Keys for MIRCI

(Above:  Keys for MIRCI.  Repurposed window, photo collages, tagged keys on handmade cording.  18" x 24".  Click on image to enlarge.)

Over the weekend I finished up this piece for a local charity auction called 52 Windows and hosted by MIRCI (Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc.)  The event is on May 9th at 701 Whaley here in Columbia.  I like working early and finishing well ahead of schedule.  I hate doing anything "under the gun" or "at the last minute".  Sometimes it happens ... but not if I can help it.

This is the second year for this "evening of art" that asked area artists to repurpose an old, well worn window as a starting point for an art piece.  First, I went to my computer photo files and gathered all the images I had of old doors.  Second, I created the perfectly sized photo-collage and had it printed at Forrest & Grant Photo Imaging.  They are SUPER, fast and have great service.  Then I washed, sanded, and rubbed down the wood ... then cleaned the glass.  The photo was mounted on what had been the interior of the window.  I made ten specially tagged keys and hung them on my favorite copper nails on the exterior side of the window.  I'm really pleased and so was the MIRCI representative who picked up the piece earlier today.

I composed the collage to have a balance design and a pleasing arrangement of color ... then I realized that I had a selection from all over the place!  From left to right on the top row:  Southwalk Cathedral in London, UK; Chester, UK; Worchester, UK; Church of St. Mary-in-Castro, Dover, UK; Harmony, Pennsylvania.  Fron left to right on the bottom row:  Skansen Folk Life Museum, Stockholm, Sweden; Key West, Florida; Varna, Bulgaria; Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tuscon, Arizona; Český Krumlov, The Czech Republic.  The keys are tagged with the following:  Knowledge, Happiness, Prosperity, Success, Health, Faith, Forgiveness, Love, Hope, and Trust.


(Above:  Keys for MIRCI, detail.  Click on image to enlarge.)