When in Doubt...Collage

Mixed Media Collage on Board
11 x 14"

The underlying basis of this collage is a mono print.
The large pink area reveals what can still be seen of the mono print.
The rest of it is pretty buried in the layers of paint, fabric, shellac and sanded plaster.
Working abstractly, without any reference to an object or some real subject is difficult for me.
I don't mind if the final artwork references something to me or the viewer, but I really wanted here to just work with shape and composition, color and texture, without relying on a collaged image.
I wasn't able to do this successfully in the mono print alone.
But I feel I had more success once I started collaging, using the mono print as one of the contributing papers for the collage.

Growth with Authenticity

Remnants no.004
10x12x4"
fabric, wire mesh, hydrocal and encaustic paint on board

The base of all of the Remnant pieces (so far) is a cradled board.
It is providing the hard and strong structure that I need to support the weight of the hydrocal and wax.
I found with this piece that I need to look for a sturdier wire component as the weight of the hydrocal and wax on this thin wire mesh really was a bit too heavy, because I extended it so far off the board.
But I was really after that curled edge on the upper right which the thin wire mesh allowed me to do.

These pieces have been fun and challenging.  That is what the art process is about for me...working with new materials and techniques yet trying to allow my collage and mixed media voice to stay true.
Growth with authenticity.

Experiments with New Materials

"Remnants no. 001"
fabric,wire mesh,  hydrocal, encaustic paint, and found objects on board
9x9x 1.5"

In an effort to add more dimension to my 2D work and collages I am experimenting with some new materials.
The use of wire mesh and the hydrocal are the materials that are giving this work a deeper surface as well as some texture.
 
I feel that I work best when I have some kind of concept in mind.  Here I was thinking about the remnants of materials like fabric, wallpaper, and linoleum that one finds when remodeling or even after a disaster such as a flood or hurricane.
Hydrocal is a very hard plaster substance.  It is harder than ordinary plaster of paris.
I wanted the rigidity of this material because I felt it would hold the wire mesh in place and create a greater sense of depth,
making the layering that I like to do even more pronounced.

A Blog Worthy Demo

Paisley
6x6" encaustic painting

Last Thursday and Friday I was teaching an encaustic painting class.  As a part of the class I did a few demos of  various encaustic techniques.  Usually my demos aren't anything to write home about. Or in this case to write a blog about.  But this particular demo had some potential and above is the final result.
The paisley design came from a sheer fabric that I adhered to demonstrate the use of fabrics when working with encaustic.  Some of the other techniques include using stencils (dots in the lower right corner), creating textures (left side), and collaging paper (heart in upper right corner).

My husband, who is also an artist, and I recently had a discussion about the value in working a surface or a project or a concept until it gets to some resolution.  I am not always able to get an artwork to a finished state that I am happy with with, but I agree that the process of trying to do so can result in valuable insights into the ways in which one works with their materials and ideas.

Mother's Day Reflection

Joanne 1927

This Sunday is Mother's Day.
In honor of my mom who is no longer with me in person but definitely with me in spirit I offer this encaustic work which pictures my mom dressed up and holding a cute little purse.
I have put a halo of sorts on her head.
In the background is the image of a dress, appropriate because she sewed many of my clothes and taught me to sew.
As an avid gardener, both vegetables and flowers, I include this blue flower. and the brown vines.
I miss her every day and think of her whenever I sew, garden, can vegetables, or do home improvement projects which she did constantly throughout her life.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

The Backbone of My Work

Two Park Benches
6x6"

Final collage in the Chairs of Paris Series!  That doesn't necessarily mean you won't see chairs again, but for right now I am done with chairs and benches, flea markets and antique shops.

I find that I often return to my past artworks for inspiration or for source material for new work, as I did in this series.
Doing this adds an authenticity to what I do.  While I enjoy looking at the work of others, visiting art galleries and shows, viewing Pinterest and Etsy, I know myself and that I can get easily distracted  by the great variety of work in these places.  I see people working with techniques I'd like to try and materials I wish to use.  One of my art goals for this year is to remain true to myself.  I know I have posted some things that are somewhat like me and my work, but also me experimenting with someone else's style, technique, materials, etc.
But I almost always return to what I call the backbone of my work...imagery of some sort, collage and encaustic.
I work better and more authentically when I have a "image to hang my hat on" (as Jim Dine said) and/or a concept from which I can work.
I need to remind myself of that from time to time.

