Friday, May 29, 2009

Melange Art Challenge: Inspiration

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me
I was a child
and

she was a child,



in this kingdom


by the sea;


But we loved with a love that was more than love-


I and my Annabel Lee


The Melange Team's May 20th challenge was "Inspiration". It took me a while to catch up but here I am. I've been thinking for a while about making a series of Authors' Boxes. Here is the 1st, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe (who many believe was inspired by his late wife Virginia). If you want to read the rest of Annabel Lee, click here


I haven't played with wood in a while & had a grand time making this.


Decided to give it a slightly weathered look.


It is also filled with faded secrets in all the nooks and crannies



The notes tucked inside are copies of the writings of Virginia & Poe.

The smaller is a valentine written by Virginia. You can see the original here. The larger is a copy of Poe's Annabel Lee (the rest of the poem is printed on the back). See the original manuscript here.

The current Melange Challenge is Dance. I've several ideas but very little time so I may just post some older pieces soon. To view other interpretations, click Inspiration or Dance . Then click on the links in the comments to enjoy the wonderful variety . If you have the time, play along & enter your own creation!

So many challenges, so little time! I love how the ideas flow from the random prompts, Some pounce immediately, while others slither up behind me. Usually there are two or three but I rarely find the time to finish one - sigh... Some other great prompts this week are Adapt (IllustrationFriday), puppeteer (artonthedarkside) and Altered Ancestors (inspiremethursday). If only there enough time to play with them all.... Take a minute, look around & get inspired!

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Please note: All who leave a comment before noon (EST) Thursday June 4 will be entered into 2 random drawings: 1 is for a $20 gift certificate to my etsy shops & the other is for an ACEO. Click HERE for details

26 comments:

Chrisy said...

Fantastic box! I love that print of yours with Poe and his wife and it goes perfectly with the box...the words on the outside are clever..

Linda Hardy said...

YAWZZZZZAAAAAA!!!!

What the heck Stacy, that is amazing. I love the story and how you told it with the different photographs and how the piece all comes together.

Amazing! Now that should be published somewhere.

Congratulations on this amazingly creative entry, description, and your art.

WOW, I can't find enough words to say what I was thinking when I was reading it.

Amazing, simply, amazing!

WindandHoney said...

This is a really really nice piece. Its creative and deep. I'm impressed.

paperdreamer said...

Very impressive !!!!

suepelletierlaughpaint said...

Wow...this piece is amazing!! i love the concept of the author box...def. do more for a series...i've never seen anything like it!!

DeadmansLog said...

That's fantastic. I really want to share it on my blog; would you be opposed to me borrowing one picture, should I link back?

whyte said...

Speechless....I can't think of a word that explains my fascination with this piece! It appeals to the mysterious and treasure-hunt gene in all of us! Wow, Stacey, you really should submit this for pub in a Somerset.

Glenda-TwoCoolTexans said...

As usual Stacey, you leave me with my mouth open and in awe of the thought and the artistry that you put into each piece. I think that's what separates the sheep from the goats. I will now go stand in the goat line. Hugs, G

pinkglitterfae said...

Wow! this is brilliant, you are so creative! This must be even more incredible in person!

Alisa Nordholt-Dean said...

Oh...I love it!!!! You should definitely do more in this series! And you are so wonderful about providing links to the documents...I always look forward to a good read when I visit your blog!

PCarriker said...

Stacey this is the most amazing box! I love it!!! I love the poem and it has inspired a piece of work from me in the past. You really have a talent for wood crafting.

ArtSnark said...

Thank you! I really had a lot of fun making this box. Have 3 more designed in my head & just need to make the time to do them ;)

I do need to clarify 1 thing though:

I have built similar boxes in the past. But in this case, I bought an unfinished box, disassembled it as far as it would go and started from there.

Hope that isn't too disappointing. I apologize for not being clearer in the post

Rose said...

What an inspiration! So much detail! Love your work!

Captain Dumbass said...

That box is amazing! I love the idea.

slommler said...

My ideas have been simmering...wish they would slither up behind me.
LOL
HUgs
SueAnn

slommler said...

wonderful piece by the way...I forgot to add that. It is fantastic!
Hugs
SueAnn

QueenBe said...

All I can say is "WOW"!!! SO well done!

Joy said...

Wow, you are something else. That box is beyond amazing.

Fresh Peaches said...

Dude! That box is fantastic. I just love it!

EWian said...

Thrilling box! Like the way the wood-grain gives it character.

EWian

Tins and Treasures said...

I love the box...you should consider creating more of these.

starrynightimpressions said...

Stacey, the box is wonderful, I can see it being an heirloom one day!
By the way, are you a writer as well as an artist? Your styling of words is lovely.
blessings,
starrydeborah

Persimmons Gal said...

I love that box. I wish I had time to participate in the challenges but before I blink a week has passed!

Melissa said...

I love boxes, this turned out amazing, I love it!

Maria-Thérèse said...

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!
Did you make the box yourself as well?
As if you weren't talented enough already?!?!? Wowza. It is so beautiful. Hope you're selling these at appropriate $$$$ prices.

Little Brown Sparrow said...

Gorgeous!! I love the tiny details, so much secrecy to uncover. I have such a soft spot for Poe, thank you for showing me this!