Ox in a Box

I first started painting boxes in 2004 and, of course, painted ‘Tea in a Box’. I cover wooden boxes (usually wine!) and paper and cardboard boxes (usually chocolate!) with various layers of mulberry paper and a glue made of water and flour. When the combination hardens, I paint directly on the paper, and then spray it for safe keeping. If the box is wooden, I paint it inside too, using the same procedure, or I just glue finished paintings on the inner panels. With the paper boxes, I add a painting with a passe partout inside.

Tea in a Box

In 2009, the Year of the Ox arrived and I came up with another idea – Ox in a Box. Paintings in boxes remind me that sometimes we tend to put people into boxes, making assumptions when we shouldn’t, but people, like boxes, once opened, are a surprise and you never know what you’re going to find!

Ox in a Box