I’m in love–with a new art form, that is!

I spent almost all of yesterday sitting on my fanny at the kitchen table working on a ‘paper art’ project. This new art form is something that’s been piquing my interest since I laid eyes on Cloth Paper Scissors magazine some time ago. I joined a ‘ paper bag book’ swap on the Primitive and Rustic Delphi board which gave me just the ammunition I needed to get myself going on this new artistic adventure. Paper bag book, you ask? That is the neat thing about this…(and I never would have thought of it myself) it’s made from 3 paper lunch bags that have been sewn together right down the middle. Brilliant!

When I become interested in something, I tend to read up on it alot, ponder it, and purchase related stuff needed to begin the project (hence, my enormous yarn collection…kind of crazy for someone who someday hopes to knit a sweater, but honestly I have this irrational fear I just won’t be able to read the pattern directions), with the ambition and hope that now I have all the needed supplies, I will somehow be able to make time to begin. Nope…that’s not usually how it works for me. I need to have a purpose in mind to get started–I can’t just sit and begin creating something for no reason. A swap is just the fire I needed under my butt to get me going on this long awaited collage art book. After all, I have 3 people making a book for me, so I am obligated to think up an idea, implement it and mail it out to them. I was in a commitment.

After a few days of seriously trying to come up with a theme for the book, (I’m a theme-y kind of person…I love to think them up and build on them.) I began to get nervous because nothing was coming to mind. I always listen to Sinatra and one of my favorite songs is Fly Me to the Moon. One day while driving, and listening to the song, the idea just hit me like a ton of bricks. Make a book with the theme Fly Me to the Moon and use romantic photos to illustrate the lyrics of the song. PERFECT!

Now that I had my idea thought out and pretty sure it would be a success, I couldn’t wait to get started. I spent hours one night typing in colorful words on Yahoo and Google image searches so I could gather some computer pictures of vintage romance, kissing, dancing, etc. to use in my book. I found so many and saved them to my hard drive. Yesterday, this book was born. I had to make 4 identical books–one for each of my 3 swap partners and of course, one for myself. It was my very first ephmera*/collage art project and I am delighted with the results. I showed the finished book to my friend Cindy tonight and she said the book was just ‘so you, Em!’ It had all the images of things I love in my own life, (or at least wish for)–images of romance.

I can’t wait to get started on my next project and have a few preliminary ideas for a theme in mind. This paper art stuff is right up my alley and may be a new beginning for me.
One last thing…each book will hold a CD of Frank Sinatra’s hits, the first song being, Fly Me to the Moon. Theres a perfect spot in the book to slide in a CD, it’s a paper bag, after all! My swap partners will have a song book to go with the music.

*Since I began this new artistic endeavor, the word ephemera comes up often in magazines describing how projects made from this art form are put together. Here is a dictionary definition of the word ephemera. Now it ‘s not so scary to me anymore. These projects are made with pieces of ephemera, collaged all together to make a work of art.

Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter, not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, baseball cards, bookmarks, cigarette cards, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, photographs, postcards, posters, stock certificates, tickets, and zines. Decks of personality identification playing cards from the war in Iraq are a recent example.

CLICK ON EACH PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT FOR A BETTER LOOK.