sassacraft #4

family has always been extremely important to me. a couple years ago, i lived with a roommate in an apartment while my family lived two hours north in a house. this was the first time that i really lived away from my family, and the transition was difficult for me. i eased the loneliness by devising three art projects centered around my family that took me a few months to assemble, and which i presented to them for Christmas. i happen to be quite proud of these three pieces, and will not attempt to hide my joy in them.

the above is the piece i made for my parents, who have been to Africa a total of 4 times, twice together. it would be accurate to say that they left their hearts there. while in South Africa, a friend taught us a sweet song that has stayed in our hearts ever since. the collage is sepia-toned photographs from the four trips that are mod-podged to the canvas with a matte finish. the hearts are cut from felt and tacky glued to the canvas, the largest heart being two red felt layers with a layer of quilting batting stitched between to add more depth. the stitches are embroidery floss stitched in a basting fasion. the sepia tones were achieved via walmart's photo editor, and the prints are on photo paper, so they are not wrapped around the edges like on the two below projects. a black ribbon was glued to the edges for a more finished look.

this is the piece i made for my brother and sister-in-law. the collage is of their first child's first year. the black and white pictures encompass her birth through first ten months, while the color pictures on the flowers are her baby dedication, birth, and the one not shown here was from her first birthday, which occurred after the canvas was "completed." the flowers and watering can are made of felt, the watering can being stitched in the same method as the heart in the first piece. the words "watch her grow" are being poured from the watering can onto the flowers with light blue stickers that were mod-podged over to add extra stickiness. the black and white pictures are printed on copy paper to make them more flexible, and the colors were achieved by grayscaling the photos in Photoshop. while the pictures are wrapped around the side of this canvas, a black ribbon was affixed with tacky glue for a more finished look.

last, but certainly not least, is the piece i made for my baby brother, who loves all things music. the background is sheet music from three of his favorite bands--CCR's "Bad Moon Rising," The Who's "My Generation," and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'." the quote says "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." the guitar and music notes are made of felt, the piano keys are tongue depressors and popsicle sticks painted ivory and black.

these pieces were extremely fun to make, because they were made for people i love dearly and because i got to mix media. i love doing that. in fact, i might go start something new now, because looking at these has made me want to do more of these, an i have an idea!