#2.
JUNE JACKSON and JAMIE BRUNS
Bryan, Texas
"Lizzie Borden"
by Elizabeth Engstrom
A Forge Book
Tom Daughtery Associates
1991
International,
2011
The Illustrative Beader:
Beaded Tapestry Competition
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RESULTS PAGE
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JUNE
JACKSON and
JAMIE BRUNS
"Lizzie Borden"
by Elizabeth Engstrom
[Please
be patient - These pages are graphics intensive and will load slowly]
After reviewing
the Beaded Tapestry Images, and reading the Artist's write-up, materials
list, and summary of techniques,
VOTE
& EVALUATE
See
the overall Results
When
voting closes 1/14/12, voting logs will be reviewed for any duplicate
or otherwise illegitimate votes (for example, those from the same
IP or email address), and these will be deleted. The on-line votes
will be tallied and used to adjust the original votes of the Panel
of Judges at CBJA, in the selection of a winner. The public's votes
will weigh towards 25% of the final tally in selecting the Winner
and Runner-Up. |
|
Book Cover
Dimensions: 8" W x 13" H
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"LIZZIE BORDEN" by Elizabeth Engstrom
BOOK SYNOPSIS |
LIZZIE BORDEN is a novel back dropped against the murder of Andrew
and Abby Borden in the late 1800s. The victims lived with Andrew's
two adult daughters, Lizzie and Emma, in Falls River, Massachusetts.
The novel imagines the life of daughter Lizzie, widely believed to
have committed the murders, though she was acquitted of the murder
following a jury trial.
The Bordens epitomized a dysfunctonal family that appeared to the
outside world as a normal, upper-class family. Andrew Borden ruled
his house with an iron fist. His tyranny and his miserly ways earned
him the hatred of both of his daughters. Abby Borden, stepmother to
the young women, was equally despised. Though they successfully hid
their true selves from the outside world, Emma and Lizzie lived in
misery, suffering constand indignities, real and imagined. Emma sought
escape through alcohol; Lizzie's path was more bizarre.
LIzzie was introduced to the world of the occult by her friend Beatrice,
whom she had met during a visit to England. Lizzie then immersed herself
in the occult, practicing bizarre rituals in the family barn, painted
vividly in this novel.
Lizzie turned also to the love of women, most taboo at the time. In
a strange twist, one of Lizzie's lovers, Enid Crawford, turns out
to be father Andrew's own mistress. Lizzie's hatred for her father
is enflamed as she learns how much more lavishly Andrew provided for
his mistress than for his daughers.
Lizzie is eventually unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.
She becomes consumed by her hatred for her father and her desire for
freedom; her thoughts eventually turn to murder.
The bodies of Andrew and Abby Borden were found in the family home,
his in the parlor and hers in an upstairs guestroom. The injuries
to the bodies suggested they were murdered with an axe, though the
murder weapon was never found. Immediate suspects included a vagrant
who had been seen in the area a few days before the murder, as well
as Mr. Borden's ill-treated employees. But suspicion eventually focused
on Lizzie, who had found the bodies.
Lizzie was tried for the murders but acquitted by the jury. She was
not acquitted by the community. Lizzie and Emma bought a lavish home
in Falls River, but Lizzie lived out her life ostracized by a community
convinced of her guilt. Even sister Emma eventually abandoned Lizzie.
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WHY THIS BOOK? |
The book was chosen because of the complexity of the characters,
vividly (albeit fictionally) portrayed in the book. The Lizzie Borden
story continues to enthrall, not only because the murder of her father
and stepmother remains an unsolved mystery, but because of Lizzie's
bizarre character.
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HOW WAS THE TITLE CREATED? |
| The title and author's name was machine embroidered on the gray
linen using black cotton embroidery thread over a stiff polyester
stabilizer. |
WHAT STRATEGIES DID THE ARTIST USE TO ADD SENSE OF DIMENSIONALITY? |
| Different size beads were used to add depth to the angles of the
house. Similarly, beads of the same color, but different finishes,
were used to trick the eye into seeing dimension. The layering of
the roof shingles and the texturing of the sidewalk and chimneys also
add depth and dimension to the tapestry. We used many varied textures,
including grass and dirt layered onto beads. The second-story section
of the house opens completely to reveal a different scene. |
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WHAT CHOICES WERE INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN PROCESS? |
The focus of the cover is the murder house. The family home should
be a place of safety, love, and acceptance. But this house served
as a cover-up for a dysfunctional family and became Lizzie Borden's
psychological prison. We chose to delete the front door handle to
symbolize the veil of secrecy the house provided against the outside
world. Conversely, we left the glass pane out of Lizzie's bedroom
window since, in truth, she always had the choice to leave or stay.
