Ada Gibbs Mixed Media Art

Ada Gibbs (Mixed Media) by Kelly E. Lee

I enjoy creating art pieces with a variety of random items. As an avid genealogist, I came across this relative of mine, she is the sister of my direct ancestor, Nellie Lee (nee Gibbs). Ada Gibbs was from Switzerland County, Indiana, daughter of James Gibbs - General Store Owner. A few of Ada's belongings made their way to me (I don't believe she had any descendants), and I felt some sort of connection to her things. There were many many photographs of Ada in her younger years, and probably more than any single relative I have in my family history collection. I also have many letters and postcards that she wrote. I especially loved the picture I used in the art piece. It is two women (Ada and her sister-in-law) just being silly for the camera. One particular item of hers was this red travel/luggage tag, dated 1909. It says "Ada Gibbs Switzerland Co, Ind." Due to her father's success, Ada was able to travel around as a young woman visiting relatives and site-seeing. She was born in 1884, so much of her adventuring occurred in the early 1900's.

Plain Shelves Transformed

Painted shelf for Spices

Painted shelf for teas and beverages

These are two shelves I purchased from thrift stores and painted them. The spice rack shelf came with a wood stain, so I painted it a sage green, then I added a metallic green paint over the top. The metallic paints I have are translucent, so it provides a nice affect. Then I used some stamps and craft paint to give it a Moroccan look. I am drawn to Moroccan style, as well as, Indian, Turkish, and Bohemian, primarily because these styles incorporate a lot of color and fabrics with many textures, embroidery, and patterns.