PERSONAL SHRINES: INSTALLMENT #2

Andi & Tom's Memory Shrine (Exterior)
approx 18" x 22"
foam core, rice paper, mixed media

I wrote in November about personal shrines and where they can lead. That first one (see November 25, 2011 entry) got me thinking about my maternal grandmother to the extent that I'm playing with the idea of a trip to Poland. It also got me thinking about trying a much more ambitious project for my daughter and her husband. I wanted it to be a surprise but I knew I'd not have access to the ephemera that's important to them: shells and rocks from shores and camping trips; a scuba diver's chart; dive maps; and particularly my son-in-law's family tartan.

So I proposed the idea to my daughter. Her enthusiasm gave me the impetus I needed to take on what I thought would be a 20-hour project. Good thing for enthusiasm; it got closer to 40 hours...and I had a ball with each and every hour. I also have developed an extravagant admiration for architects who erect balsa wood miniatures of their proposed designs! But the best part of this particular project was going through photos and imagining the places my daughter and her husband dive. I feel I know them as a couple in a way I hadn't known them before.

Andi & Tom's Memory Shrine (interior)
approx 18" x 22"
foam core, rice paper, mixed media