Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Buried Treasure 2010 - The "Kilner" Jar



Seth Apter of The Altered Page is once again hosting a revisit of ancient posts - by invitation!

I've only been blogging for a little over a year and a half, but I had to look back and find one that I thought would be worthy of sharing. This one is particularly pleasing to me because it opened the door for me for some wide-spread interest in old paper - the way I like it.

The piece of Old Paper Art I'm sharing this time I actually covered in three separate posts, and I'm including the text from the finished product - but for the mat and frame. I sold this piece as soon as I hung it at the Western Heritage Art Show in March of this year. It had hung in a local gallery (where I had it matted and framed), but it didn't sell. I think it's a matter of exposure, really. The more people see how unique the art is, the more people are intrigued by what I've done with it. Unlike collage art or 'ledger' art, mine has to have something to do with the paper itself. These pieces of true ephemera are a tiny snapshot of business as it used to be. Business owners hired excellent artists to portray to the buying public the best image they could, for if the print advertising and packaging did not sell the product, it usually did not sell.

I like using original art work for most of my old paper as often as possible, but oftentimes I have to resort to utilizing the old advertising or packaging art. I particularly enjoy using glass as the subject for a couple of really good reasons: It is transparent. If it is colored glass, it tends to glow and reflect light, as well as project it. Because it is transparent the text can be seen through the image of the glass, which gives the impression to the viewer that the glass is 'in front' of the text, hence I've killed two birds with one stone without breaking the glass!

I also include a short narrative with each piece that I complete, giving viewers a word snapshot of why I chose it, and the history of the company and subject if possible.

In an earlier post here (Kilner paper) and HERE, I gave you a glimpse at what’s involved in getting my art onto a piece of old paper, and it always starts with – the paper. I purchased this piece on eBay from a gentleman named Tom Caniff after finding out that although there were no glass fruit jars listed as line items on this billhead, the primary business of the Kilner Brothers was to make jars for the preservation of food of one kind or another. Mr. Caniff also sent me a picture of a Kilner jar, but it was simply not detailed enough to use as a model.

The company had been doing business since 1857, and a Kilner (John) was making glass storage containers beginning in the year 1792. When John died in 1857, his sons took over the business. They continued to make glass containers until at least the turn of the century when many small glass firms were merged to create the United Glass Bottle company and the patents held by the Kilners were purchased.

With the help of a long time collector of canning jars, Larry Munson of Devon, Montana, I was able to portray the “Kilner” jar they produced. My last Paper Treasure Hunt and Photo Expedition involved a trip to Larry's for an afternoon of filling my camera with photos of over seventy varieties of fruit jars including the photo I took of the Kilner jar in the previous post that I used as a model for this piece.

25 comments:

  1. this was a favorite of mine too!
    the jar looks as if you can pick it up off the page...and the perfect green too!

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  2. Wow! What a beautiful art! LOVE that jar and the story of how you found it and the history of the jars... great post!

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  3. This is my first time visiting your blog but this piece is one of the most original pieces of art I have seen in ages. I admire your execution of the glass jar very much.

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  4. This one is one of my favorites....I really love the details in the glass. Very nice my friend!

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  5. Hi! What a lovely piece. It really looks like you could pick it right up.

    So nice to meet you, say hi to your old kitty who rules the house. It's as it should be. Purrs

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  6. Wow! I LOVE what you are doing with your art. Such a unique concept and you are giving all the old paper new life and extra meaning. Thanks for sharing this... it's so beautiful on many levels.

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  7. This is so interesting and unique! Love what you did with it - the photo of the glass looks so real, like you could reach out and pick it up!

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  8. I love the feeling of movement in this piece. Because of the swash I can sense the jar being opened and can hear the sound. Great piece!

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  9. thanks for your comment on my post. (you said thank you notes were a must!)
    your piece is beautiful...the photo of the jar is luminous!
    another good way to recycle old paper.

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  10. Love your work and the playful sense of history you capture.

    Thanks for commenting on my blog too! I also believe in thank you notes (my children will attest to that).

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  11. Hi Dave,

    I finally made it to your blog. I spent most of the day trying to stay out of the stifling heat and humidity, something you probably don't get in Montana.

    When I first looked at your blog, I didn't realize you painted these images on the old paper. For some reason, I thought they were transfers or something. Thanks for the detailed explanation of the process. I'm in even MORE total awe (if that's possible) of your artistic abilities now. Thanks for sharing your talent with us mere mortals.

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  12. Your art is intriquing! I am quite facinated by the amount of research that goes into what you do and I am not suprised this piece sold.I am glad you reposted it here so people like me can discover it! It's amazing what can become interesting when you delve into the history of it. I used to write history articles freelance and with a bit of digging around I think we can all find a way to connect with an item or object. Even jars!

    I also enjoyed your Indian posting below, thanks for sharing and your visit to my blog.

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  13. this is so fascinating. had no idea anyone did Old Paper Art. love old papers myself. i went back through your other posts but still am unsure what you used. is it all pencil? watercolour? what about prepping such a page.

    beautiful work.

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  14. Beautiful! Amazing! Fun!
    Thanks for reposting this!

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  15. I enjoyed reading this post. I think, sometimes, that I should get back into envelope art but then the time I used to put into the pieces would make them too expensive to sell. Though I did see a piece of so-called art, not that long ago, on Etsy for over two hundred thousand dollars. I would have to get me another set of Prismacolors I guess.

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  16. gorgeous work, david, nice to meet you!!

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  17. No surprise that this piece sold quickly. It really is wonderful.

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  18. love your work! and I agree about exposure - a piece that languishes in one setting sells in another - go figure:)
    thanks for your comment on Big Bird - I haven't done anything with polymer clay since then but my friend Debbie is making sculptures and selling them for a handy price. maybe one day:)
    nice to meet you!

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  19. Beautiful work! What medium do you use? I'm guessing watercolor, or colored pencil. The luminosity of the glass is brilliant! (no pun intended)

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  20. I really love the color of the glass, old glass just has that special color...and old paper is always a delight, I love the design of the heading too...a very lovely piece, no wonder it sold!

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  21. Your work is very interesting and unique. I love old advertising images, they were truly works of art.

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  22. What a gorgeous piece of art - your work is amazing. Anything vintage draws me in. And thank you for visiting my blog - I did change my position from in front to behind - a senior moment? Methinks my moments are turning into weeks! Carol

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  23. JUst amazing. Hadn't read about anything like this before. Boy, what an endless land of opportunity we have to create from with from as much as our minds can process. so creative here and the jar picture is awesome! will read your post several more times! Thanks so much for sharing this.

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  24. Wow, this is incredible! I am glad you shared your process, because the jar is so lifelike and beautifully executed that I would have assumed it was a photo of some sort. Thank you for the kind comment on my own blog, and I am really glad to have found this post. Your process is fascinating!

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