Door Mouse Said, “Feed Your Head.”

It’s an Exquisite Corpse.

Helene Ruiz and I started corpses for each other to finish. This is the one she started for me. Helene did the top half.

This shot is the half finished corpse.

If you take the wrapping paper off the panel before you’re finished, you’re cheating. I didn’t cheat. I could see enough on that 1″ of color showing to figure out it was a party going on. First I saw the lips on the right in red. Then I saw what looks like a red bubble nose. I knew it was faces in red. At the very edge of the wrapping paper I could see part of a white spiral, and I thought it was probably an eye on drugs. So I decided to bring a joint to the party. That’s me on the left. hahahahha. When I took the wrapping paper off and saw the psychedelic mushroom people and the little smoking worms in the picture, I was happy.

I wish I could paint as well as Helene with acrylics, but I never use them, so if it’s not great, oh well. I had fun with it. So I wanted to use psychedelic music lyrics for the title of the corpse. Do you remember Jefferson Airplane?

And I gave Helene a collage corpse to finish. It had only 2 black lines for her to connect her half of the drawing to my half. And it came out all abstract! I’ll try to get it on the blog soon, but I had a technical difficulty downloading it.

The Gift Of A Creative Journey

CREATE – Mail Art

I have always loved receiving mail. Real mail. Snail mail. Having bits of paper in my mail box delivered by an honest to goodness person kind of mail. Before the age of emails, texting and social media, paper-in-your-hand mail was the best way to communicate and share your life events with those you cared about.

And even though it isn’t as immediate, I still love the anticipation and feeling of surprise when I open my mailbox and find a treasure waiting for me.

When I found out about a Mail Art Swap on the Bliss Angels Blog I decided to jump in! The theme is CREATE. The challenge was to assemble four envelopes.

I sat down with my box of ephemera and I allowed my Muse to guide me. I had a few lovely craft envelopes to use as a substrate. I found a copy  of a painting of First Lady Louisa Adams. I loved her pose and the wistful look in her eye. I decided to build the art around her.

I have a bag of fortunes from Chinese fortune cookies. I dug deep and pulled one out. It read:

Your flair for the creative takes an important place in your life.

It was a perfect start…again…Synchronicity? The substrate is a craft envelope. In addition to the reproduction of the painting I added art and handmade paper, a wax infused paper doily, a postage stamp, newsprint, and joss paper. I finished the envelope by adding rubber stamped and stencilled acrylic metallic paint. All that was left to do was address, stamp, and send.

As I eagerly await the Art that will grace my mailbox I can’t help but think about creativity and our lives. The power to create is a gift. Creativity can take us to the places of our dreams. Inspiration comes disguised and in many forms. Even on a lowly envelope.

Are You Ready For A Great Adventure?

Remains of the Afternoon

Do you ever design a piece with nothing in mind but the thrill of colour and texture? Does a certain shape appeal to you in a way you can’t explain…but you, and your Muse, just knows it’s “right”?

One of my favourite shapes is the Triangle.  I love the balance of it..the feeling of unity and calm I get whenever it becomes part of my work.

There are many meanings surrounding this symbol. In Christianity it represents the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We Americans encounter the pyramids a symbol of future prosperity and strength every time we handle a dollar bill featuring the Great Seal of the United States.

The Greek notion of the triangle as the symbol of a doorway giving balance to emotions and higher wisdom is intriguing to me.

In the Egyptian tradition the symbol represents the trinity of Isis, Osiris, and Horus. And can anyone think of Egypt without dreaming of the Great Pyramids of Giza?

I approached this collage with a clear mind ready to follow the direction of my Muse. The substrate for the collage is illustration board. I cut up a vintage letter, art and handmade paper, joss and sewing pattern paper into triangular shapes. I added the crystalline paper made from newspaper and flower petals enwrapped in tissue. The final touch was copper acrylics stencilled over the layers.

What symbols and shapes are dear to you? If you heed their call, they will help you open the  door to your creative possibilities.  I don’t know about you, but I can never resist going a great adventure!

Love Is A Rebellious Bird!

 Love Is A Rebellious Bird – Collage

February is a month of hearts and flowers, of Cupid and his bow, of love in the air, and when all things Romantic merge on February 14th.

And when I think of Romance, music fills my soul. Opera intrigues me. The stories are timeless. The music inspiring. I wanted to know more. But which Opera? It was then my Muse directed me towards Georges Bizet’s “Carmen”. It had everything I was looking for to warm our snowy Pennsylvania February.

First performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875, “Carmen” is a story of love, jealousy, intrigue, and murder. The Habanera intrigued me. In it Carmen sings of love as a rebellious bird. She sings of freedom and being, above all, true to herself. She is fearless and would rather face death than compromise her emotions.

The debate over the representation of Carmen continues. Was she a femme fatale or a strong woman ahead of her time? Should she be considered heroic for being the master of her heart and body at a time when this was a radical notion? But is her intelligence and feminist persona compromised by her blind devotion to fatalism and superstition? When reading her fortune in a spread of cards, Carmen believes her fate is set when she sees “Diamonds and Spades”, the cards of death.

One thing is certain, Carmen is a complex character who fascinates us to this day. She is a challenge and a joy to any mezzo-soprano who has the opportunity to play her.

The collage is a diptych using two gallery wrapped canvases. Using this type of canvas enabled me to continue the images on all sides. I set the background with Distress Inks and acrylic paint. The image at the bottom of the canvas are from an antique book on the history of War attached using the image transfer method. A vintage opera poster supplied the my Carmen. I cut my own diamond stencil to use with metallic acrylic paint. I finished the collage using art papers, metallic paint, and ephemera.

