Curiouser and curiouser...

Postcard for June Exhibit: Ephemera at Frank Bette Center for the Arts

Ever sign up for something in the heat of the moment then forget about it until it becomes a fire drill? I thought the theme Ephemera for the FBC would be just the thing to help promote my work, so I eagerly raised my hand and promptly forgot about it. Six months later I get a call, "Is the art ready for the announcement postcard?"

"Uh, yeah, almost."

Yikes. Rather than panic, I decided to forgive my forgetfulness and give my brain fog a different spin. I've been thinking I'd like to try illustration, book covers, or commission work. Well, here it was. A project with a tight deadline and a loosely defined content. In the words of the prospectus:

"Transitory, without lasting significance, temporary, fragile, fleeting, bits and pieces, scraps, stuff, delicate, trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, tickets, zines, playing cards, graphs, ticker tape, fortune cookie fortunes, samples".

I'd just seen the fabulous Johnny Depp version of Alice in Wonderland and had been wanting to do an Alice collage for some time. I'm still working on the large version, but the small version designed for the Postcard for the Ephemera Exhibit is shown here.

The Elements: I scanned a border from a vintage book and removed the etching by erasing it in photoshop. I added a photograph I took inside the Frank Bette Center. With all the background pieces in place I could now begin to play.

I loved the child in this tintype, so I cut her out (my favorite part of playing paper dolls) using Photoshop, then colorized and painted with various digital brushes, burn and dodge and other filters (we're talking hours here). I added her shadow so she would appear to be her "Drink Me" size. Note the bottle on the table. Then I began to add the references to Alice..ranging from quotes to scanned pages from the original Tenniel illustrations in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. As a final touch, I replaced the King of Hearts' visage with Frank Bette's face. The above version was sent to the printer for postcard production. For the show in June, I'll have a 13x19 inch version with further details and additional "ephemera" applied, including the griffin.

**My cat Maggie does the honors as the Cheshire grinner. She insisted on a credit.

If not now, when?

Just post, Christine said. It doesn't matter what you post, just that you do.

So when I won the Executive Director Award for the Fleur et Femmes exhibit at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts, for The Muse of Painting, I thought, now.

More later. Really. But sooner, rather than...

Deborah

www.deborahgriffin.com for more of my art portfolio

Some words of advice to the child in the photograph...

I look into your eyes and see you haven't forgotten what came before this life.

Forget it.

This is a do-over.

Here's a list of things to do:

Dance

Swim

Sing

Paint

Write

and Roller Skate

before you know any of those can hurt you.

Develop a sense of humor and humility EARLY. Do this before you stumble upon insecurity, fear and self-consciousness.

Recognize your beauty, enjoy it, and then ignore it.

Your looks will change, but the look in your eyes will keep their attention.

Love often and with passion and take more lovers than husbands.

Discover food; use it as a pleasure not a vice, then you'll never have to diet.

Respect money, but don't let its pursuit become your focus.

Read books. Lots. All kinds.

Welcome friends into your life--from friends come energy, unusable advice, compassion, acceptance, ideas, and appreciation -- then practice those qualities in your friendships.

Explore all religions until you find the version of spirituality that fits this time around, then be subsumed regularly.

As time passes your life will fill up, most importantly, leave some room in your days for you.