Playing with Mixed Media!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!  I've been having a blast playing around with map and atlas images and some of the new mixed media "toys" that I got for Christmas.  Truth be told, I had made my friend a gift using a frame from Michaels, and loved the way it turned out so much that I went right back to get one for myself (at 50% off, too)!

I don't have many decorations for Valentine's Day so I made a colorful collage that started with a black and white map of Italy and some "love" designer paper.  I used water-based paints, inks and sprays to add bright pink and vivid orange, then layered stamps and inks, stencils and whipped spackle.  If you look closely, you can see the Italy label in the upper corner, and the faint array of cities hidden under the layers of color and texture.  

Beautiful bright pink jewels lead the eye through the details of the collage, swirling around the word Italy in the upper right corner, framing the sentiments and pink enamel heart that form the focal point of the piece.  A little smudged ink helps them to stand out from the busy-ness of the background.  

I love that the map and mosaic patterns of this piece remind me of our trip last year, reminiscent of the tiles of so many of the streets and structures we visited.  The frame that I gave my friend held two collage pieces that formed the front and back covers of a suspended photo album, and I'm tempted to do the same, although I think this will most likely become another one of those decor items with interchangeable inserts for each holiday to go along with my library card drawer.  I'd love that!