an arting life
Color, unity, and contrast… those were the elements that attracted me as I created this torn-paper collage. It was my second collage of the day. Shades of blue – especially leaning towards teal – have always been my color “comfort zone.” And, as someone with auburn hair, I’ve always liked the contrast. Blue and orange/brown,…
When I saw the magazine photo of the woman walking away, and she was in a fairly empty landscape, it spoke to me about the role of women… and gender issues, in general. The sometimes-solitude of labels and compartmentalization, whether it’s by appearance, gender, age, race, accent, or whatever. From there, I built out this…
Sometimes, plans go awry. This collage… Well, it was intended as an 8″ x 10″ work, so the support I started with was 8.5″ x 11″. But, as I kept working, it grew. The collage elements include images leftover from yesterday’s piece (Resilient collage), especially the balcony photo at the far left of this piece….
As I was creating this collage, the word “resilient” seemed to leap off the page. It’s definitely the theme for this, though I won’t pretend I understand the significance of everything in this mixed media piece. (I work intuitively. If a collage element seems to make visual sense, I use it.) At the moment, we’re…
A dog in a bow tie. A tux. A swimming pool. And then a classic grey-and-brown sitting room or parlour. Those are the main elements in this mixed media collage. I photographed this collage as I finished it, early this morning (in low light). The deep teal colors in the photo are far more vivid…
This collage is bubbled and irregular. That’s largely because I was trying to use Golden Gel Medium as the adhesive. It’s what I’d used almost 20 years ago, when I was art journaling through a difficult divorce. And, for this collage, that’s sort of appropriate. Since the start of the 2020 holiday season, I was…
Our roots… what are they? Are they about home and traditions? About family and friends (or perhaps friends who’ve become our family)? About authenticity? About a sense of self, independent of external cues and constraints? Or, can we embrace all of those elements in unique ways that are about us, personally? For me, this torn-paper…
What does this collage mean…? I have no idea. My creative process is intuitive. (And yes, this photo is blurry. I took the picture, hand-held and in low-light conditions. For now, it’s “good enough,” at least until I decide whether to do more with this piece. Then I’ll scan or re-photograph it.) Here’s how I…
It started with a puppy’s cute face. Then, because my humor is quirky, I realized the puppy’s face would fit perfectly on an Hermes ad from a British fashion magazine. With a few added details, this torn-paper collage – the only one I created this past weekend – seemed complete. Sometimes, the simplest collages are…
This morning’s collage is a deliberate enigma. Also, I’ve decided that – after yesterday’s efforts – it may be best to leave the meaning of the collage to the observer. After all, that was my initial plan for this series. So, is he thinking of her (and perhaps the rustle of her blue dress), of…
Today’s collage is – like yesterday’s – not quite finished. But, for now, it’s going to sit. I want to look at it for a while, and see what else it says to me. See if anything is missing or needs… something. That’s a challenge for me, because this isn’t my usual design style. The…
What kinds of stories can art tell? And can you be part of that process? I believe most artists want their work to be interactive… emotionally, anyway. My collages used to be about me. The art was mine. The stories were mine, too. Now, with this new collage – the first in about a decade…