Saturday, May 29, 2010

Walk-a-Mile Challenge : Rich



Last October, Conversations-in-Cloth, my local art quilt group announced the Walk-a-Mile Challenge. Karen Matze, who devised this challenge, loves to recycle things. She challenged us to go for a walk, and pick up any old piece of junk that could be used in a piece of artwork. She said we could use 1 piece of commercial fabric, and muslin that could be treated any way we wanted. So all winter, I've been walking, and collecting a pile of stuff.


Here's what I actually used for this piece :
* A piece of paper from a billboard floating on a sidewalk in Toulouse, France
* Net from a bag of avacados
* A Ghirardelli chocolate chip bag
* Green lace from a dress that no longer fits me

I took that Ghirardelli bag and opened it up, painted it with miceous oxide acrylic paint, and zapped it with a heat gun. The result looked like a rocks along a stream-bed to me. If you look closely, you can see the blue and gold Ghirardelli logo under the paint. The plastic net bag and the green lace became vegetation. The billboard paper became the sky reflected in the water. I added some additional beads. This piece is only 4 x 6 inches, post card size.


Here is my inspiration photo, taken on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, near Uig.
How'd I do?

5 comments:

sheba said...

that is AMAZING! the resemblance to the picture is really accurate. I am so impressed

Karen M said...

Michele, that's a great interpretation of the photo, and really cool use of your found materials!

Karen S said...

Very cool, Michele. I love seeing recycled stuff made into art. I hope you got to eat some of the chocolate...

Mande said...

I would like to get myself a heat gun and am planning to ask for one for my birthday. This project is really cool. did someone really litter a full size chocolate chip bag? What has this world come to? I think your result is really amazing though.

Dreams can come true! said...

Great pic, I love this challenge. Going to do this today. Welcome to the Creative Challenge Yahoo group too. Chris http://shopconsingment.blogspot.com/