Wish You Were Here at Detroit Artist Market

Detroit Artist Market

All Aboard

As soon as I saw the call for entry, I knew this was going to be a fun piece to create. The artists were asked to use two vintage postcards provided by the Detroit Historical Society as inspiration for the artwork.

All Aboard

To incorporate both postcards, I decided that a travel theme would be appropriate with luggage and ticket stubs being a main element. The cover of an old Bible became the faux leather for the suitcase which housed the pages inside. Mini stretched canvas was used for the base of the luggage and brad-embellished strips of leather were attached to the covers. Ring-style beads were cut it in half to create a metal handle. The beading holes made it easy to wire to the luggage. Vintage photographs were included to represent the travelers and various ticket stubs were collaged in to represent the travel.

The first postcard was a painting of a steamship called the Tashmoo that was launched in 1899 and had a route from Detroit to Port Huron with a stop at Tashmoo Park near Harsen's Island. Frank E. Kirby, not only designed the Boblo boats, the Columbia and the Ste. Claire  but the Tashmoo as well. The ship was also nicknamed  "The White Flyer" because of its speed and "The Glass Hack" because of it's numerous windows. *Referenced from HistoricDetroit.org

The second postcard illustrating an outing at Belle Isle was a correspondence between to girls named Muriel and Norma. It was Muriel's birthday and she was describing a fun day that was being planned by her Uncle George.

And here are the rest of the pages:

Maps of downtown Detroit were aged by layering yellow tissue paper coated with Diamond Glaze™ and mica sheets. The maps are framed within the inside cover niches.

The opening reception is planned for Friday, July 29 from 6 - 9 pm and the exhibit runs through August 27, 2016. The Detroit Artist Market is located at 4719 Woodward Avenue.

***UPDATE*** All Aboard was accepted into the Anton Art Center's Michigan Annual XLIV show and will be displayed from January 27 through February 24, 2017.
***UPDATE DEUX*** All Aboard was sold at the Anton show to a lovely patron. Thank you so much for supporting my art.