05/26/2016
Frank Stella Art Box: Custom Keepsake Box for a very special Art Teacher...by DekoMuse
This custom art box was created specifically for a very special art teacher. Today is the last day of school for my kids (hooray!) My younger son finished his last day of 5th grade, marking the end of our time at Montgomery Elementary School. While there, both of my boys absolutely adored their art teacher, Ms. Paula Peatross, who redefined "elementary art teacher" in my book. She is an amazing woman, inspiring my kids and so many others.
I wanted to create a very special box for her, but was stumped about what style and artwork would most appeal to her. I finally had my son ask her who her favorite artist is. Frank Stella. Ooooohhhhh baby, I can totally work with that!
Voila! I couldn't resist the temptation to tweak Stella's well-known piece "Harran II." I changed the original series of circles in the corners to curves, running the bands down over the sides, front and back for a full 5-sided effect. As with all my artwork, each line is woodburned by hand, as well as all the text of the inscriptions. I custom blended a rainbow of wood dyes to recreate Stella's riot of color, setting it off against a rich walnut background.
The inside of the box bears a quote from Frank Stella himself -- perfect for a dedicated art teacher like Ms. Peatross -- as well as a thank you note from me on behalf of all of the Montgomery parents.
Finally, the bottom of the box is also the canvas for my kids to say thanks. Both boys used my woodburner to sign their names, where I also added their graduation years and school name.
