Enjoy The View, 24" x 24"

Mixed-Media on Wood Panel.

24" x 24" 1.5"

"Who remembers ViewMaster and the accompanying reels? The background of this piece is all original reels. View-Master is the trademark name of a line of special-format stereoscopes and corresponding View-Master "reels", which are thin cardboard disks containing seven Stereoscopic 3-D pairs of small transparent colour photographs on film (ba-dum-bum).

I cursed myself when I started this project. Three days to glue down the reels. THREE DAYS!! I tried spray painting on the words because I thought I wouldn’t be able to paint on the reels (I was wrong). What I did get out of that was I can’t wait to spray paint something else.

I decided to paint in the letters and outline each small square where the photographs on film were. Then I sanded the teal background so the shape of the reels would be more visible. This piece is oozing with nostalgia. I can remember playing with a ViewMaster as a child and so do my kids. A timeless classic."
-Gail

Toronto-based artist Gail Blima is a creative innovator who has explored photography, representational art, and mixed media. Her artwork uses the power of language to make a statement and draw out emotion. By layering vibrant acrylic accents over a collage base and incorporating the written word, she connects the audience to cultural references that are ironic, humorous, or directed from pop culture.