Rag-picker is a term for someone who makes a living by rummaging through refuse in the streets to collect material for salvage and reuse. Although solely a job for the lowest of the working classes, it was considered an honest occupation.
Well, of course!
And, not only that, but also—fancy this!—another term for rag-picker is chiffonnier. La-di-da!
Today, as studio chiffonnier, I salvage a 2016 'busy & quiet' exercise—itself made of salvaged material. I cut it into a diptych, mount each half on scraps of a wallpaper sample from a 2013 kitchen renovation project, slip each card into a clear protective sleeve.
This chiffonier says, Voilà!
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| And Follow After 4.25 x 5.5" greeting card; acrylic, ink, pencil, and collage abstract 2018 |
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| The Day Together 4.25 x 5.5" greeting card; acrylic, ink, pencil, and collage abstract 2018 |
8 comments:
Oh Chiffonnier sounds soooooooooooo exclusive! Now I feel better when I rummaged in a street pile and collected lots of sketchbooks/ paper/ cardboards that someone threw away from an artists studio when they bought the house. Someone is getting ready for the holiday season!
It IS fun to observe the long-held practice of elevation of job titles playing out here. Also fun to know that we are practitioners of an honest occupation. LOVE that you garnered all those awesome art supplies from your own chiffonniering!
Two!!! Holy cow. These are wonderful. And how you've elevated those rag pickers in my thoughts. And made me into a paper hoarder. :)
Love it, the color is beautiful. I like the subtle word 'together'. What I also like is that through reading your letters and blog my English has improved so much! Chiffonier! Who would ever have thought about that! ;-)
Thanks, Jen! I've really been thinking about those rag pickers these past few days; I've long been drawn to the invention and creativity of re-use. Uh oh, don't start your paper hoarding until after your move!!
Thank you for the feedback on color and words. In true chiffonnier fashion, the three words in each card came from a wedding invitation printed on translucent vellum—fabulous fodder for collage … and a wonderful wedding, too!
Voilà! Indeed :)
Thanks, Sheila.
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