The two-story side of the house opens entirely to reveal Lizzie standing
with the axe in a pool of blood, as one hundred eighteen years of
history has portrayed her. The billowing smoke symbolizes hate, deceit,
jealousy, and the abhorrent behavior of the family members. The garden
reflects the doom that surrounded the family. In this destructive
environment of mutual loathing nothing good or beautiful could survive.
Many details of the story line do not appear in the tapestry. For
example, Mr. Borden required each member of the family to lock with
a key each door of the house upon entering or exiting. As noted above,
we chose to reflect this by omitting the door handle rather than detailing
the keys. Similarly, the house's primitive basement, though not shown,
was a key reflection of Mr. Borden's stinginess with his family. Lizzie's
lesbian relationships were portrayed prominently in the story, but
we chose to omit that from the cover.
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WHAT
WERE THE PRIMARY TECHNIQUES USED? |
Each component was created separately and glued onto the linen canvas.
The house facade was created by square stitch bead tapestry using
size 15/0 Delica beads, size 6/0 beads. The porch support posts and
railing were made by stringing size 6/0 white beads and bugle beads
on to 6 strands of white embroidery thread. The opening under the
house was made by gluing white bugle beads to the linen.
To make the roof we cut and glued craft sticks onto paper and then
washed them with a diluted black paint solution. The soffit was cut
from thin cardboard and washed with diluted black paint. The windows
and door frame were made with size 15/0 Delica black matt beads. Size
15/0 Delica black gloss beads were used for the window panes. To make
the sidewalk and front porch we rolled out polymer clay into a thin
strip, scored the bricks using a straight pin and then applied a diluted
brown paint. Black wire was used for decoration.
We used the same technique to make the second-story chimney. The kitchen
chimney was cut from tin using a jewelry saw. The tin was sanded and
painted with diluted black paint. It was decorated with black wire.
Inside the two-story section of the house, a photocopy of Lizzie Borden
has been glued to the gray linen canvas.
The blood pooling at Lizzie's fee and spashed on her dress and the
axe is red enamel paint applied to photo paper glued to the canvas.
For the garden area, we brushed glue on the canvas and sprinkled brown
seed beads on the glue. We then added dirt and crushed grass over
the beads. The area was finished with a layer of aerosol glue. |
HOW WAS THE CARTOON IMAGE TRANSFERRED TO THE CANVAS? |
| The cartoon sketch was transferred to the tapestry by tracing the
sketch onto the linen with a chalk pencil. |
HOW HAS THIS TAPESTRY BEEN PREPARED FOR DISPLAY? |
| The backing is made of cardboard, embroidery
stabilizer and linen. The framing is foam board. The hanging mechanism
is plastic self-adhesive hanger. |
WHAT MATERIALS WERE USED? |
linen canvas
size 15/0 delicas
size 6/0 seed beads
bugle beads
embroidery thread
glue
craft sticks
paper
black paint
thin cardboard
polymer clay
brown paint
black wire
tin
photocopy
red paint
dirt
crushed grass
aerosol glue
stiff polyester stabilizer
foam board
plastic self-adhesive hanger |
|
JUNE
JACKSON and
JAMIE BRUNS
"Lizzie Borden"
by Elizabeth Engstrom
[Please
be patient - These pages are graphics intensive and will load slowly]
After reviewing
the Beaded Tapestry Images, and reading the Artist's write-up, materials
list, and summary of techniques,
VOTE
& EVALUATE
See
the overall Results
When voting
closes 1/14/12, voting logs will be reviewed for any duplicate or otherwise
illegitimate votes (for example, those from the same IP or email address),
and these will be deleted. The on-line votes will be tallied and used
to adjust the original votes of the Panel of Judges at CBJA, in the selection
of a winner. The public's votes will weigh towards 25% of the final tally
in selecting the Winner and Runner-Up.
And
consider submitting an entry to our next
The International Illustrative Beader: Beaded Tapestry Competition!
Office Rules and Deadlines To Be Announced
Entries
open to both US and International submissions.
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