It was difficult for everyone to understand what attraction factory work could possibly hold for Sobriquette Pinion. She came from a good family, successful and esteemed in the small town in which they lived. She was inarguably lovely with her pale skin, smooth as a calla lily, and her inky black hair and eyes – she had no shortage of ardent suitors and could marry into a life of ease and luxury by simply batting a glossy eyelash in their general directions. If she insisted on an occupation, well, she was bright enough (despite her odd inability to distinguish left from right) to attend any ladies’ college of her choice . But no, even as a tot, Sobriquette was riveted (so to speak) by engineering books and mechanical manuals. Her crayoned scribblings therein turned out to be revisions of potential design flaws, not doodles. Small appliances were disassembled and reconstituted into fascinating but unrecognizable versions of their former selves. When Sobriquette’s father requested she hand-deliver a business proposal to the owner of a local machine shop, he could not have been surprised to find her still there, hours later, staring lovingly at an industrial band saw. Sobriquette’s mother is rumored to have never forgiven him. At any rate, for a machinist, Sobriquette retained some of her bourgeois ways. Come the noontime lunch whistle, and was in the habit of shrugging off her uncomfortable dress and scrambling atop her band saw to lay out a proper tea, much to the delight of her coworkers. She was always sure to bring plenty of scones for everyone.

This handcrafted original collage depicts Sobriquette Pinion perched on her beloved vintage band saw, which she has fitted with a handy “Left-Right” guide to accommodate her dyspraxia. I made it using vintage images and an antique mechanic’s manual page on a handpainted 4” x 6” x ¾” stretched gallery canvas and embellished it with Dresden trim, hand-antiqued brass corners and actual watch gears. Finished on the back with beautiful heavy weight art paper, signed and fitted with hanging hardware, this piece does not require a frame to hang.
This original artwork and story are copyright Ramona Szczerba 2010. Copyright to this material is in no way transferable with the sale of this item. The buyer is not entitled to any reproduction rights – neither image nor story can be reproduced without my express written permission. Thanks!