Fill in Scratches.
- Add Another Length of Marbleized Washi Tape to Folder Spine.
- Use Golden Jenkins Green, Green Gold and Deco Art Color Shift Green Flash Acrylic Paints and a Paintbrush to Paint Top Frame of ATC Folder 2.
- Use Metallique Flame Acrylic Paint, Deco Art Stencil Cream Gold and a Paintbrush to Paint Bottom Portion Frame of ATC Folder 2.
- Glue Frame Portions Together with UHU GlueStick. Press Flat Until Fully Dry.
- Use 2.5 by 3.5 Pieces of Decorative Papers to Build you Collages on.
- Use ATC frame to Find Best Portion of Images Chosen From the Antiquarian Sticker Book: Imaginarium.
- Cut Out Images and Secure to Paper Using a UHU GlueStick.
- Edge Images with a Brown Marker.
- Glue Images to Prepared Layered Frames.
- Glue Frame to ATC Frame Folder 2 Using UHU GlueStick.
- Press and Dry Completely.
- Add Rub On Transfers-Golden Hot Air Balloons to Front Cover of GSLC ATC Folder Frame 2.
- Seal All in with Art Deco Matte Gel Medium.
Final Thoughts:
Although “Invention of Wings “ was a pre-Civil War novel, Maryland was a Border State, during the Civil War-meaning it was a slave state that did not secede from the Union. It was deeply divided, Farmers on the marshy Easter Shores and the tidewater region of Southern Maryland, once dominated by the tobacco crop, largely favored maintaining their right to own slaves as their livelihood relied upon it. Baltimore, home to a large free black population and trade magnates who profited handsomely from business with the South, housed both strongly pro-Union and pro-Confederate residents. The hilly countryside west of Baltimore, dotted by small family farms with a heavy German influence, leaned more towards the Union. It’s easy to imagine that many Marylanders just wanted to be left alone, but because of their geographical location they were caught in the middle of the conflict.
Both the Union and the Confederacy used hot air balloons to help determine the location of troops and artillery. This innovation in aerial warfare was a trailblazer for its time, as it took place forty-two years before the invention of the airplane.
Atlas Obscura has several episodes about the Civil War:Underground Railroad Experience Trail-The hike starts at the historic Woodlawn Manor, an old plantation whose owners were kicked out of the Quaker church for refusing to free their enslaved laborers.
Fort Carroll-was built in the late 1840s to defend the city of Baltimore from naval attacks, although like so many forts of its time this potential would never be realized. Point Lookout State Park was a Union prisoner of war camp to hold captive soldiers from the Confederate Army.
Point Lookout earned a reputation as one of the worst prison camps operated by the Union. The prison at Point Lookout held more than 50,000 Confederate soldiers over the course of the war, often under inhumane conditions.
National Museum of Civil War Medicine is set up as an immersive experience, with exhibits that recreate various aspects of Civil War life: day-to-day operations in an army camp, dressing wounds in the field, evacuation of the wounded soldiers, a field hospital, and a military hospital ward.
Fort Foote Rodman Guns-the twin Rodman Guns date to the Civil War and recall the defensive blitz that briefly transformed the city into the most heavily armed camp on in North America.
Dr. Samuel Mudd House Museum-on the night of April 14th, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater, jumped off a balcony and broke his leg. As Booth galloped through Maryland in escape, his first stop was at the house of Dr. Samuel Mudd.
Guess the Greyhound has been guarding the porch of the house at 108 West Church Street for over 150 years. But according to local history, it was almost turned into ammo during the Civil War.
Supplies: GSLC-ATC Folder Frame 2, Marbleized Washi Tape, UHU GlueStick, Decorative Pictorial Papers, Sanding Block, TH Distress Stains Iced Spruce and Pumice Stone, Golden Jenkins Green, Green Gold and Deco Art Color Shift Green Flash Acrylic Paints, Metallique Flame Acrylic Paint, Deco Art Stencil Cream Gold, the Antiquarian Sticker Book: Imaginarium, Pencil, Scissors, Brown Marker,Rub On Transfers-Golden Ht Air Balloons, Matte Gel Medium, Paintbrush
I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!