Mad Women: It Was the '60s, and the World Was At Their Feet

This was one of the fastest collages made last week. I found the Simplicity pattern in a junk store in Owenton, Ky., on a trip to Versailles the weekend before last - and knew right away how it would be used. After tinkering with background maps, I found this one from the 1944 "Atlas of Global Geography" (Global Press Corp.). I intended to use the map in "Top o' the World Ma" - the collage at the top of the rail on the right side of this page - but didn't like the yellow and set it aside. It works perfectly here, as do the time zone clocks from an illustration in an issue of The Chatterbox.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, while the idea came fast, the cutting and gluing didn't. It took quite a while to cut out those figures and to get every foot, leg, etc. glued down. 5.5" x 8.5" on archival mat board. Matted to fit a standard 12" x 9" frame. $45 + $5 shipping & handling [SOLD]

Mad Women: In Marilyn's World, Big Was Better. Period.

I had been waiting for an op to use this vintage Butterick sewing pattern illustration and it came when I found more of the Tiffany jewelry illustrations on vellum that I had pulled from an old catalog. Those baubles say it all - and then some. 5.5" x 8.5" on acid-free watercolor paper, with ink and pencil. Matted to fit a standard 9"x12" frame. $55, plus $5 shipping & handling.

Mad Women: Yvette Knew Exactly What She Wanted

Yvette is an alter ego for Mad Men's Don Draper. Minus the angst, that is. The patterns are Butterick and McCalls from the 1940s and '50s, and the jewels are - who else? - Tiffany's. The illustration was one of many scattered through a catalog from about five years ago and is on vellum, so there's some transparency as well as a wonderful softness to the lines. I figured I'd use them one way or another, and saved all the pages.

It's difficult to see onscreen, but those are Swarovski crystals on her hat and dress - as well as one as a tie pin for the guy in the suit. Trust me, they almost have that Tiffany-cut gleam. 5.25" x 9" on archival mat board. Framed with conservation glass. Price: $100. (SOLD)

Brad's 35th birthday left him feeling off center

Brad started as a another techniques and composition practice session, this time in glazing a background, stenciling, and repetition. He took on a life of his own as the piece progressed. It always interests me to see how different a piece is at the end than I thought it would be at the beginning. I'll have to do a step-by-step post - when I remember to snap in-process photos, that is.  9" x 7" on archival mat board