The Car Park

The Car Park

I took this photo of Brian Kasstle when I was visiting Southern California earlier this month.  Brian drove to our rental house in Newport to spend the day doing art with Irene, Jacki and I.  Again the photo of Brian appears to have no connection with the rest of the collage.  Perhaps the yellow center is a division between two seemingly unconnected parts of the composition.  Or perhaps there really is a connection.  That is what I love about collaging.  One can make up a whole new "world".

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!

I am not sure why but I like oddities.  Putting a woman holding a birthday cake with major architectural structures seems just plain odd and I love it!  Somehow it works, at least for me. :-)

Wes

Wes

I have just finished over twenty postcards for the third of my architectural series.  Wes, to me, is an interesting composition.  I used three separate pieces of ephemera for the background and then the photo for the focal point.  That makes four images. One might argue that there are two focal points. Since I like dealing with odd numbers and there are four here that might be disturbing the odd number relationship but sometimes it seems to work when an even number is employed.  One might think that the composition is bottom heavy since the "two" focal images are at the base of the postcard.  Somehow I  think not. That may be because of the movement interest not only in the naked male figure but the lines of the grating on the apartment structure and the lines of the yellow, blue, and white ephemera.  Whatever, I think it all works.

The Viewing

The Viewing

Jacki Long snapped this silhouette of Irene Raphael and I when we visited the Long Beach Art Museum earlier this month.  Irene and I were viewing a tri-color installation of thousands of clay pieces among other installations in the museum.

Jacki, Lost in Thought

Jacki, Lost in Thought

I captured my friend Jacki Long with my new instax mini 8 instant camera.  This camera takes photos like the old Polaroid cameras did years ago.  The jury is out on how I feel about the workings of this camera.  The photos are about $1.00 per picture and many of them have come out black.  Supposedly the camera's setting has to be perfectly accurate, but since I have only been taking indoor photos and have the camera set on indoor I can not say why so many are black.

Warm Thoughts

Warm Thoughts

Each month I go to a Belltown Bookies meeting where we share ideas, books, thoughts, you name it. Many months ago we agreed to do a round robin.  Each participant creates a 6 x 9 spread for another participant.  This month Ann was my artist to create for.  Ann's theme is Haiku poetry.  So I created what you see above and added a teabag componet.  Inside the teabag is the Haiku I wrote for Ann based on the woman in the photograph in my collage.


California lost
Sitting on the steps, warm thoughts
Of a better past

Betty

Betty

When I was in Long Beach a week ago we visited the Long Beach Art Museum.  The installation was mostly created right on the walls of the museum taking about three weeks to complete.  One of the artists had images of women in bathing suits.  I asked Jacki and Irene to take photos of the photos for me.  The female image was particularly reminiscent of the 1940s.  Irene printed the image out on her smartphone printer.  I love the size of the image which has a self-adhesive backing.

Sylvia

Sylvia

This spread completes another round robin that I have been in.  The journal belongs to my friend and artist MaryAnn.  There were eleven people in this round robin, one of the largest journal exchanges in which I have participated.  It went smoothly I might add.  Not all round robins do.

The Whisper

The Whisper

Intimate secrets told....what could it be?  Does she have a life different that what he thought? Who knows?  You decide.

This Is a Mystery!

This Is a Mystery!

Jacki Long took a photo of me through a window at the restaurant next to the Long Beach Art Museum last week.  I superimposed that photo over a wire fence image that I had.  For me the mystery is that I have to double take to see what is going on in this postcard.  My brain wants to figure it out.

Shopping

Shopping

I particularly like how this postcard turned out.  I like the balance and how the black and white relates to the pink tone.  Adding the boy shopper defined the total composition.  The pink is a film from a new camera film that I have been using.  I like how it fits perfectly with the b and w photo on the right.

Ms. Mink

Ms. Mink

Last weekend I was in Newport Beach with art friends.  This is Irene.  After dinner our first night we were heading to a grocery store when we passed a women's clothing store.  I spied a "mink" wrap and encouraged Irene to try it on.  She looked fabulous, a million dollar woman!  I love the photo of her in the mink.

Listen to the City

Listen to the City

This is the last of the second series of architectural postcards.  Who hasn't put a shell to the ear to hear the ocean.  What if one could put a shell to the ear and hear the sounds of the city?  Why did that ever come up in this old brain.  I do not know!

