12×12 mixed media collage; background newsprint K&Co Life’s Journey, border cut out pieces from graphic cardstock pad K&Co “Greenhouse” by Carolyn Gavin and then embellished with PITT pen. zetti strips and doodles pen and white acrylic paint by artist, fashion models/body parts from Marie Claire, Vogue, Elle, etc. Charlotte Bronte central figure from black & white image courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Images which was then hand colored with watercolors and pen. Various litho graphics dover.com/ entire piece painted with acrylic wash. Inspiration from Flickr artist ‘artvisionary’ http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/a/artvisionary/
Detailed work is absolutely entrancing and for me a way to unwind…

I am not exactly a fan of MTV”s ‘Jersey Shore” but there is a really hilarious character named ‘Snookie” who is about 5’2 with chubby thighs and a bumpit. She is getting a lot of press due to her Jersey inbred sub-intelligence. She seems to run on feelings rather than logic-hence the comic value here with the Bronte quote.

Now about Bronte…born in 1816 the third of six children in Thorton, Yorkshire. A gifted writer she wrote under a male psuedonym in order to be published. Along with her sister, Emily, wrote poems and stories, the most famous of which, Jane Eyre, made her a celebrity in 1847 when she was at last able to reveal her true identity.  Her life mirrored much of the story in Jane Eyre of tragic love affairs, family members hooked on opiates, and the grim reality of life in the 19th century which meant your life would most likely end due to TB or something that today is completely preventable.

Single until her mid 30′s she finally wed her father’s curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls. Sadly, she died while pregnant along with the couples first child in 1855 less than a year after her marriage. Researchers argue over the cause of death: Hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness) or TB or typhoid! She was 38 years old.

addendum: as of December 20, 2011 this piece is voted #1 in ‘Interestingness’ on Flickr.com. with 890 views and 12 favorites!