“Gifts from Heaven and Earth” (Dedicated to Arlene Margaret O’Rourke), Ruth Ann McClure, Mixed Media/Collage, 16 x 20 inches, 2012
Today, I take great pride in sharing “Gifts from Heaven and Earth” a commemorative Vision Board created by Ruth Ann McClure. A number of my spotlights have focused on students wishing for particular things: a garden, a new home or a job. This vision is novel in that its goal is not to seek a particular thing, but to re-create a series of memories of a loved one. Not long ago, Ruth Ann’s mother died after a lengthy battle with cancer. Rather than focus on the painful aspects of her death, Ruth Ann’s vision was to celebrate her mother’s life. Working with personal memorabilia, she set out on a journey to piece together her most cherished memories of her mother. Here are her reflections about the process…
Ruth Ann McClure and her son Alex
1. Ruth Ann, please tell us about your background?
I am the Faith Formation Director at St. George’s Parish in Westboro. I have been a volunteer at our parish since 2005 and currently sing in our Sunday family choir and sit on the Pastoral Council. I have 15 years elementary teaching experience. Most recently I have been teaching in a Montessori based prepared environment that is designed to teach children about our Christian faith.
2. What attracted you to the Vision Board Workshop?
I had left my grief counsellor’s office to go to the library to reflect on my next piece of homework. I arrived too early and found the library closed. I walked around the foyer and to my surprise saw Michelle’s beautiful display and invitation to “Collage My World”! It was there that I saw all the incredible collages and it struck me to collage about my relationship with my Mom. This would be an opportunity to put all my thoughts, feelings and positive memories together in an artistic way in memory of Mom. The final years of Mom’s life were tragic as addictions held her away from family and living her life to its fullest. That was really difficult to be part of, yet was God’s plan and I trust Him. Having collage to motivate me to gather images of Mom was super healing in my grieving process. No longer did I focus on cancer, the mixing of alcohol and drugs, self-destruction and Mom’s depression, I let go of that to find my loving healthy Mother who cared for me and encouraged me to be the best that I can be.
I chose to create a collage to tell a story of all the gifts that Mom has given me, memories of special times together, images from my five senses. Scents that remind me of Mom, (perfume, cooking) sounds like Mom’s high heels on a linoleum floor, tastes like homemade spaghetti sauce or turkey dinners, feelings and memorable events in my life that Mom was proud of.
3. How did you find the process of collaging your Vision Board? Was visually setting down your ideas helpful to you or revealing?
The process was exciting, fun and time consuming. Setting down the ideas was a relief. To purge a file box full of papers down to about 100 pieces was like running through a finish line. Yes, revealing in the fact that now I could see all the gifts in one place – what a beautiful activity!
4. Ruth Ann, you collected many items for your Mother’s board for months. Was it hard to edit out some of these very personal items?
When I saw the size of the board, I realized I had way too much for the size of the board so I began sorting the images in categories. Once that was done I focused on essential words, images that were self-explanatory. That was fun too. This sorting and purging took a lot of hours. Good work takes time!
5. Where is your Vision Board now? Is it working for you?
My Vision Board will hang with honour in our home to be shared with friends and family forever.
Items included on Ruth Ann’s Vision Board: personal letters; family photos; photocopies of: photos, products (Vicks Vapo Rub, Johnson’s Baby Powder) and favourite book covers/titles (recipe and children’s stories); magazine: photos, drawings, cartoons and slogans; colouring book images; fragments from spiritual certificates and favourite quotes.
One of the biggest challenges of creating a commemorative Vision Board is deciding what aspects of a life to choose for your board. Ruth Ann spent months collecting a big box of memorabilia related to her Mother. Upon viewing her 16 x 20 inch board, she knew she would have to do a lot of editing! New to collaging this was a formidable task for her, but over a few weeks she managed to whittle down her collection to just under a hundred images! (See image above for a short list of items she included). As home was a busy place, her next dilemma was to find a peaceful spot to assemble her collage. When I offered her my studio for an afternoon, she leapt at the opportunity. I observed in amazement as Ruth Ann composed her Vision Board in a simple mosaic style: laying out groupings of images based on events she wanted to remember and then filling in blank spaces with other appropriate words and images. As she glued the pieces down, she relayed the stories behind each set of images. For me, her Vision Board is a beautiful blend of historical novel replete with family dramas as well as a beloved patchwork quilt filled with warm memories.
Ruth Ann had her Vision Board framed; she stopped by one day to proudly show it off. As we reviewed portions of the board, tears filled our eyes. Sharing this moment with her was a memory I’ll always treasure as a teacher; knowing that with collages such as this, as well as glue, love too is holding together the sacred pieces of someone’s life to cherish for all time. Thanks for sharing “Gifts from Heaven and Earth” with us, Ruth Ann. You’ve created a very special board; I hope it will keep fond memories of your Mom alive for a long time.
“I sprinkled grass seed and placed sunflowers at Mom's grave. I drank a coffee and remembered Mom with the help of my collage. It started to rain, so I am on my way. Next visit there will be more grass and I'll bring some low growing grassy perennials for the base of Mom's head stone.” (Ruth Ann McClure, August 2012)
Collage Tip: Ensuring the Durability of a Commemorative Vision Board
I recommend students use permanent glue stick to adhere magazine images or thin papers to their Vision Boards. Since an element of spontaneity is vital to creating a Vision Board, I find a glue stick is the easiest medium to use and clean up after. Unlike liquid mediums (which are great for thicker papers), glue stick doesn’t make magazine papers ripple when they dry. I use Coccoina glue sticks recommend to me by artist Kelly Kilmer. They stay moist longer than other glue sticks which allows more time for re-positioning pieces. If adhered with care and attention to the types of paper used, a collage will hold together for quite some time. A Vision Board is often viewed as temporary artwork it’s not meant to last forever. Of use for specific period of time, after we’ve achieved our goal in weeks, months or a year, its role is over and it can be stored away. In Ruth Ann’s case of the commemorative board, however, I suggested she have it professionally framed including opting for UV glass to protect her images from fading. This ensured her original board would be durable as well as give it a formal quality for hanging in her home as a legacy/discussion piece for family and friends. I also recommended she get a high resolution digital scan of it which would give her an excellent quality print if something ever happened to her original piece.
Other Related Links:
Anne’s Vision Board: Words to Live By
Sarah’s Vision Board Magic
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