A non-conventional layout

[Wulf]

A few of us in the "Post a project on every board" Craftalong have been voicing reservations about scrapbooking. We aren't comfortable with the 'perkiness' of the commercial embellishments and find most of the usual layouts unrepresentative of our own lives. So our leader and den-mother EdelC challenged us to post a scrapbook page that expresses a quirky or uncommon aspect of our lives without using commercial embellishments or preconceived layouts. This is mine.

This is my older brother Peter, who died in 1991. The ideas started with the image of the burning motorcycle (a story that I'm not ready to cast into the Interwebs), which made me think of the artist David Wojnarowicz, who often included burning objects in his paintings. I set out to do a page in Wojnarowicz's style, but of course it turned into something else.

I haven't yet decided how much I like it or whether it really captures the memory it was intended to. I think the background painting would have been better done in watercolour rather than acrylics, because it has a bit too much gloss which I think is distracting. (Not visible in this photo.) There is a space in the lower left that needs a photo. I'm going to have to canvas my family to find one that would fit. The Chinese funeral money at the top is there partly because Wojnarowicz often collaged banknotes into his paintings, partly because the open space needed something to break it up, and partly in respect of the Chinese tradition of burning money to honour the dead.

Comments and suggestions are welcomed.

Wulf

[Poosel]

i love it!!!! one of the reasons i haven't gotten into scrap booking is because most of the stuff one can get for it is rather harmless and just "pretty". yours is very thought provoking...and inspiring!

[KLKing]

 Thanks so much for sharing , Wulf! I'm sure this was really a difficult piece to work on. I am
so touched by the depth of thought put into this.
  I hope you can find the perfect photo to fill in that missing spot!

[lady_sepulchre]

this is beautiful and brilliant! and i love the black and white. take that, scrapbooking!

[themuppet]

Awesome job, Wulf.  The thing I like the most about it is that it creates more questions than it answers.  Rather than tons of glitterfied text embellishments (gone fishing!  daddy's little girl), the whole thing is rather subtle and haunting.  And your painting for the background is wonderful, flaming motorcycle included.

[edelC]

I really do like it. the painting for the background is great and the colours work so well. I love that it is non-conventional at that the story is so well reflected and honest..in the work..I also love that it references another artists work.

I have a suggestion, but it is more of a personal preference. I think that it would look good if the edges of the main page were darkened a little, the photos have frames and that concentrates the view on there, a slightly darker edge might keep the viewer more on the page rather than falling off the edge..the best example I can give you is phizzychicks work. she always does this kind of darker shading at the edges...a trick that I have picked up from her...but like I said it is only a personal preference...http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=217391.msg2338047#msg2338047

love the top B&W photo, great shot, did you take it?

[alwaysinmyroom]

a very thought-provoking and conversation starter type of page...that is, if you were to share it with others around you...I love the symbolism and lack of words "explaining" the entire page...

it goes to show that you do not have to use the plethera of conventional materials out there to make your own personal scrapbook..

thank you for sharing Wulf...

[attackofthequacks]

Wonderful page, Wulf! I know how much emotion goes into crafts like this, so thank you so much for sharing it

[Wulf]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. And Edel, you're absolutely right about darkening the edges. I hadn't thought of it at all, but now that you've pointed it out it seems so obvious. Not much, just about the same amount as the round frames. I'll go do it right now.

And I didn't take any of the photos; don't know who did. I also like the craft-room one at the top.

Wulf

[ostera15]

Love it!!!! I have been waiting for one of the "anti-traditional scrapbooking" members of our craftalong to post. I knew it would be amazing (individuality always is)!