This piece is 6x6" mixed media collage on a board with encaustic.  It is ready to hang and requires no framing.
It is priced at $75 with free shipping in the US.  To purchase, visit my Etsy shop. 

Green Chairs and Blue Shutters
6x6"

Mixed media collage on board using a photocopy of an original collage with colored pencil and
some transparent papers added.  I love the inaccuracies I get when I collage elements that are of incorrect proportions or sizes.  Like these large urns with the thin legged chairs.

This work is 6x6" on a board and ready to hang.  It requires no dreaming.
To purchase, please visit my Etsy shop.

Brown Chair and Bottle
6x6"

Flea Markets and Antique shops are such an inspiration to me.
I love the crowded, random feel of these places.
Ancestral "stuff" along with the unexpected.

This piece is 6x6" on a cradled board, mixed media collage with free shipping in the US.
To purchase, visit my Etsy shop.

More Chair Obsession

Two Benches / Two Chairs
6x6"

I love those small wooden folding chairs that were everywhere in Paris.
The bench in the distant background is also of the same style.
These collages remind me of the Spring weather that is just around the corner for Ohio.
Can't wait to get out my chairs and porch furniture and to see green grass again!!

This is 6x6" on board; mixed media collage with encaustic medium; priced at $75 with free shipping in the US.
To purchase, visit my Etsy shop.

Chairs and Music

Chairs of Paris:  Musical Chairs

Sometimes when I am at a flea market or antique shop I feel like I flit from one item to the next.  It is as if I am waiting for the music to stop and for me to land on something.  No, that wasn't it.  Then the music starts again and I hope I will land on something else, something better, something more intriguing, something totally unique.  But landing on something is the what it is all about.  Coming away with a win, just like being the last person in musical chairs, the one who gets the last chair.  Of course I was in Paris and knew that I couldn't come home with anything chair-size from the flea market...not in my budget.  So pictures of chairs and music is as close as I could get.

This piece is 6x6" on a cradled board and priced at $75 with free shipping in the US.
To purchase, visit my Etsy shop.

Remembering Paris

Chairs of Paris:  White

When we were in Paris, I loved the white French Provincial chairs that I saw so many places, especially in the flea markets.  It is fun to see what different regions and countries value and sell in their flea markets and antique shops.

This piece is 6x6" on a cradled board and features a copy of a collage I made with some new additions and encaustic paint.   I think the white encaustic around the edges gives a memory feel to the work.  It is priced at $75 with free shipping in the US.  It is ready to hang and does not require framing.  To purchase visit my Etsy shop.

Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek
11 x 14" mixed media collage on board

This piece took a lot longer than I expected.  I got stuck.  I created a background with collage elements and plaster that I liked and didn't quite know where to take it.  There were certain aspects of the background that I didn't want to lose.  But as in much of my work, I had to do some give and take.  By letting go of certain background features I gained some new areas of interest.  The addition of the white encaustic paint added depth to the surface which I like.  It helps push some of the imagery further into the background, making sense with the title.

This piece is 11 x 14" and priced at $225 including shipping to the US.  For purchase information email me.

Always a Fiber Artist!

Quilt Patches & Yarn Balls     2012
14 x 16 x .75"

Since I have been showing small works that incorporate plaster / joint compound and
encaustic paint, I thought I would show an older work that used those materials.
I used the reverse side of a cradled board and built the top surface and small openings using
foam core and mat board.
I am a fan of deteriorating walls and find beauty in those layers that reveal what is below
the surface of an exterior.
There is a certain tension created by inserting soft objects into the rough and worn wall like structure.
Both the objects inserted and the outer wall have texture but in contrast to each other.
Just as the colors inside are in high contrast to the white outer wall.

Somehow I often find a way to incorporate fiber into my artwork.
Once a fiber artist, always a fiber artist.
At least that is true for me!

This piece is 14x16x.75" and is priced at $225 including shipping to the US.  For purchase information please  email me.

A Return to Doors

Back Alley
Part of the Upcycle Series

When I first started making quilts in the late 1980's and 90's windows and doors
were a large part of the imagery I used.

I have always liked the geometry that these architectural elements present.
Their visual impact carries a lot of emotional, social and sometimes cultural connotations.
Doors allude to the ideas of openings and closures, entrance and exclusion.

