Saturday, July 23, 2011

Mixed Media Saintly Images Pendants

I'm branching in a new direction with my saintly images pendants.  Using mixed media in a controlled collage.  OK, in plain English I am using several different layers of papers, foils, etc. to achieve the look I want for my pendants.  The one above of St Faustina uses a metallic gold paint chip for the background, a large gold metallic sequin for the halo and the carefully cut out paper icon of the saint.  I then added the red permanent marker around the halo.  The dangle is a vintage medal of St. Faustina and the vision she had of Christ, with a glass bead attached below.
I'm enjoying the mix of textures and the effect of the layering.  This piece of St. Martin de Porres has a glittery blue background which is scrapbook paper.  I have to peel the layer off that I want to use otherwise it is too thick.  This particular paper is coated so the halo is a red permanent marker circle and then a golden yellow permanent marker for the fill.  I draw lines from the red edge to the center and it creates a lovely shaded effect.  I'm playing with different bails, I like the look of this thicker one but they are much harder to attach.
This icon of the Theotokos (God-bearer) is just as it comes except I found some incredibly tiny rhinestones and attached them to her halo.  The trick with these is to add thickness in the center of the pendant layers so the paper of the icon does not wrinkle.  It's not an exact science so I play with each one to get it right.
St. Isadore the Farmer, a wonderful saint in a simple layering.  I love the glittery backgrounds, the glitter is so very tiny.
St. Ignatius of Loyola has a silver metallic paint chip background.  I think it shows off his lovely green vestments nicely.  His halo is part of the original paper icon but I used a glitter pen to create the striae effect.
I also picked up a very out of date art student's book and it is a treasure of images for me to use.  This 8th century image of St John is a beautiful Celtic style icon from the British Isles.
This one is a 1 x 3 inch pendant with images of a medieval book of hours on each side.
And my love of Egyptian art surfaces again with this image of King Tutankamun's gold funeral mask.
Needless to say my etsy ship will quickly have a lot a new items in it.  This is much more fun than cleaning house.  Wonder if I can just open the door and sweep everything out.......?

4 comments:

Debra Dixon said...

Yep, definitely a step in the right direction!!

Recycled Cottage & Garden said...

Thanks! At the very least I don't want to get bored. It would cease to be fun then.

Debra Dixon said...

at the very least!

I like the idea of using old textbooks and guides too. Way cool!

Branlaadee said...

I loved the mixed media. It gives it some dimension and makes it truly one of a kind. Every time I see the picture of St. Isadore the Farmer, he reminds me of George Carlin. ha!

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