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.

Golden Poppy

"Golden Poppy"
14x19"
mixed media collage on paper and canvas

These works based on my Dad's botany journals have been both challenging and rewarding.
I am beginning to include more paint and am letting the artwork speak to me about the size of the piece.
Initially they were all fairly square, but the materials I am selecting for the base surface is now dictating the size.
In this one I have put together canvas (top half) from an old acrylic painting and an old dark mono print on paper (bottom half).  The mono print got totally obliterated and hidden as I worked.
That disappointed me as I really liked the marks and character of the mono print, but it is still there, just part of the history  or soul of the piece.
Framing or presentation of these pieces is the next challenge!

Yellow and Red Plums

"Wild Yellow and Red Plum"
14x15"
mixed media collage on canvas

The support or surface of this piece is an old acrylic painting that I sanded in order to reveal some of the underneath layer. I am a fan of distressed and aged surfaces.  The sanding creates marks and areas that I can't achieve when I am painting. There is just something about these unexpected and worn surfaces that I like.
A revelation of the soul of the work.

I think I "chickened out" a bit on the direct drawing that I want to do by keeping it in that rather ambiguous lower right corner, deferring to some machine stitching lines that cut across the picture plane.  But I really liked the drawing of the red plums that was in Dad's original illustration...small yet important.

The Scary Part...Going Too Far

"Three Calla lily Leaves"
from the Botanist's Journal series
15x15"
mixed media collage on a paper and canvas support

The Calla Lily leaves are really layered into this work.  Part of one is clearly  seen on the right side, but the viewer has to really look for the other two.  I was able to add some direct drawing (the black active circles and Xs) over top of the work which was very scary to do as I had put a lot of work into the piece and was worried about ruining it.
Isn't that always our worry...that we will go too far or sometimes not far enough.
Lots of transparent layers has long been one of my goals and something I think I often achieve.
Now the act of adding direct drawing using paint or sewing lines is the next step or challenge for me.

Apple Blossoms from the Botanist's Journal

"Apple Blossoms" from the Botanist's Journal Series
14 x 20"
mixed media collage on canvas

The illustration of the apple blossoms and the writing about it are layered on a painted canvas with papers, fabrics, and threads.  Sewing paper seems to be imbedded in my art practice.  Also incorporated are mono prints on silk organza and some stamping.  There is some dimension to the work from the sections where a vintage quilt was incorporated.  I really want to incorporate more direct drawing into these pieces but am having a hard time making that leap.

Indian Corn

"Indian Corn and Seedling" from The Botanist's Journal Series
14 x15"
mixed media collage on fabric

Still working with my dad's illustrations and notations from his college botany class notebooks.
This incorporates an old acrylic painting on the left with papers, fabric, painting, a piece of a vintage quilt, some stitching and drawing....Hence the use of the term "mixed media"!

Second Piece from the Botanist's Journal

"Late Season Sweet Potatoes"
13x14"
mixed media collage on paper

This is the second piece in the Botanist's Journal series.
The drawing of the sweet potatoes was done by my dad as part of some college course work he was taking.
The work is heavily layered yet with as much transparency of layers as I could get.
I am happy with the looser quality of the collaging and the lean toward more abstracted work.

Knives, Spoons and Mom's Recipe Box

Missing the Forks
6x7" on board

More from the silverware series where I used those precious, favorite napkins as collage elements.
The writing behind the napkins are copies of some of my mother's recipes.
I have her little recipe file box, which is pictures above, as well as lots of loose recipes that she collected.
When I find myself writing notes, art ideas, book titles, etc. on little slips of paper instead of in my journal or my date book, I know that I am turning into my Mom!

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?!

Getting Back on Track, I Hope!

Notations    5.5x6"

I wasn't happy with yesterday's work.  And it was "work".  This is better, but still not where I want it to be.  I found someone's music notebook with musical notations at a flea market and that was the starting point for this piece.
I have also been using a book of shorthand that I bought awhile ago.  I love how it looks and find it a mystery that anyone can read it.  My mom knew shorthand.  I even have some of her recipes with the ingredients listed in "english" and the directions for making the recipe in "shorthand".  Really, Mom?

This piece is on paper, layered with the music paper, shorthand paper and some staining and mark making.  I feel it is truer to how I work and who I am as an artist when it is compared to the garish heavy-handed piece from yesterday.
I guess I work better when I have a concept or am driven by an idea or some materials.  Once I have that I can let those elements "have their say" and work more freely.  Here's to getting back on the right track.

The Power of the Subconscious

Sticks and Stones
6x12"

I resonate with the title "Sticks and Stones" on many levels.  The natural elements evoke landscapes, memories of childhood play,  and the saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me".   Here we have physical sticks and stones with the very tentative nod to the saying recognized by the script that connects the 2 pieces.  The script is  nonsensical, more like notations or shorthand, not the actual words of the childhood chant.  It is just as I am writing this that I see the script as that reference to childhood and the sometimes cruel nature of play.
When I was working on the piece the script was just an element to connect the pieces, not something meaningful that is suggested by the saying "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me".  Another example of the way in which my work makes itself know subtly and subconsciously.
(By the way, I do not believe the part of the saying about words never causing harm.)

I think these 2 pieces must sell together.  They measure 6x12" and are priced at $125 including shipping.
For purchase information, please email me.

Down Memory Lane

From the Collage-a-Day Series:  Boys and Girls

In 2005 I made one collage everyday for a year.
These pieces measure 5.5 x 8" and are mixed media collages.
Each one had a piece of a journal I had found at a flea market and was stamped with the date
using one of those stamping devices that they used to use when you check out your library books.
I am showing my age here!

I did not miss a day but promised my self that if I did there would be a blank 5.5 x 8" card in its place.
I also would not allow myself to work ahead or work behind.  The pieces had to be done that day.
During that year I drove to Wyoming for a residency and checked into motels along the way with my very small bag of clothing, toothbrush, etc. and a large box of collage "stuff".
I also got married in June and made a collage that day.
So you could say I was driven not to have that blank card show up!

These pieces are on my Etsy site and selling for just $5.00.
I keep adding pieces every few weeks.
They are unframed but can easily be mounted and framed to your own tastes.

Visit My Etsy Shop