My Reliquary

I just finished my assemblage piece that I'm going to take to Liquidambar Gallery in Pittsboro. If selected, it will hang for a two month show this August and September. I titled it "Reliquary: Frances circa 1932".

I didn't take any pictures of the piece in progress; I was too focused. Anyway here goes...

I centered this piece around this photo of my grandmother and my father. I've always been drawn to this picture. While I used the photo and name of my grandmother for this project, the piece isn't really about her. She died when I was very young, and I don't know enough about her life to tell her story. So this is the story of my imaginary Frances.

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Here's a picture of the whole piece. If you look on the right edge of the photo, you'll see the paw of my little helper, Ginger.

Here's a detailed view of the recessed interior of the main box. I want the rest of the piece to tell a story of this beautiful woman's life.

This is the 'roof' compartment. It holds lace, pearls, and an elegant ring. 

Here are views of the three small compartments in the base. 

Seashells and a conch egg case,

dried hydrangea, and 

 game pieces. Even a vintage Lotto card.

These next two pictures show details of the decoration framing the center. Here is an antique letter and a piece of a vintage folding carpenter's rule.

I woke up one morning and the first thought I had was that I needed to add this row of dots to the piece. It's so strange how the brain works.

 And a final view of the entire piece. 

Thanks for looking.