Saturday, January 9, 2010

My Darling Alexandra...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (last month) ALI!!!

I recently made this mixed media piece for my darlingist friend Alexandra for her birthday. Explaining our friendship is such a great story. Ali and I have been friends since very early childhood. We shared time in elementary school together and then ended at different schools for a few years and then ended back together as good friends during high school.

After high school, it's ALWAYS hard to maintain contact. We did for the first year or so but then slowly drifted. It happens...unfortunately.
Well...thanks to the "MAGIC" of Facebook we reconnected this past summer....just when I needed her the most. Come to find out...we've been living less than 10 minutes apart for almost 8 years and had never run into each other!!
She is magical, gentle, beautiful, full of passion for what she does and what others do...she is THE BEST Mom to two of my favorite children in the entire universe. Oh and she has a fab hubby too ;)
We don't get to see nearly enough of each other but when we do it's like a cosmic connection. We just absorb every second we get with what's going on in each other's lives. And it's easy because it's not like it's a new friendship. We have history - off and on off and on - but a history nonetheless.

So during one of our visits, we were looking at old photos and she showed me her parents engagement photo. It's STUNNING beyond stunning. Since she's a fan of my work so she said "can you do something with this". So this is what I did with it!! And don't worry...I scanned the original and used a copy of it. She still has the original ;)

I have to tell you...I worked on this for a long time. Not that it was laborious....I just wanted it to be perfect for her. And when I was done my brain hurt and my heart swelled because I was so happy that it was right for her.

Just a few cool points of note about this piece:

  • The background that everything is adhered to is an antique book cover that fell off of an old book that I've had in my basement for years.
  • The background text is actually a blown up version of The Psalm of David. Not for religious purposes....but I find it an extremely soothing passage. It's poetic to me more than anything else...
  • That turquoise "button" you see is a button but the turquoise part is actually copper that has oxidized because it is THAT old. It's from my Great Grandmother's stash!
  • The frame is believe it or not from Target!! I just really banged it up with sand paper to give it it's patina. And yes, the ( ) are Hambly Rub on's.
Thank you so much for visiting!!!! I hope you enjoyed my mixed media creation!!!

XOXO-
Meredith

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