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Title: Life
Fandom: Donald Strachey Mysteries
Pairing: Donald Strachey/Timothy Callahan
Rating: G
Media: Mixed-media collage
Notes: The project represents just a few of the many stages in a loving, supportive relationship. This post is picture-heavy, so everything is behind the cut.




The collage:



The background is made of cardboard covered in burlap and tea-dyed muslin. The burlap represents the difficult times all relationships experience, and the muslin, of course, represents the good times. I used screencaps from all four movies, watercolor paint and paper for the picture backgrounds, free-use digital images for the martini and the clock, metal craft gears and jewelry that needed a new purpose. I'm sorry about the homemade watermark on the main picture, but more and more of my friends are telling me sad stories about seeing their work reposted without permission or credit. While I'm under no illusion that this is a great piece of art, I'd like people to know who created it.

A little explanation:

On any given day, one partner might be called on to express affirmation, compassion, reassurance or devotion — maybe all at once. Such care and tenderness nurture a relationship, allowing it to move to the next level and beyond.

For my project, I chose one pivotal moment from each of the four movies, moments that any couple might experience.

Stage 1: "Third Man Out"



Stage 2: "Shock to the System"



Stage 3: "On the Other Hand, Death"



Stage 4: "Ice Blues"



Detail shots:



The cross is for the faith Tim has in Don, while the key represents Donald's trust. The pearl says their love is real and natural and is to be cherished. The chain attests to the link between them, but its fragility reminds them that life is tenuous.



These lines are spoken during an important exchange in "On the Other Hand, Death." The clock reminds them to make the most of every day, the gears indicate the work needed to maintain a relationship, and the compass ensures they both travel in the same direction.

Comments

musyc: Illustration of Solange, cat from 9 Chickweed Lane comic strip (Cats: Solange wide-eyed)
[personal profile] musyc wrote:
Mar. 6th, 2012 10:26 pm (UTC)
This is really awesome! I would never have thought to do something like this in response to a challenge. I'm always so thrilled to see the extent of creativity in fanworks like this. Wonderful!
storyfan: (Default)
[personal profile] storyfan wrote:
Mar. 7th, 2012 03:17 pm (UTC)
Thank you so much for the lovely compliments. I'm happy with how it turned out, but the part I liked best about the project was the family input. My spouse helped me staple on the fabric, and the kids told me when certain layouts and combinations sucked. So, yay for feedback!

I've always liked collage as a medium, but beyond craft projects done when I was a kid, I'd never tried a large-scale piece. I keep thinking a Harry Potter and Star Trek collages would be fun to try. Maybe someday!
hellkitty: (blue)
[personal profile] hellkitty wrote:
Mar. 6th, 2012 10:52 pm (UTC)
Oh wow. This is not only an amazing use of the prompt but an amazing piece of work! I love the tour through your creative process!
storyfan: (Old Spice)
[personal profile] storyfan wrote:
Mar. 7th, 2012 03:27 pm (UTC)
Thank you! That's lovely of you to say that.

I debated about explaining things, but then I thought my use of the prompt would be unclear if I didn't. I'm glad you liked that part; I was kind of nervous about people's reaction to it.

Love the icon, by the way. What's it from?
cdnj: (Default)
[personal profile] cdnj wrote:
Mar. 7th, 2012 03:04 am (UTC)
This is totally way amazingly cool!! Thank you for including what everything is made of, and the detail shots. I loved that you used the jewelry, and the meaning behind it, and all the different mediums you used. This is so creative and interesting!
storyfan: made by <lj user="thirstyrobot"> (Boosh stripey man)
[personal profile] storyfan wrote:
Mar. 7th, 2012 03:32 pm (UTC)
Thank you; all your compliments have officially gone to my head. I enjoyed putting this together, and I'm so pleased that people like it. I'm not much of an artist, but collage is very forgiving.

That necklace originally just had the fake pearl and cross. It was given to me when I made my first communion a very, very, very long time ago. The key came from my son's collection of steampunk bits and bobs, and he gave me permission to swipe it for my project.

I'm looking forward to the next challenge!
mergatrude: a skein, a ball and a swatch of home spun and dyed blue yarn (Default)
[personal profile] mergatrude wrote:
Mar. 8th, 2012 02:30 am (UTC)
Oh, this is really awesome! The meta! The artifact! You have such a wonderful imagination and diverse creativity.
storyfan: (Donald and Timmy Kiss morning)
[personal profile] storyfan wrote:
Mar. 8th, 2012 07:30 pm (UTC)
Oh, my blushes. Thank you so much for your lovely compliments. I give credit to the wonderful prompts. They challenge me to think in a different way.
nyteflyer: (Default)
[personal profile] nyteflyer wrote:
Mar. 8th, 2012 03:59 am (UTC)
Absolutely, beautifully awesome. What a great response!
storyfan: (Donald and Timmy take hand)
[personal profile] storyfan wrote:
Mar. 8th, 2012 07:31 pm (UTC)
*hugs* Thank you, my friend.
sprat: an illustration of a girl posed in front of a cartoon alien  (Default)
[personal profile] sprat wrote:
Mar. 11th, 2012 06:14 am (UTC)
This is incredible! I love the detail and the care you so obviously put into making it -- it's gorgeous.
saekhwa: Asian woman with short black hair & arms outspread and text that reads: 'free' (Rosario Dawson)
[personal profile] saekhwa wrote:
Mar. 12th, 2012 03:45 pm (UTC)
This is so cool! Beautiful work.

About

[community profile] fan_flashworks is an all-fandoms multi-media flashworks community. We post a themed challenge every ten days or so; you make any kind of fanwork in response to the challenge and post it here. More detailed guidelines are here.

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