Recharging

Valentine Cards

Ever since I got that HUGE electric bill for heating my studio when it was
so cold I have been trying to work in the house.
But I am finding lots of distractions like...
 refinishing a small table.
Or baking some cookies because it is cold out and cookies will make it okay.
Or reading.
Or knitting.
Or watching endless cooking and home improvement shows.

All of this tells you that I am not making much art.
But I did manage to make some valentines the other day.
I call these "No Hearts, just Handmade with Love" Valentines.
Maybe I needed the February 14th deadline to get myself motivated.

All in all, I am using this cold weather to recharge myself.
Thinking about projects and processes.
Gathering materials and ideas.
Hoping to get back to my studio routine.

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

Laying the Ground Work

Jan. 22, 2018
mixed media collage on paper
5x8"

In the previous three collages, where I have been experimenting with layered text, I started with
a complete sheet of newspaper or page from a catalog and worked the composition from there.
In this piece I was very deliberate in the original layer to use a variety of fonts and sizes.
The beginning layer here was a composition all of its own.
You can see the beginnings of this collage in my Jan. 18th post where I was working in
my Pop Up Indoor Studio.

Using the different texts, fonts and sizes really influenced the composition.
 For the better.
Laying a good foundation is as important as what is going to go on top.

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

Keeping it Small

Jan.15, 2018 collage
mixed media on paper
5x8"

These new small collages have been fun to explore and see how deep I can make the layers
without obliterating the original layer that has most of the text on it.
I am working with watercolor, acrylic paint, some latex indoor paint colors and colored pencil.
Also a bit oil crayon at the end.
The first layer of text and the overlay of random lines usually dictates the composition.
I am finding them more labor intensive but rewarding.

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

Baby, It's Cold Outside

POP UP Indoor Studio
(aka the kitchen)

I got the electric bill the other day.  Yikes!  Warming my studio is costing me a lot.
It takes at least an hour or so for it to warm up to a temperature where I can work in there
with a coat and boots on.  I did that all of last month and now I have a whopping bill to pay.
So I did what any sane person would do...I moved my studio into the house.
That way we are only heating one building not 2 or 3.

Advantages...it is warm, often with a fire in the pot belly stove.  Aaaahhh
Disadvantages...I have to clean up after I work because I am making art on my island.
My new butcher block island top!  So I can't be careless, hence the white paper under the work.

This isn't all of the supplies I need as a mixed media artist.
Everyday I find myself going out to the studio to get a few more items.
But at least I can still work and it is warm.

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

Size Matters

"Sun Spots"
mixed media on board
8x8"

Making work that is just a bit bigger than the 5x8" daily collages I have been doing takes a
surprisingly longer amount of time!  The format of this piece is square as opposed to the horizontal
layout of the daily collage.  So that contributes to the challenge, along with the extra 3 inches.

I think when one works in a particular format for a consistent amount of time a familiarity with the
space of the page adds a level of comfort to the working process.
I have always been more comfortable with a rectangle.
And definitely more comfortable working small.
This piece is still small for sure.
But the amount of surface that needs to be layered is increased.

Having said all of that, I am having a lot of fun with these new pieces.
And I am working at the same time on some content driven larger works.
(See Dec. 8 and Dec. 27, 2018 posts about "Mining the Sketchbook" series)
It has been good for me to balance the large labor intensive pieces with the more whimsical and
abstract collages.

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

My Muses

Untitled
Hannelore Baron

New to 2018 you will find writings on my blog and images of artists whose work I follow,
or those whose work inspire me to think and work in different directions.

For this new section of my website I am beginning with Hannelore Baron,
 a collage artist whose work was prominent in the 1960's.
As I often do, I stumbled upon her work while googling something else entirely.

I was immediately struck by her powerful and poignant use of materials.
You can read a bit more about her and see more of her work by clicking on her name under the "Muse" category
on the right side of my blog.

I welcome your comments about this new aspect of my blog or your responses
to the artists and works I reference.
Please enjoy!

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

New Year, New Layers

Jan.2, 2018

Jan. 3, 2018
mixed media collage on paper
5x8"

Using more color.
Deepening the sense of space and layers.
Good start for the New Year!

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