Revisitng the Classics

One of my favorite "first liners"

is the opening sentence of George Eliot's Middlemarch

handmade flowers of vintage laces, silk dupioni, and hand-dyed muslin

with centers of vintage buttons and a vintage cuff link

I created the figure by cutting out sequential cardboard figures,

layering them, and then pasting over with papermache

finally covering with vintage pattern paper, and painting with acrylic paint

The bustle was constructed from hand-sewn silk dupioni and vintage lace

the picture was copied in reverse from Dover's Women, a pictorial archive of 19th century images, 

(all copyright free)

and then image transferred to the gessoed and painted canvas.

I added the typography (computer) and the Prima rub ons.

I actually made this piece back in the winter and submitted it to Somerset Studio 

for their Classics issue - but they did not use it so I am posting it now.

Hope you like it!

Chris