From Paper Napkin to Art

Dinner Music
6x7" on board

I've had a package of paper napkins with silverware imagery on them for a while now.
The silverware is nicely rendered and looks like a set that my mom might have had.
I use them sparingly because I like them so much and it seems sad to have to discard them after using them for such a brief time.  So I decided if I were to use them in a collage that would give them some longevity.

It was fun to incorporate the silverware napkins with the sheet music.
And I allowed the wood to remain unpainted so this lends a natural and table top like appearance to the work.
The shadows were added with watercolor pencils and shellac sealed the work and deepened the color of the wood.

Foundations of a Visual Vocabulary

Variations on a Theme no. 10
8x10"

Here is the final piece in this mostly white /light series.
It has been both fun and challenging to work with this palette using collage.
You can see more color sneaking in when you notice the image in the lower right hand corner.
As I observe and analyze this piece I also see the use of imagery that I started with earlier in the blog...
the circles, the use of notations via music notes and shorthand papers along with the ladder form.
It seems to me that one's visual vocabulary has a foundation of images, shapes, forms, color, and technique that
become truly one's individual identity and artistic voice.
The circles and notations, the stitching and collage, the plaster and shellac are that foundation for me.

You can find this piece for sale in my Etsy shop.

Dimension and Depth

Variations on a Theme no. 9
8x10"

Series is almost done.  One more to go.
I have always enjoyed working in white and light tones, usually using paint.
Returning to this palette for awhile has been good...both challenging as I looked for a variety of materials to use
as well as exciting to create collages with limited color.
The use of plaster adds dimension with its texture and the shellac adds depth with its amber glaze.

Contradictions

Variations on a Theme no. 8 (detail)

Variations on a Theme no. 8
8x10"

This layered collage incorporates whole pieces of paper and fabric with some found remnants of other collage pieces.
For my purposes, stitching on paper is drawing.
The addition of the coppery metal pieces adds dimension to the flat surface
and contrasts the delicate nature of the thin thread.
This particular bird image is one I often repeat.
It represents soaring, freedom, release although it is slightly
veiled behind the layer of vellum which somewhat contradicts the notion of freedom and release.  

Multi-tasking

Un-Sung
6x7"

This small mixed media work incorporates some found metal pieces along with upholstery tacks.
I love upholstery tacks!  They are both beautiful and useful.
That ring on top came from the same going-out-of-business fabric store where I got the large zipper pulls
 (see the post on 3/26/15).
This is one of the smaller works that I am multi-tasking with while doing the more labor intensive sewing on the white pieces from the "Variations on a Theme" series.
A girl has got to keep busy!

Cleansing My Palette

Variations on a Theme no.1
8x10"

I have heard some artists, painters mostly, say that they often like to "cleanse their palette" by taking away all of the color and working in just black and white.  I think it might be time for me to do that in my collages.  I have long been attracted to collages with lots of white or light shades in them.  There was a show a number of years ago that I saw on line, not in person, where the theme of the show was artworks in white.

So I am going there for awhile...working with white/light fabrics, papers and ephemera.
I have gathered together a pile of materials and want to work from those with our purchasing new materials.
The challenge for me will be to grow in my collage work while working with the light palette.

This work is 8x10" mixed media collage on a board ready to hang without any framing.
It is priced at $110 with free shipping in the US.  To purchase, please 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.

Kind of a Secret

Written on the Wind       6x6" on board

This mixed media collage was adhered to the wooden panel without any gesso so around the edges some of the grain of the wood shows.  Some of the painting was done using a mask to block out areas and save the underlying colors.  I also did some negative painting.  The four red floating shapes were painted on silk organza and collaged over top of the board.
I really love using the shorthand paper.  It has that calligraphic mark making quality that I like.  The other text on the left is from a music notebook and I think it is Italian.  I like that what is written is kind of a secret...only meant for someone who can read these marks.  The idea that it is "written on the wind" adds to the elusive and private quality of the work.

The piece is 6x6" on board and priced at $60 with free shipping in the US.  It can be purchased through Etsy.  Outside of the US?  Please convo me for a quote on shipping costs.

Less is More

Notations 2    6.25x7"

Sometimes I find it is good to just cleanse my palette and make something that is simple and clean.
This piece has the shorthand paper, music paper and some abstract markmaking  that for me reads like a code, another form of notation.
Often less is more; editing my work gives my creative process a chance to breath.