working inside the box

Quite a while ago, one of the women in the Brunswick Art Collaborative brought a bunch of cardboard boxes to a meeting. These boxes were all the same size and shape (7" tall, 4.25" wide, 2" deep), and they had been used for Christmas ornaments. Her plan was to give a box to every Brunswick Art Collaborative member to see what each person would come up with...this is mine.

I am so happy that I finally finished this project! I had the idea for a shrine-type of piece as soon as I saw the box, and I certainly had more than enough medals to get it done (for those who don't know: I was raised in a VERY Catholic household- my great uncle was a priest, and my parents volunteered for the church- and, a while back, I found a box filled with Mary medals in the basement...no one knows where they came from). I knew I wanted to use an Our Lady of Guadalupe image for the center, but I didn't have a good one on hand...until a client asked me if I was interested in helping him dispose of some old refrigerator magnets! I found a discarded mini-string of Christmas lights on a walk around my neighborhood a while back (sometimes it pays to go for a walk on trash day!) and I knew they would be the perfect way to tie the whole piece together. I like they playful feel they give, and it reminds me of the decor at El Camino! Mmm...that makes me want guacamole! 

The only time I specifically devote to working on mixed media pieces is when the Brunswick Art Collaborative meets, which is why this took me so long to finish. It really was a lot of fun to work on, and I liked seeing the different choices other members made with their projects. We're a diverse group!