My studio has been a flurry of tiny paper scraps lately. I've created a dozen 5"x7" collages of birds for my May exhibit at The Delaware Contemporary (more about that next.) I started on the collage binge while I was travel art-ing in Costa Rica in January. Our wonderful teacher, Jean Cauthen, suggested painting papers to "audition" different color combinations. Another talented artist on the trip, Jane Harrison, shared her beautiful handmade papers and some tips on different glues and tapes to try. She also got me hooked on water-soluble Caran D'Ache Neocolor crayons; they are super pigmented and come in a zillion colors.
When I got back to Delaware, I missed our loud, colorful tropical birds (not to mention that tropical sunshine!) Digging through my collected papers, I found lots of good gelli prints to use; the leafy ones looked especially jungle-y. Then I hit the collage jackpot! A friend had given me her old artwork-a-day calendar from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Every page pictures something wonderful and the paper was just the right weight for collage!
When I got back to Delaware, I missed our loud, colorful tropical birds (not to mention that tropical sunshine!) Digging through my collected papers, I found lots of good gelli prints to use; the leafy ones looked especially jungle-y. Then I hit the collage jackpot! A friend had given me her old artwork-a-day calendar from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Every page pictures something wonderful and the paper was just the right weight for collage!
Every time I flip through the calendar pages, I feel like I'm on a special treasure hunt, looking for just the right color to fit into my bird collage. And I LOVE knowing that a few little feathers are thanks to my pal Van Gogh!
So now you are in on the secret. Most of the time I was humming away in my studio and forgot to take photos. Here are a few that made it into the camera. The rest will be an art history mystery!!
So now you are in on the secret. Most of the time I was humming away in my studio and forgot to take photos. Here are a few that made it into the camera. The rest will be an art history mystery!!
   |    |
Pop over to the Portfolio/Collage page to see all of my feathered friends. And mark your calendar to visit The Delaware Contemporary to see my exhibit Blue Sky Thinking May 3 - 26. I'll have details coming soon!
RSS Feed