lara

Layout for the Art is Found Challenge blog about walking.
I decided to combine journalling about my love for walking in urban areas with found objects I've picked up off the streets the last couple of months. It's kind of a gritty layout, but that's where i find the beauty of downtown Atlanta.




This is what the journaling says in case its hard to read:

Beauty lies in not only what we think is pleasing to the eye, but what we think is ugly. I am so inspired by what so many people think of as ugly - trash, chipped paint, cracked pavement... these are what have the history and depth.

Friday i photo journaled my walk home from work. I've never so conciously noticed the variety of color and texture my feet touch 10 times a week. And it wasn't the polished granite or swept sidewalks that excited me - it is the well-worm crosswalk paint, trash in the gutter and variety of grate covers. I love to pick up the trash and wonder why it was there and where it came from. Then give it this new purpose.

In retrospect i probably would not have written over the crosswalk!

Like i say in the journaling on the page, one of the things that inspire me about urban walking are all the textures and colors and materials under my feet. i think this picture/layout captures some of that nicely:



I made the crosswalk actually more realistic than I thought possible!!! I took a picture and printed it out 8.5x11 then put gray duct tape on the back. Then with an exacto i cut out the crosswalk and then painted on top of the tape with white acrylic paint. After it dried i was able to scratch and distress it and the two materials together actually made the same look at the crosswalks you see that have been used and abused on the street! I was pretty psyched when i got that result!

The background is black acrylic paint lightly painted over the screen i trash picked, the cement netting also track picked and also the piece of cardboard was used as a stamper. So basically everything on the layout was used twice :D (in addition to however it had been used before cast off as trash).