What kind of place is this with its dark exterior and crooked door?
Do I want to enter or stay out?
Is it day or night?
There is something both lovely and rich about the colors.
It is artistic intuition at its best.
I really like this one!

This piece is 6x6" and priced at $75 including shipping to the US.  To purchase please email me.

Getting There is Part of the Fun!

When in Rome...
Part of the Upcycle Series

In this series I have been working with an old acrylic painting, using sections of it and creating new works with those pieces.  Along with working small  (6x6") I have given myself some other challenges. I am
using plaster, shellac and encaustic paint trying to see how those
materials affect the work and how compatible (or not) they are together.

I have worked with encaustic paint for a number of years and like the way you can build up layers and scrape them away to reveal what is underneath.  I am finding that the plaster has similar properties.  I can apply it thickly or thinly and then sand, instead of scrape, to reveal the "soul" or history of the layers.

In the "Sun Series" I used lots of plaster along with the shellac.  Including the encaustic adds another dimension.
Now I have to consider when to apply each material as it is difficult to sand encaustic.
I like the depth that the encaustic creates and its transparency.
I like the crispness of the plaster.
I like the shellac for its ability to seal the layers and create a sense of luminosity.

The task is finding the correct balance between these materials that I really love using so I can create work that I think feels fresh and innovative.  As always I am looking for growth in my approach to mixed media.
I am not there yet, but getting there is part of the fun!

This piece is 6x6" and priced at $75 including shipping.  To purchase please email me.

Before and After/ Geometry and Whimsy

As promised here is the beginning of the next piece in the Upcylce series.  This is the backside of one of my old paintings and therefore the "before" picture.  I added some collage elements, some stitching and a bit of color.  The blank band at the top is the board showing as the painting section I had does not fill the whole 6x6" board.

From here I worked with color, shellac, plaster and encaustic, building up the surface until I was satisfied.  My whole focus in this group of works is to create surfaces that look aged  and layered.
Sometimes the changes until I reach the end product are rather subtle, but the end is achieved through lots of layering

In the final version  on the right you see that the main shapes have been retained, but the colors and textures are more developed.  I extended the shapes from the painting in the larger lower section into the top empty area.

I found that curved area on the lower right corner to be hard to work with, although I really loved that part of the work initially.
My goal was to create a balance between what was in the original canvas and what I wanted to do with plaster and encaustic.  Some elements got lost but when I added that section of raised plaster created by screening the plaster through a stencil doily I found what I was looking for...a balance between geometric shape and organic whimsy.

This piece is 6x6" and priced at $75 including shipping.  To purchase email me.

Upcycle no. 3

Seven Up

This was a struggle and it shows.  The composition with my recycled painting was awkward to begin with.  I was trying to work with raised areas as well as that more flat area on the right.  I don't think it all came together for me.  I do like the stitching  in the white rectangle on the lower left and the use of wire which you can barely see in this photo.

There is always the question of whether one should abandon a work or see it through to the end. I chose to see it through and then to reveal it to the world!   Sometimes I need some distance and time away from the work to see what is going on and to see its value.  I think it remains to be seen if this piece stands up to the rest of the work in this crazy "Upcycled Series".

This piece is 6x6" and priced at $75 including shipping.  To purchase please email me.

Upcycling my Old Art!

Ladder

Definition of upcycle:
-to reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

I have been making art for over 30 years and therefore have a lot of art...some of it good, some of it, not so much.  I have these acrylic paintings that I did in college which were okay, not great, but have some interesting areas.  About a year ago I decided to cut one of them up and stitch on the pieces, add some collage elements and some drawing.  I tried to find a way to display them as a group but the pieces no longer worked together.

While looking for something else in my studio, I came upon them and decided that I might be able to do something with them in this 6x6" format, so I cut the pieces down some more!  This one, titled "Ladder", incorporates the acrylic painting on canvas with collage elements, machine and hand stitching, plaster, shellac and encaustic paint.  "Ladder" seems to me to fit the definition of upcycle, reusing something discarded in order to elevate it to a better standing than the original.
At least I find it to be upcycled for the better.
Not sure what my art professor's opinion would be!

This piece is 6x6" and priced at $75 including shipping.  To purchase please email me.