Month: July 2007

Ladybusiness

Vintage Magazine Ads

Shelly

I’ve amassed a sizable collection of old magazines, mostly with the intention of using images from them in collage work. I thought it would be worthwhile to scan some of the ads, though.

Stillman's Freckle Cream Ad 1934
Stillman’s Freckle Cream, from True Experience, July 1934

Lavoptik Ad 1934
Lavoptik, from True Experience, July 1934

Fleischmann's Yeast Ad 1934
Fleischmann’s Yeast, from The American Magazine, January 1934

Campbell's Soup Ad 1934
Campbell’s Soup, from The American Magazine, January 1934

Listerine Ad 1934
Listerine, from The American Magazine, January 1934

The full set (with larger scans) is available here.

Altered Books, Art, Collage

The Terrible Hours

Shelly

I started working on a new altered book today: The Terrible Hours. It’s about a submarine rescue, I believe. I’m not a big fan of disaster stories, so I haven’t actually read it. I picked it up at the Mission thrift store because it was a nice size for altering, in good shape, and I liked the title.

The Terrible Hours: Sealed Against the Sea
The Terrible Hours: Sealed Against the Sea
collage (map, glass, and anatomical illustration) with Neocolors II and gesso
9 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches

My scanner doesn’t handle depth very well, and because there are shallow niches cut out of the pages, the furthest layer is out of focus. I’ll try to get a photo of it tomorrow, when there’s decent light.

Now, to go watch SiCKO, now that I have finally managed to get a clean copy of it.

Art

Maya Chacmool

Shelly

Maya Chacmool
Maya* Chacmool figure, Photogravure, 7 1/2 x 10 3/8 inches

I forgot I had this. I unearthed it while digging through a box of ephemera, looking for old maps to cannibalize for collage. It was given to me by the director of the art museum when I was researching objects from their Precolumbian collection. The engraving is of a Chacmool excavated by Augustus Le Plongeon at Chichen Itza in 1875.

Chacmool are a type of Precolumbian stone figures thought to be associated with ritual sacrifice. They are found in Mesoamerica, and always take the form of a recumbent human with arms and legs drawn up and head facing to the side. The hands, which rest on the stomach, hold a vessel that would presumably contain sacrificial offerings.

Chacmool
Chacmool excavated by Augustus Le Plongeon (1825-1908) from the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, 1875

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* The print says Aztec, but it’s a Maya figure from a Maya site

Photography

Black Raspberries

Shelly

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There are zillions of berries in the thicket and along the back tree line, but there are also zillions of birds (at one point yesterday, I counted 30 of them in the grass alone), who eat the berries. As soon as the berries ripen, they are eaten. I was hoping to snag some berries, because they are very tasty and I know for certain they have not been chemically treated. Oh well. I get more enjoyment from watching the birds than a bowl of berries could possibly provide.

Photography

Bones

Shelly

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Vole or Mouse Skull from Owl Pellet

I got a bunch of small bones, including an intact skull, from a friend, who got them at a DNR workshop. The bones are from an owl pellet. The pellet contained a large amount of fur, this skull, and assorted other small bones, including several tiny jaw bones with intact teeth. The skull is about 1 1/4 inches from top to bottom, to give an idea of scale. It’s tiny and very delicate.

Photography

Fresh Veggies

Shelly

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Some of the veggies I brought home from work. I hope my coworker continues to bring in her surplus, because they’re delicious. She said her tomatoes should be ready soon, for which I shall be eternally grateful. Grocery store tomatoes are terrible. However, while at the store this morning, I suddenly couldn’t stand it any longer, and had to pick up some green tomatoes. It’s just not summer if you don’t have fried green tomatoes, right? Only, the stickers on the greenies say they are “vine ripened.” M’kaythen!

I managed to find a couple that had a decent amount of pink and light orange in them. They make better fried tomatoes, because the flavor has developed a bit. Pure green tomatoes are too hard, even after frying, and they just don’t taste as nice.

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