handwritten letters bring them back to life

Letters are among the most significant memorial

a person can leave behind them.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I love old letters.

Actual, real, handwritten letters on paper.

This box is one of many that i've kept over the years.

Once in a blue moon,

i sit with a glass of wine

and re-read some of them.

I read letters from the people i knew and loved

and although many are no longer here

there is nothing like handwriting

to make me feel like they were never gone.

I thought i'd try something a little different last night.

A collage combining paper, paint

and a few pieces of memorabilia i kept hidden in a box.

I thought these things would make a good piece of art,

and bring to life the memories

rather than keep them hidden in a box.

This man (not Jesus, but the one in the middle, Father Yvon)... ;-)

was a childhood friend of my father's.

He spent his life doing missionary work in Cuba.

He died there last year.

I've always loved writing,

and when i was a young teenager, Father Yvon and i

began corresponding.

We did so for years,

and whenever he came home,

he would come and visit us.

We all went ice skating together one winter... 

I created some of the texture with paper towel and paint...

added some paint splatter, charcoal and color...

and i gave him a little halo...

yes i did.

:-)

You don't have to be religious

to appreciate those who dedicate their lives to helping others.

Father Yvon was one of those people.

Look at his beautiful handwriting...

There's just something to me

about the actual writing of a person

that makes it far more intimate

than digitally written letters.

I really loved doing this collage...

i can see myself using more of the memorabilia in that box

to do more (very soon). 

I'm already thinking of what i'll use next... ;-)

The Jesus image is one he had sent me

in a letter...

a few of his letters (or envelopes) to me...

Isn't this cool?

i love the look of that opened envelope

with those red and blue lines like pillars...

I did this collage on canvas, but next time,

i'm going to try actual wood.

A smooth surface would work much better than canvas.

You can see (in a few places) where the paper bubbled...

The paper would probably stick much better to a smooth surface

than to canvas.

Have any of you done collages on wood?

I've never painted on wood

and since some of you out there are geniuses at collage,

so i'm sure you could teach me a few things.

I really had fun doing this one

and if some of you out there

are letter geeks like me...

you may want to try one of your own.

Happy Monday everyone! 

xox