Assemblage Class Sept. 29

Small jewelry box assemblage

Assemblage with Found Objects   Sept. 29 bethbynum@aol.com  

10-3 pm      Gaylord Area Council for the Arts, Gaylord

$55 for non-members, $50 for members

Class limit 12 minimum      For class to go- 5

Combine vintage photos, trinkets, and bits and bobs with glue to make a 3-D box assemblage.  Create a family heirloom.  In this class you will make three assemblage pieces using an Altoid tin, a sm. cardboard  jewelry box, and a cigar box or other wooden box.  Try out a new genre.  Use up your “good junk”.  

I will furnish:

Glue E-6000                      Assorted acrylic paints

Matte medium                 Brushes                  screw drivers

Vintage paper          balsam wood                paper cutter

Sm. picture frames with glass      Hair dryer

You will need:

*Altoid tin                     

 *Sm. jewelry box with lid         

*Cigar box or other wooden box            *Glue E-6000

*ruler      *Paper cutter       * scissors   *assorted acrylic paints

*Keepsakes- trinkets, buttons, old jewelry, beads, ribbon, lace

*Paper- photos, maps, newspaper, vintage stamps, movie tickets, scrapbook paper, children’s art

*Other stuff- marbles, small toys, doll parts, ruler, cloth tape measure, use your imagination

****If you plan to use family photos and other personal papers, please make copies (quick print) in advance and bring them to class

Wear work clothes and bring a lunch (depends on location).

Altoid tin assemblage

Gazing Box

I completed another box using found materials. This box has a scrapbook paper background. The small box held candles in a plastic holder.  Perfect for repeated patterns. Box is covered with paper from a vintage children's book. Add in rusty keys, bobbins, black letter magnets, and a rusty letter hanging on a paintbrush. I added a game piece on tap of a wooden candle holder and yellow blocks on the bottom. The back is finished with vintage paper. Off it goes to a juried show. 

"Dolly wth a Hat" dolly in a gold frame in a cigar box with a gold frame. The dolly has been in my keeping for a long time. The story has it being found in the dirt by the corn crib at my grandparent's farm. No one knows the history of the doll. But it was perfect for this box   Who knows where it will find a home. 

Crooked Tree Juried Show

So happy to announce that my entries have been accepted in the Crooked Tree Fine Arts Show. I'm extremely pleased since I have not seen an assemblage box in this show. And, my tissue paper and vintage scrapbook paper in '"Winter Shoreline" is a bit unique since it's  collage on canvas. At any rate, I'm proud to be a part of this show. See Beth smiling. 

"Hinged Nest" assemblage footed box

"Winter Shoreline". Collage on canvas

Assemblage Bug

I really have it bad. I found this clock and totally demolished it getting it ready to be something new. I found a few new pieces at the dumpsters. I've looked through my collection, but nothing has really taken hold. Well, I'm going to Canada so maybe I'll have some objects fall from the sky. Lots of parking lots, sidewalks, and gas stations. Surely, I will have enough good junk to create an awesome assemblage. 

Small box assemblage tutorial

Find a small box with lid. Can be jewelry box  or other sturdy box.   This box is deep and will work well for holding treasures

Next, cut paper to fit the back of the box. Using matte medium, glue on the paper getting rid of any air bubbles. In this case, black paper may not have been the best choice since it tends to fade when  matte medium  is put on it. 

Measure the inside of the box and cut paper with paper cutter to get smooth edges. 

Cover the inside of the box removing air bubbles. 

Continue covering the box inside and out. Set aside to dry. May have to cover with waxed paper and put weights on it to have it dry smoothly. 

While the box is drying, work on the cover. Find a piece of glass from a small picture frame. The glass needs to fit on the inside of the cover. Measure a smaller opening than the size of the glass. Using an exacto  knife, cut a hole in the cover. Warning- be careful.  Cover the front of the box cover with parts on the inside.  You may have to recover to make a clean opening. I Used washi tape to go around the lid edges.  Glue glass inside cover using E-2000. You need to be careful that the glue doesn't get on the window. It is difficult to get it off. Sometimes I use baby wipes to clean the glass. 

Now is the fun part, finding objects to put in your box. It is important to pick items to scale. I dug through my toy collection and came up with the sheriff badge. I glued a cardboard circle on the back to make the badge stick out. After arranging the cowgirl boots and the toy horse on a block , I glued all of the pieces down. Let dry. 

Finally, put on the lid. Viola, an assemblage box. I put a metal round hook on the back for hanging. 

Assemblage- example using an Altoid Tin

Small assemblage box made from an Altoid tin. 

COMING SOON. ASSEMBLAGE CLASS

I have been working on a class description for my upcoming assemblage class. 

Here are some assemblage boxes I have created. 

You will see most of these boxes at the Art Mixer at the G T Distillery in downtown Traverse City. The Art Mixer is Fri. , Aug. ,12. Watch for my class announcement.