Thursday, March 13, 2008

Cigar Box Assemblage

I was waiting to write about my next class: Cigar Box Assemblage - wanting to get the timing just right to create some "buzz". Well now it is too late, because i just heard the class is FULL!
The class is Sunday, March 30th at the nova studio in Point Richmond. Please contact the nova studio (link on the left) if you are still interested because there could always be cancellations. And Lori will take names for the next time the class rolls around the schedule.
I had the good fortune recently to get an email from the owner of a cigar bar asking me if i wanted any cigar boxes. Oh yeah! When can i come and pick them up? Imagine my delight at getting 8 garbage bags FULL of cigar boxes to take home. But horror of horrors! Imagine my disappointment when i got home and looked in the bags - over half the boxes had the lids literally ripped off! Yes - the hinges - some of them really intricate, just bent out of shape and the lids discarded. I get that they need to feature the cigars in the display case, but i nearly wept when i saw them.

After recycling many many ruined boxes i was left with about 30 with lids intact. I pulled this pic from the internet (i figure i am not committing any serious copywrite laws) but this is exactly what my stack of cigar boxes looks like. I think my husband will be delighted when they are given to my students and he can have some space back in the garage.
They range from your basic balsa wood paper covered thin boxes to some ornate and deeply stained boxes it would be a shame to alter! Some flat, some square, even a cool red one.
Our class will focus on the plainer, nothing special boxes - since they will be covered up with vintage papers, photographs and found objects.
Here are some pics of boxes i did with a beach theme and a madame butterfly theme. Did ya know you can click on the images to see them full size to get all the details!

1 comment:

Victoria said...

I truly have a love for these cigar boxes as well and would be very disappointed to find their lids are ripped off - poor boxes. Your class sounds wonderful too bad i'm so far away.
I found your blog via your post on the art and soul group - not sure if you are going to oregon or hampton - i'm going to hampton. it's my first time going to art and soul - not sure what to expect.

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