"Virtue" And "Soar" - Altered Plate Mixed Media/Collages

I salvaged a couple of square plastic plates from going in the trash.  They're about six inches square and are bevelled (concave).  It dawned on me that they would make a great base for some kind of collage or assemblage.

So, here are the results.  Both pieces are highly textural and very primitive in finish, with lots of lumps and bumps from the many, many layers of stuff I used to create them.  It was a bit of a challenge working on something bevelled and not flat.  They are both quite dark pieces, not just in color but in feel.  Kinda gothic in some ways.  I used all kinds of recycled materials to make them and it took the better part of six months to finally get them to the point where I am happy enough with them to let them go.

Each has a wire hanger on the back.  Because of the bevelled shape of these plates, they are about a half inch or more deep.

Although they don't show up well in the scans, the little blocks on the pieces are vintage dictionary definitions of "virtue" and "soar."