Channeling ~ complete

I finally was able to get a decent photo of this piece finished. The differences are subtle and may not be as noticeable in the image as they are IRL but I'm calling this done. I'm including a quick sketch of my next collage. I'm going to call this 'Still Life with Drawbridge'.

This is a familiar scene in my hometown during the summer months. The bridge goes up every 1/2 hour on the dot so the boat traffic can pass and the vehicle traffic can plan around this. It still creates a huge bottleneck because the main drag is a state highway and traffic can pile up fast.

Channeling ~ WIP

I'm almost done with this latest collage. There's still a little tweaking to be done. It was inspired by the man made channel (aka Pine River) in my own town. It connects Lake Michigan with Round Lake creating a safe harbor for ships and boats. I've taken photos along the way to create a work in progress beginning with the very first sketches. Most of the papers are homemade including blue crystalline paper for my lake water. The rest are magazine pages and a few prints I made from images I found online.

Bundle Up #2

The second installment in my new series based on women's coats and accessories. Sorry for the lag in updates. After my last post I could not find traction for some reason and I hope whatever was going on with me has passed for a good long time.

Bundle Up

It's so cold and wet outside these days. Today is particularly cloudy and dark on top of everything else and we still have winter to look forward to. Blah! Anyhoo, it's what inspired this collage. A colorful coat! Nothing better than a nice warm coat to keep the chills at bay. This is mostly painted tissue paper and painted drawing paper with a little soft pastel for shading.
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Image Transfer w/Inkjet on Print Paper

I really didn't intend to wait so long between updates. We've experiencing an ongoing heatwave that has raised Cain with my lungs, even with the AC going. Of course the humidity piled on so I've spent the past few weeks just trying to breath. It's almost impossible to focus on art under these circumstances but I did get one new collage completed. I'm calling it 'Bohemian Sunset'. I also tried something completely new.

I was browsing Youtube videos or Pinterest, not sure which and saw mention of using printer paper and a laser printer to create image transfers. ummmm....maybe I can use my ink jet printer instead. Let's see what comes of this.

 Here I've applied a layer of gel medium to a piece of 140# watercolor paper, the reason being I want the layer of gel medium to protect the surface of the wc paper while I rub away the excess printer paper. I used the image of a butterfly, cut out and coated with more gel medium, then laid face down and left to dry.

And this is my result after wetting down the printer paper and rubbing it away. The inkjet ink did transfer. I like it! It's not crisp and clear but it has a funky appeal. Kinda vintage.

I thought this turned out really cool. I printed out the same image three times, then applied them one a time, allowing each to dry completely and applying a coat of gel medium between each addition. Some areas of the images got rubbed away so I added a suggestion of the missing part with Micron pen. Very vintage.

Playing with Matches

Milestone

Gossip

Yes, I was playing with matches. I got the bright idea to burn some painted paper and it turned out pretty cool. I put together this nifty little collage with my results. FYI, if you try this I'd highly recommend you do so in a well ventilated area. I found this out the hard way.

I also got to use my bottle of Windsor Newton burnt sienna ink. Rather than the reddish brown color the name implies this ink is a brilliant shade of vermilion however when it hit a surface it lost it's vibrancy. The only thing that I found that didn't dull the color was white paper towel. Ok! I can work with that. When the paper towel was dry I glued it on to a piece of tracing paper and voila.

Harbor Town

SOLD

The title of this new collage is Harbor Town. It was inspired by another artist's work actually. I came across a collage while surfing on the 'net' that was full of rectangles and triangles and lots of red, white and blue. I immediately thought of the harbor in my own home town. Charlevoix is a popular summer tourist destination and is loved by natives and tourists alike who own boats because of it's beautiful natural harbor which can be accessed via a short channel and a trip under a draw bridge.

This collage is more representational that my others although I tried to make sure there was just enough wabi sabi to keep it interesting. Yes I learned a new phrase...wabi sabi. 

Ummm...looks like I need to touch those wave crests with some white paint. They look a little yellow on screen.

One Moon / Two Flowers

I don't think this one is complete. It needs something more. I'm just not sure what yet.

A funky little piece.When I added the crystalline paper onto a black background it looked quite dramatic. Btw, the colors are off in this image. It couldn't be helped.

Yes, two new collages. One a concept piece, the other about color. The concept was hatched during a recent cold snap in the area. Someone predicted it would end when the cold Moon had passed. If you live in a northern region you know what that means. Those hard moons and clear night skies that herald a frost. The second collage was about color and letting go. Let the piece drive itself. I gathered bits and scraps of harmonious colored papers and started gluing them down with no plan of action beforehand. When completed it made me think of two flowers in a vase.

Abstract is an interesting way to approach art. On one hand it's freeing because nothing has to look like anything if you don't wish it. No details to fuss over unless you wish it. Sometimes I'm finding too much freedom can be quite scary.

Making Collage Material

This has been my ongoing project this past week. I've discovered a love for inexpensive brown kraft paper, the kind you usually find with the mailing supplies in dollar stores. It's the perfect weight and I like the texture it can give me. When I painted it with heavy body yellow oxide acrylic I got something akin to ultra suede. Nice! I've tea stained crumpled tracing paper and even used pickled beet juice here and there. I was surprised the beet juice didn't turn that funky brown shade when dry. Maybe the vinegar was the hero. Either way it stayed a lovely shade of pink.

I rummaged through a desk drawer and found an old box of white thumb tacks which gave me the idea to gild them. I wound up using both copper and silver composite leaf . I also embellished a few with alcohol ink.

I gathered a huge stack of old artist magazines and chose lots of yummy artwork to add to my collection. I also went through my purchased art papers and cut samples of each. I now have a palette  of papers to begin my collages and of course I can always add as I go along.

Sexy Sixty Somethin's ~ mixed media

Watercolor, marker and cut paper collage on w/c paper

My best friend's 65th birthday is nearing and I wanted to create a special card that would give her a laugh. She's had a rough few months. In September she had a stroke that left her paralyzed on the right side and affected her speech. Bad enough for anyone but especially for her as she loves to be on the go-go-go. Her speech has come back and this past week she took her first steps with a walker. At the rate she's now recovering I wouldn't be surprised to see her walking without the walker very soon. We've been friends since the 4th grade and we'll both be 65 very soon hence the title.