Mixed Media Mayhem - Post & Postage - A Note from the Sea

In my "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" phase I sorted out piles of postage ephemera including stamps and photocopies. I tried to use them in a variety of journal entries.  I was happy to see the Post and Postage challenge on the Art Journal Journey blog.

 It was the end of the school year and I wanted to make a thank you note to my students at Indian River Academy where we had worked on a literacy/art project based on the work of James Prosek whose Ocean Fishes are on exhibition at VBMA.  In addition to the postage with fish images, I had several fish prints that I had generated for samples for the Japanese Gyotaku lesson and the brochure for Prosek's show.

After building a base coat of acrylic paints applied with a palette knife I was ready to layer on the imagery.  My fish print was on deli paper.  Adding this print provided a translucent top layer for a watery effect. Using postage stamps and rubber stamps of postal marks, I composed my note.  The bright yellow title from the museum brochure was added for contrast.