"Farm Animals" is this week's Layers of Color theme, and using flowers in your creation is the Crazy Amigo challenge. I had pulled the papers for this journal page last week, and decided that I wanted to cut and use the flowers and ephemera that you see here now, but it took the combination of these two prompts to set me in a direction that turned out to be more than just a collection of images.
Besides cows, which always come to mind when I think of farm animals, George Orwell is always there too. Maybe from now on, when anyone says "farm animals", I'll picture George Orwell milking a cow....I hope not. But today I really didn't want to use the ubiquitous "cow", and it occurred to me that I do have Cavallini & Co.'s collection of "Animals" rubber stamps, so I decided upon the sheep and, of course, the pig, and stamped them both with fired brick distress ink.
The quote is from George Orwell's Animal Farm, written with a brown Micron pen. The background paper was made by brayering several colors of brown and yellow acrylic paint at right angles to each other over a piece of white drawing paper, and I'm pretty sure that all the ephemera scraps were part of a mini pile of paper from One Good Bumblebee, which is one fun online shop! The flowers were cut from a sheet of cardstock from a K & Co. pile. Everything was layered individually using matte gel medium thinned with fluid matte medium.
Tonight I think I'll take a trip back to the second-hand book store where, almost a year ago, I spied a beautifully illustrated copy of Animal Farm. If it's still there--and it just might be--I think I'll pick it up, take it home, and re-read it. It's been a long time. With the huge collection of books eating up all the oxygen in our house, I was very surprised to find that there was not even one dog-eared, paperback version of this classic, which I know my DD will sink her teeth into as soon as I've finished it for the third? fourth? ?? time since I first read it in eighth grade.
Have a great day, Everyone!
Great card, so complex! Love the Animal Farm references and the sheep.
Posted by: Gail | September 19, 2008 at 11:01 PM
Terrific, Barbara..what a great verse for this theme! Beautiful card.
Posted by: Gayle Page-Robak | September 19, 2008 at 11:22 PM
Wow this is shining. Absolutely awesome. Love them.
Posted by: Sandy | September 19, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Oh, this is such fun the way it all came together! The colors are dynamite, the bits and pieces fun, and the quote is also awesome! Love your entry, Barbara!
Posted by: Laura | September 20, 2008 at 12:00 AM
your piece really looks amazing!
Posted by: ilonka | September 20, 2008 at 01:17 AM
Your art inspires me. I look forward to each new piece with great anticipation!
Posted by: June | September 20, 2008 at 04:41 AM
Barbara, this is really a masterpiece! Your background is gorgeous. I've done that acrylic paint brayering technique and it's fun to see what happens as you brayer. The flowers must have been a beast to cut out but they do look perfect with your golden background. It's been years since I read Animal Farm and I should reread it sometime. I think I only read it once as a very young person so I'm a different person and might see different things in it now. Your entry is a great contribution to Layers of Colors challenge.
Posted by: faye | September 20, 2008 at 06:08 AM
This is great!!!
Posted by: Marita | September 20, 2008 at 06:26 AM
Beautiful and bright.
Posted by: Hermijne | September 20, 2008 at 08:30 AM
I love the brightness of this page. It's a masterclass in collage Barbara! The journalling said 'Orwell' to me straight away. I haven't read Animal Farm since my early teens, nor 1984! You really are making delightful art lately - very uplifting and always inspiring.
Posted by: Rosie | September 20, 2008 at 02:25 PM
This is so thought-provoking and lovely, Barbara. As a high school English teacher I love that you referenced Animal Farm! Like you, I really enjoy trying to combine challenges. It makes the challege even more challenging. Your work always inspires me!
Posted by: Katherine McCullen | September 20, 2008 at 04:01 PM
This is great! it has such a happy feel to it-made me smile thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Heather W. | September 21, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Hmmm...I think I have a copy of Animal Farm around here somewhere too! Love that you used it as inspiration for this amazing piece. I love clever artwork like this.
Posted by: Heather Robinson | September 21, 2008 at 03:36 PM
This is awesome hun well done its fab xxxx
Posted by: carolann | September 22, 2008 at 10:53 AM