/* */ Beulah Bee: Money Dance

February 18, 2014

Money Dance


I'm linking yet another tag inspired by SSS's Monday blog challenge, Making a Cameo Appearance. I've never entered multiple pieces in a challenge before but for some reason this cameo bit has really resonated with me.

I printed an image of foreign money (courtesy of Amy Barickman) and used gel medium to transfer it to the tag for an aged appearance. The center was cut out and filled in with paint to make a sort of frame for the dancing ladies. I used black and white fine tip markers and also a touch of violet watercolor to make the scroll work and background stand out a bit more. The bottom strip was cut from a gold doilie that I darkened with acrylic paint. I went back later and added some copper Stickles to the frame edge and just above the doilie.

When I was done I thought, wouldn't it be nice if, instead of boring old politicians on the face of money we could have dancing ladies instead?

Then I did a search for money art on the web and found that altering money is not a new idea. There are many collections including Pinterest and Tumblr boards and also bloggers who specialize in it. Then I wondered if it was legal and, in the United States:

Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
So when I alter my next $100 bill, I'll do it anonymously.