What is "Snippets" Tea Bag Art And Why Do I Make It?
What is “Snippets” tea bag art?
I call my tea bag collages “Snippets”.
How did I get started making them and why have they become an obsession to me?
Inspiration
I'm inspired by these two artists, Ruby Silvious and Cas Holmes.
Ms. Silvious creates miniature paintings and collages on tea bags. I found her work on Pinterest and have followed her for a long time. She has lifted “tea bag art” to a professional level.
I thought the idea of putting art on a tea bag so original and inspiring that I had to give it a try. I like to use materials for purposes beyond their original intent, so making art on a tea bag was something I wanted to pursue.
Cas Holmes is a British artist and author who uses discarded materials like paper and fabric in her work with an eye toward marking the passage of time. I love her book Textile Landscape Painting with Cloth in Mixed Media. She uses fabrics, thread, and paper to “paint” a landscape.
Tea Bag Art with embroidery stitch
These two ideas, using a tea bag as a canvas and then stitching on it, brought me to making my “Snippets” tea bag art.
So why do I make tea bag art?
Tea bags are small. I use a tea bag that measures 4 inches by 6 inches. I like the ones that are tied with a string, no staple.
Tea bags are cheap. They’ve already served their purpose; making tea. If I mess one up, I just begin on another.
Tea bags have unique marks on them after brewing. And it’s easy to add more patterns and color. I add patterns with rust and sometimes fabric dye or paint. But the organic, aged look I get with rusting is my favorite. It gives me pattern and color that can’t be repeated. And that leads me to a finished collage that is unique to each tea bag.
Tea bags are versatile. They can be stitched like fabric or painted on like paper.
Tea bags are the perfect canvas for a few stitches and adding small bits of my stash.
More reasons I like tea bags in this blog post.
Empty tea bags for art
How do I begin?
I begin with a stained or painted tea bag with marks that I find interesting. I build a collage on it using trimmings, layers of fabric and paper, texture, patterns, and other embellishments. I have a playful attitude about the materials I use. I love it when a viewer comments, "Wow, that's a tea bag?" And the more serious artist in me tries to spark a feeling or memory in the viewer with the theme of my tea bag art, looking at a landscape.
What about embellishing?
The Oxford dictionary defines embellishing “make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.”
The marks on the tea bag are the heart of a Snippet.
Embellishments are the soul.
My design starts with the marks on the tea bag. I build the story I want to tell around those marks
Then I choose a piece of fabric with the pattern and color that supports the theme and carries the story forward.
Finally, more fabric, stitching, and small bits of paper, buttons, and beads from my stash are like icing on the cake. These all add more details and complete the story.
Making things brings me joy.
When I look at my finished piece, I say to myself, I made this and I like it. Then joy shows up.