Although Carmen came to a disastrous end, may you find a Valentine who cherishes you for your unique and fearless self.

“Greet the New Year and Encounter Happiness”

Happy New Year ATC

As this year draws to a close, I can’t help but wonder…where did 2013 go? It flew by for me, with numerous changes: some major, some minor, and with the eternal promise of new opportunities for the coming year.

With these thoughts in mind, I sat down to work on a list of fifteen Artist Trading Card challenges developed for my Creative Collage Class.

“An Asian Inspired” ATC is Challenge Number Two. I started by looking through my box of Asian papers and ephemera. Right on top was a New Year postage stamp. Muse..or Synchronicity?

The substrate is mat board. I sponged on several colours of gold acrylic paint. When it was dry, I rubber stamped part of an Asian image stamp to the card. As plum blossom signify being lucky, I tried to keep them within the live area.  I then added the postage stamp, mulberry paper with gold foil, and pearlescent liquid acrylic paint. I coloured the edges of the card with red Distress Ink.

Although normally filled with an even amount of money, keeping with Chinese tradition, I will give the card away in a red envelope. I love the idea of sleeping on the envelope for seven nights to bring good luck to the recipient.

January 31, 2014 ushers in the lunar Year of the Wood Horse. According to Chinese lore, the year will be one unexpected adventures, surprising romance, sudden and swift victories. Decisions should be made decisively and quickly. Distant travel is encouraged and will be auspicious.

Although the New Year is a few months away, I think it is never too soon to wish you all happiness by following your Muse…your bliss…and greeting the New Year with enthusiasm.

The Muse Moves in Mysterious Way…Like Seven Evening Stars

Angelsea

A song came on the radio last week. The singer/composer is Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam.

I have been working on a postcard sized collage. I was stuck. Everything I tried just didn’t seem to “fall into place” as it does when the Muse is my guide, taking me along on a journey of discovery.

Then I heard Angelsea. It was serendipitous. I had come across a vintage photo of a folk dancer.  Two lines of the song kept going around and around in my head…

“She moves like and angel…And seven evening stars…”

I knew I was moving in a better direction.

The collage uses a canvas panel as a substrate. I covered it with sewing pattern paper. I applied Ranger Distress Inks to give it a warmer feel…the feeling you get when the heat of the day is leaving and night is swiftly approaching.

A shipping tag, again altered with Distress ink and rubber stamps, handmade paper, mulberry paper, printed tissue paper, pressed flowers, Polyester Organza fabric, and the image of the Dancer all became part of the collage.

If you are in Ohio and wish to see this collage, it will be on view with the National Collage Society‘s 16th Annual Postcard Show. The exhibit is held at the Downtown Gallery, School of Art, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio from June 19, 2013 to July 20, 2013.

 Sometimes the Muse moves in mysterious ways….

Summer Is Just A Sigh Away…

The collage is an homage to one of the best times of the year and is part of the “Four Seasons Suite” I have been working on.

I used a 5″ x 7″ canvas substrate. The handmade papers were altered using acrylic paint, alcohol, water, Ranger inks, and Perfect Pearls Mist. Tea dyed gauze crosses the canvas at the woman’s eye level. Mulberry paper completes the top portion of the design.

I am crazy about Victoriana. The images from Dover books. In my opinion they have the best selection of all.

To quote Henry James: “Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

And Summer will be here before we know it!

Earth Day…Earth Without Art Is Just “Eh”…

“Forever Free” Collage 8″ x 10″

As it is Earth Day I thought I would post a collage with a nature theme.

The title of the piece is “Forever Free”. It is in the Tao format. The Substrate is canvas. The collage incorporates vintage ephemera, flower petals, handmade paper, sewing pattern paper, found objects, art paper, inks, dyes, and gauze.

I enjoy using papers like the sewing pattern paper. The printed material is interesting. The texture of the paper is wonderful…light, transparent…just what I wanted with a theme of feeling “free”…especially on Earth Day!

ATC: “Wherever You Go…”

Collage. Artist Trading Card (ATC)

The Artist Trading Card is a great way to work. To quote an art retailer: “The biggest movement in art is very small.”

I have recently finished my course at The Art Center in Mechanicsburg, PA. My goal is to not drop the momentum and try to produce a piece a week between now and the next session with Sue Marrazzo. I guess for me, it’s always been about production…one of the reasons I never became a painter. The art of my soul has always been in printmaking…which is why I became a commercial screen printer and am now working in the Pre-Press department of a major publication printer.

With Spring in the air at last, the piece of the week is an Artist Trading Card (ATC) with wanderlust as the main theme.

I used illustration board as the substrate and built up the layers using found objects: magazine pages, postage stamp, ephemera, and handmade paper. Mediums used were Mat, Iridescent, and Glass Beads.

The quote has always intrigued me. Spring is a great time to explore…both physically, mentally, and emotionally!

What Would Julia Do?

WHAT WOULD JULIA DO? Collage 5″ x 5″

I am currently taking a Collage class at the Art Center School and Galleries in Mechanicsburg, PA.  My teacher is Sue Marrazzo
We are exploring a new theme and different ways of using collage each week. I am enjoying the class.

The example shown is using the “Bridge” layout. We had several themes to choose from. The theme I chose, of course, is Food. And who knows food better than Julia Child?

It’s been a long time since I have worked on canvas.

I forgot how pleasant an experience it can be!