Working Small

Ransom Note
(c) 2007 Francine Russelle
3 1/2" x 5" x 1", Mixed Media on canvas

This piece began as a poem; it just popped into my head late at night more than a year ago. I wrote it down on a post-it, thinking it could become a short story. I had no idea it would be an art piece.

The letters cut from magazines read: He's holding my heart for ransom. The rolled up paper in manual typewriter font reads: I don't think I want it back.

The challenge was to work in as small an area as possible (within reason -- it's not an "inchie".) Using the mini-matchbox to hold the second line and a foreign postage stamp seemed to be a natural. What I did not expect was to use the Virgin Mary in a 35 mm slide mount or the image of the sacred heart. And the upholstery tacks surprised me entirely -- they just sort of happened on their own.

After the piece was finished I realized this wasn't about a lover. It was about The Lover, The Beloved. He has my heart and I do not want it back...