This File Cabinet...

Of all themes, this is most challenging one. From seeing them in medieval and modern illustrations as well as in museums and nature centers, I knew what a typical naturalist's cabinet looked like. But I did not have anything that would closely resemble one, and I was trying to figure out what to do. I did have a bunch of specimens that I collected from nature walks - but they're in many boxes and different places.

One day, a thought came to my mind: I could use my file cabinet as a "cabinet of curiosities"! After all, it did have a lot of folders containing images from nature. So, I gathered together various natural forms, microscope, large pine cone, and specimens, and placed them near the file drawer to create this unusual composition.

Art and images copyright 2009 by Andrew Borloz

An Asian Cabinet of Curiosity

Art and images copyright 2009 Cynthia Mooney

Cabinet of Curiosities

This project got a little out of control. I started the "cabinet" in foam core, but didn't like how it looked. So I went to Michaels to get some ideas and decided to make my own cabinet out of wood. Of course, I don't have a clue about cabinet making, but I figured, how hard could it be? Hard.....very hard. There must be a trick to measuring and cutting out wood that I am unaware of because several parts had to be cut out more than once after I found that they were too short. And then there is the concept of mitering....I definitely need some practice at that.

After the cabinet was done, I needed a backing (an 8 X 8 canvas covered with an old map)......and doors....and hinges....and a latch.... The screening on the doors is nature printed with flowers per the technique in LK Ludwig's Mixed Media Nature Journal book.

And as long as I was at it, why not some dummied up microscope slides....using real bits of bugs and plants and a little Diamond Glaze. The cabinet is finished with two coats of orange shellac. And, even though it's substantially late, I did finish what I started. What's life without a few good adventures in art?

Art and images copyright 2009 Jan Harris

Extinction Cabinet of Curiosities

I enjoyed seeing Andrew at Teesha's PLAY retreat in Port Townsend last weekend. He made some incredible journals. I finally finished by Cabinet of Curiosities. I don't really know why I thought of extinction as a theme for this. It makes me think of life cycles and what survives or not. I drew and water colored the images and used a shadow box that Z'anne gave to me for the cabinet structure.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Paula McNamee

Inside my Cabinet of Curiosity

Most of he items in my Cabinet of Curiosity came from my stash of junk acquired
from the Goodwill "bins." Oops, I seem to have cut off the top part in my photo.
If I had thought things out a bit better I would have loaded this picture onto
the blog after I loaded the picture of the front of the cigar box. It might make
more sense to the viewers.


Art and images copywrite 2009 by Judi Stack

Keys to Cabinet of Curiosity

My cabinet of curiosity is a cigar box in which I drilled small holes and wired on old keys. Two

of the keys function as a door latch. I added a painted board behind the box to extend the dimensions to 8"X8" and to attach a hanging device.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Judi Stack

Life and Death, A Cabinet of Curiosity

Instead of translating January's theme in a literal way, I decided to tackle the matter metaphorically. I thought it might be interesting to choose a concept that we, as human beings, find very curious. A topic containing a well spring of unanswered questions.

As I sifted and sorted through different possibilities, the idea of life and death was something that kept presenting itself, over and over again. And although there is plenty of medical information regarding both of these occurrences, they are still, in many ways, quite a mystery.

The idea of pattern or patterning is very subtle in this piece. Life and death is actually repeated several times throughout the art in both images and words.

This particular work even inspired a bit of poetic prose which I used for a separate collaborative or challenge, a Winter Poetry Postcard Exchange, that I am participating in.

"How do we bridge the gap,
these minutes between life and death,
beginning and ending.

The expanse of our days carefully ordered,
writhing in the beautiful ecstasy of fate and indecision
for tis not the start and stop of it that truly matters,
but each occurring middle moment to become
the absolute curiosity of all things belonging
to heaven and earth"


Art and images copywrite 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp

Curious Kitty's Cabinet

Here is my interpretation of the Cabinet of Curiosity. This curious little calico is causing havoc. The treasured canary is missing. Wonder what happened to it.

This is painted on canvas board with a fiberfused kitty and a small ball of thread.

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Marylin Huskamp

Cabinet of Curiosities

Art and images copywrite 2009 by Traci Donahue

January Cabinet

This was a fun theme. I had this shadowbox decoupaged in old Sear's catalog pages in the back of my workshop and only found it when I was looking for something else. Don't ya love it when that happens? I threw a light coat of gesso on it and than proceeded to search for stuff to fill it. I take a walk with the dog and cat every day and find some really cool stuff along the way. Most of these things have come to the house from different directions. The snails, wasp nest, moss and twig are directly from here. The Paulownia pods came from my MIL's tree. I found the agates in the gravel pile we had. The other rock I found, but I can't remember where. The little skulls were found in various places on the road and in the trees. The antler was part of a stash from Harlan's ex-FIL and was shot in 1947. And the dried paperwhite flower is from an arrangement by Cynthia.

Now I get to go looking for more stuff to collect!

Art and images copyright 2009 by Z'anne Bakke

Cabinet of Curiosities - Walks in the Watershed

Every day, Mari, my canine companion and I, take a walk. Though it's just minutes from downtown, Johnson Creek floods and leaves in its wake a lot of open space in my neighborhood. Just last week I found the 2 point deer antlers under a tree. And then I found a complete cat skeleton, also under a tree. Only my friend Tory B really understands my collection habit. These curiosities came from our daily wanderings, as well as a few second hand store forays. Though the detail is minimized, if you visited my front entry way you'd find birds nests, fresh water clam shells, feathers, seeds, odd things with no names. Perhaps I'm part crow. This one deserves a bigger canvas . . . perhaps some day.



Guess I'm a rule breaker . . . probably a reason I got kicked out of Girl Scouts. So here's a second Cabinet of Curiosities. This one's my husbands collection. Couldn't resist. I used the photoshop "Cutout" option to give this the texture that may be visible on your monitor. I'll let the images speak for themselves. If they could talk, we might be in trouble however!

Suzie

Art and images copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer