Work In Progress… (Just finished this one!)
I’ve spent the last year exploring the idea of the wreath as more an “art form” than as the traditional folk craft it is usually categorized as. When I thought of wreaths in the past I usually pictured the holiday version one might see on the doors of homes during Christmas… and the next thing that came to mind was wreaths made of flowers adorning a funeral.
I decided I wanted to treat the wreath as a piece of art you might hang on a wall. Flowers and live greens tend to die quickly, so those wouldn’t work as a long-term medium. Also glass ornaments were definitely way too seasonal to keep up year round. I liked the idea of recycling, so I decided to use old wine corks as the jumping off point. Corks last, they can be drilled into and hold adhesives well.
So far I’ve made over a dozen wreaths and each one I create, I learn new techniques and get more ideas. The one I just finished is pictured here. I’ve been incorporating a mosaic element in the last few and really like how it looks, so will continue to do so in future projects. I’ve also tried to find as many recycled, vintage or repurposed chandelier crystals and antique beads as I can find as they add so much more character to the piece (plus I just prefer recycled materials when I can use/find them).
Most of the wreaths I’ve made are posted on my Instagram page, but I haven’t shown any of them at shows just yet. I’m in the process of transforming some pillars I got from a Target commercial (thanks #EcoSet for the materials!) into display pillars to hang the wreaths. I just applied to one show for the Spring, but plan on applying to a lot more at the start of 2020.
I hope you’ll continue to check back and see my progress!
-Dave