Sun Series #1

Sun Series #1

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

New Year's Resolution...In Progress




This is my studio!
What a mess!
I've promised myself for a couple of years to pair down.
Get rid of stuff.
Organize what I want to keep.
Have specific areas for each media...painting and collage, encaustic, and sewing.
And, of course, I have lots of finished art that needs to be stored.

So to that end I have been sorting stuff, donating stuff and throwing out stuff.
It doesn't look like any progress has been made in these photos, but with this kind of cleaning it always gets worse before it gets better.
Right?!
Right?!
Please tell me it will get better!


Thursday, January 12, 2017

New Colors

Untitled
mixed media on paper
8x10"

I really do not like to leave my work untitled.
So I am still working on a title for this piece.

This is a different color palette for me with the aqua and gold.
Still working at loosening up.
There are some nice subtleties going on here with drawing overtop of drawing.
Some days it comes more easily than others.

Also searching for some basis in concept for these small collages.
They are not tied together by color, that's for sure.
So far it is size and the use of basic geometric shapes that is the unifying element.

www.claremurrayadams.com
www.claremurrayadams.etsy.com
http://instagram.com/claremurrayadams

Monday, January 9, 2017

How Mixed Media Is It?

"Garden Dream"
mixed media collage on paper
8x10"

How mixed media is my work?
Almost always more than 2 media.
Here's the list for this piece:
paper
fabric
acrylic paint
pen and ink
crayon
stamping
machine stitching
hand stitching

www.claremurrayadams.com
www.claremurrayadams.etsy.com
http://instagram.com/clarremurrayadams

Saturday, January 7, 2017

So Far, So Good

Beginning point

"Four Part Harmony"
mixed media collage on paper
8x10"

Fourth in a series that I hope will have 100 works on paper that all measure 8x10".
So far everything is vertical.  Not sure if I will go horizontal or not.
Probably should as vertical is my default mode of working.

This piece has a section of a vintage quilt on it, along with paper, other fabric and a piece of canvas.
Trying to stay abstract without any representational images.
So far so good.

www.claremurrayadams.com
http://instagram.com/claremurrayadams
www.claremurrayadams.etsy.com

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Layer. Hide. Reveal

"The Games People Play"
mixed media collage on paper
8x10"

Second in a series that I hope will be 100 artworks done on paper.
In this piece I feel that I worked very intuitively and really right from the gut.
Didn't have a plan.
Didn't have a concept in mind.
That is often where I struggle.  I like to have an idea where I am going.
But that is the whole point of this series.
Make work that is part play and part experimentation.
Layer, hide and reveal.
Like little secrets.

www.claremurrayadams.com
www.claremurrayadams.etsy.com
http://instagram.com/claremurrayadams

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

My Default Setting


"Hiding From Winter"
mixed media on paper
8x10"

Mixed media work and collage are my default settings.
As much as I want to draw and paint, I feel most comfortable and feel I make my best work
when I can use lots of materials and when I can collage materials to a substrate whether that be
paper, canvas, wood or fabric.  Even my assemblages are done in this way.

How then do I grow as an artist? 
I don't want to just repeat a familiar and comfortable technique.
I want to use this way of working as a springboard and go beyond what I am so familiar with doing.

The challenge to myself in the new year is to see if I can take collaging and mixed media to a place
that is less comfortable or easy but getting results that I am happy with.  Results that feel like
growth and a new place.  

To this end I want to use unexpected materials.  This piece for example has plaster on it 
to create some textures.  It is risky to use plaster on paper as it is prone to cracking and flaking off.
In contrast to using unexpected materials I want to use the "normal" collage materials in     unexpected ways.
Layering is always an important aspect to my work.  I want to continue that but raise the bar 
on the way I layer or the kinds of materials I use to layer the work.

It is good to commit to paper some of these ideas before and throughout my working process.
It keeps me thinking.  It keeps me honest.  
Articulating the ambiguousness of the process makes it more concrete.