This was a fun piece to do. It is a mixed-media collage featuring a 1950's woman sipping up modern home conveniences through a crazy straw.

Popular gadgets and conveniences, such as fridges and freezers, water coolers, stoves, washers and dryers, toasters, electric fryers and coffee pots, vaccuum cleaners, and my favorite, the "Bisquick Party Book," were boosted in sales due to marketing through the newly mass-produced television. Both TV and print ads are represented on this piece and are mounted on springs of ball-point pens, which also saw their beginnings in the 50's (e.g. Bic began selling their pens in 1950).

Each ad in this collage is adhered to the spring via epoxy...and what do you know...this adhesive also began to fill homes during the 1950's.

From these same ads, I created a traditional collage along the edges of this piece, which is on gallery wrapped canvas. The woman, straw, and glass is oil painted. Elmer's glue was used for the collage edging to create a smooth surface....and, yes...the Elmer's glue trademark was registered in 1952.

I find this piece funny, in that one ad states, "Cleaning is Fun!" I guess for a woman of Generation X, I missed the boat on that one! I find technology fun, and perhaps I will get a robot butler or maid some day!!!