Deliberate Indecision

"Deliberate Indecision"
mixed media
11 x 14" framed

When in doubt, I make a collage.

Sewing Paper

"When Night Comes Before Day"
11x14"  mixed media collage

I have a love for sewing.
I have sewn most of my life, moving from making my own clothes to making quilts to sewing anything that  I can stick a threaded needle into.
Sewing a collaged surface takes more time, but it is time that I truly enjoy.
It brings a certain intimacy to the work that isn't there for me with other materials.
When I am working with hard surfaces like wood, I find that I incorporate sewing-like line quality.
And at times I have drilled holes into the wood so I could actually stitch the surface.
As with any artwork, the use of materials or techniques needs to "match the meaning" or intent of the work.
The black lace, although plastic, and the white lace, although covered with plaster, definitely called out for stitching.
The laces had been previously used for printing their designs onto other artwork, so they are the unconventional materials here while the stitching is the traditional process used to tie everything together.

What's in a Title?

"Not Enough of Anything"
9x11" mixed media collage

Is it important to title your art work?
This is an ongoing question in art schools and among artists everywhere.
As an educator I feel that titling one's work gives the viewer some idea of where you are leading them.
Although titles can be rather elusive, as I think this one is.  But it might cause one to think.

When I go to galleries and museums I see titles that are often very obvious and ones that don't help me at all in terms of knowing what the artist intended.  Perhaps, in the latter case, s/he wanted to remain rather private.
I usually give a lot of consideration to the titles of my artworks.
Sometimes a more straightforward title is what the work calls for while other times titles that carry some emotional content fit the work and my thought process throughout.
That might be the case for this work.

Asparagus, Dandelions and Rain..oh my!

Asparagus
13x15"  

I have not been writing as frequently of late as I have been in the garden and doing yard work.
There is a lot of that to do at this time of year, so I have been diverted from playing in my studio to playing in the dirt.
The artwork here is from my "Farmscape Series" done in 2009 where I created one 2-sided collage each week throughout the year.  The idea was to reflect abstractly the weekly changes in weather, landscape, atmosphere and my feelings about these things.

As I see the asparagus coming up in my garden right now and since I probably won't get into the studio again today I am sharing this collage of asparagus, dandelions and rain.  While we have a lot more dandelions than asparagus, our asparagus bed is producing quite well.

The collage incorporates a painted and silkscreened fabric with imagery that felt like asparagus to me when I found it in my stash as I was making the collage.  I am sure I was not thinking about asparagus when I painted the fabric, but that is the beauty of abstract work and saving all of my scraps.  The dandelion is from a photo I took of that puff ball dandelion top that is loaded with seeds to make....you guessed it, more dandelions.
(The pressure to have a weed-free lawn is not so great in the country.
We are happy just to have something green growing in the yard.)
And the rain shower is stitching.

So I am off to hang the laundry out and work in the garden and yard, "making art in my head" as I work.

Jeff's Leaf

Jeff's Leaf
3x3" floating in a 6x6" box

Transfer of an original collage onto a used tea bag.
More color was added with watercolor paint, shellac and pen and ink.
French Knots to embellish.
I need to drink more tea;  I am almost out of tea bags to repurpose!

Letting the Work Speak to Me

Variation on a Theme no. 5
8x10"

Working with this large, curved, white collar was a challenge.  I guess it was the fact that it is so large on this 8x10" piece of paper and that it has such an organic nature.  A lot of my work tends to be more geometric.  So it is good to work against the grain, so to speak.  There was lots of staring...me staring at the big white collar and the big white collar just staring back.  I was waiting for the work to speak to me.  Sometimes it does; sometimes I just have to guess at what the work wants.  I think in the end the big white collar did not want to be so big, so visible.  The addition of the woven belt and the stained tea bags on the left helped the composition as did the pink circles on the right.
Over all, this Variations Series is telling me I need to work with smaller collage pieces when working in this size range.
But I did not learn the lesson soon enough.  I have already started and almost completed Variation no. 6 which also has a pretty large collage element.

Creating Tension

Variations on a Theme no. 4
8x10"

Strong contrasts in white and black emphasize the contrasts in imagery and materials.  The drawing of the spine and suture-like stitches seem to create a sense of tension or disconnect with the flowery embroidery.  So the variation in this piece lies in both the use of limited color and suggestions from the imagery and stitching.

Cheating...Yes or No?

Variations on a Theme no. 3
8x10"

More light colored work, although a little bit of pink crept in, some of it from the staining on the tea bag I used and some from my watercolor brush.   I've had this doily for a long time and love it but could never find a way to use it.
Glad it became the star of this piece.  I do have a few more of them. They were all individual pieces but the raw edges tell me that they must have been part of something else at one time.
So am I cheating by using a bit of color and some black here and there for contrast?
My goal was to make white/light colored pieces without much color.
And to use the materials I have without purchasing new items.
So what do you think?  Am I a cheater?!

The Promise of Spring

From the Farmscape Series:  April Week 3

With all of this snow and cold, cold weather, I am looking forward to weeks like this one...warmer weather, warm colors,  grass growing (even though I know I will eventually have to mow it), the promise of fruit on the vines,
 and even dandelions!
This piece is from the Farmscape series I did a few years ago, where I made one 2-sided collage each week throughout the year.  They were all mixed media works with fabrics, paper, stitching, and paint.  This one even incorporates a found piece of cross stitching.  As I made each collage I would take a walk around the farm or look at my gardens for inspiration.
The colors in the work pictured here reflect what I saw that week as I worked on the collage.
It is good to look at this piece and know that the promise of spring is out there!

This piece measures 11x15" and comes matted to 15x19", unframed and is priced at $135 with free shipping!
As with all of the Farmscapes they are 2-sided so there is another work on the back!!  A deal for you.
For purchase information email me.