The Day of the Dead Ham Shrine

I finished up my first ham can this morning. I like the way it looks. The colors look pretty garish in the photo - but they're quite nice in person. The skull tree is covered with ultra fine German glass glitter and is quite glamourous looking. The milagros used will protect one (or heal one) from harm to the arm, house, leg, foot, and car. The miniature crepe paper flowers are really wonderful - but one would have to be insane to try to make a lot of them. They seem to be quite time consuming - and cover very little area. The cross is quite a lovely piece of silver with the long extensions of the cross wrapped in pale gold/yellow silk thread. I think the only way you can really see some of the detail is by clicking on the photo and enlarging.

Well, that was fun! I am going to make two more. Then I'll have to go back to making mini theatres ... unless I decide I must have more ham salad this week - then I'll have to buy more cans!

Beginning of the Ham Can Shrine

Well, I'm not going to get this finished today - but it's fun! So far I've covered the piece with papers, and miniature crepe paper flowers, and a lovely print of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and trimmed out the piece in vintage crepe paper pleats.

Tomorrow it will probably get its alter of skulls and marigolds - and probably a big cross. Even though I like Day of the Dead celebrations because I love the idea of communing with deceased loved ones - and I love the skulls and flowers and crepe paper streamers and banners and all, I do have to remember that it is a religious holiday and that a cross or two wouldn't be out of place!

Is There Anything I Won't Alter?

I guess the answer would have to be NO.

Today I was making ham salad (yes, I use those cheap canned hams to make ham salad. Don't laugh at me; be amused, please).

Suddenly, I had a quick vision of what might be, and I quickly dug through the garbage to dig out the ham cans and ran them through the dishwasher.

Voila! I think they're going to be absolutely perfect for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) retablos/shrines. I'm thinking backgrounds of Our Lady of Guadalupe inside the arch with lots of flowers and skulls and crepe paper and milagros. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the traditional marigolds in miniature artifical flowers. If not, I'll have to make do with other flowers.

Jon was laughing when he saw I was going to make art out of ham cans. He found this much funnier than when I use round bread crumb containers for mini-theatre structures.

I often wonder how I can do so much work with garbage - and yet still buy enough art supplies and vintage findings to support a small Third World country!

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who makes stuff out of garbage. What's the wierdest thing you've ever made art from?