A Place Called Home

A Place Called Home

A Place Called Home was a journal spread in a round robin that just finished. This particular journal will reside on Bainbridge Island, WA.  I already received my completed journal and love each spread. What fun to create with six other terrific artists!

Room 3

Room 3

Howdy!  Not only do strange things happen in room 2 but now they are happening in Room 3!

Amusement Rides Scare Me

Amusement Rides Scare Me 

I use to love amusement rides even though most of the time they made me sick especially when one stayed out late at night drinking a few and one thought he could go on the rides in Atlantic City.  That is a story for another time!  The roller coaster at New York, New York in Las Vegas did me in.  That particular roller coaster has a total in the dark section.  I was praying the whole time that the ride would end soon.  No more for me!

The Boxer

The Boxer

A little more whimsy......

Today has been heaven in Southern CA.  Irene, Jacki, and I are collaging up a storm.  Irene has the greatest new toy.  She can print directly from her phone to a wireless device.  The photos are 2 x 3 inches and have. A sticky backing.  Of course I want one but since I do not have a smartphone I am out of luck unless I can use my IPad.  Have to find out if that will work.

Jacki is entertaining with stories of her life.  This is a great mini vacation!

Mediterrane

Mediterrane

Just what do you think they are discussing?  I am in California with my good friends Irene and Jacki. We rented a house in Newport and will spend the next few days doing art together.  Time to go out for magaritta!

Elvis Is Watching!

Elvis Is Watching!

There is a definite narrative in this collage.  It might be my favorite of this second series.

Off Work

Off Work

Who has not had jobs where you immediately punched out and were on your way to better things?  I remember such employment.  Perhaps it was a date to go on or maybe there was a sporting event to attend or play.  Free time revitalizes us and perhaps in this country we need more relaxation periods.

Red Mill Hotel

Red Mill Hotel

I just love old buildings especially when they are deserted and out in nowhere land where you least expect them.  Did you ever see the film Baghdad Cafe?  Great film. At least in my mind the hotel in this piece reminds me of that hotel in the Mojave Desert.  I probably am remembering it quite differenly but there must be some similarity.  I also love putting dissimilar together causing something that is unexpected.

Hooray For Mini Marts

Hooray For Mini Marts

A mini mart saved my butt a few weeks ago.  I was going to a birthday art party and totally walked out of the house with my food item.  I did not realize my mistake until almost at my destination. Luckily there was a mini mart not too far out of my way and I was saved.  The funny thing is that we did not eat any of what I brought and I used the items at another gathering!

I Can See You in There

I Can See You in There 

I was watching Transparent on Amazon Prime this week.  If you have seen it you discover information about a tortoise that went missing for many years.  That gave me the idea for I Can See You in There.  Can you imagine something living in your ductwork for years?

Wigwam Cafe

Wigwam Cafe

Now who does not like carrot cake?  Peter Rabbit seems to be very fond of it and will he find it in the Wigwam Cafe?  Don't you love the whimsical? 

Room 2

Room 2

Just what goes on behind the door in Room 2.  One might go inside room 2 "normally" and come out ready for Halloween?  Could it be because the motel is located in an industrial area?  What is your story?

Run for Cover

Run For Cover

Run for Cover is the second postcard in my second architectural series.  You may have seen the running gentleman as he was used in a Thomas Eakins study.  Again thank you T. for giving me the monkey ephemera.  He was perfect for this collage.

Flora Dances

Flora Dances

Flora Dances is the first in the second series of architectural postcards.  Flora came my way on Friday as a gift from my friend Teresa.  Many thanks T.  I love how she seems to be dancing across the imaginary architectural environment.

Under the Sea

Under the Sea

Last month in one of my round robins I was tasked with creating a spread for a journal with the theme, Under the Sea.  This is what I came up with for Selene's journal.  Each person in this RR has a different theme.  It is great fun to see each month what each person creates.  Each member of the group is also a member of the Belltown Bookies.

Strike Matches

Strike Matches (international ATC group) 

For my international ATC group I created a matchbox cover.  If you go to Pinterest and put in a search for matchboxes you will see a wealth of vintage designs.  I decided I would create mine digitally for the most part although there is a bit of collage included.  I posted the ATCs to their destinations early last week and I think most of them have arrived already.

Parking Pour L'ile

Parking Pour L'ile

I had a blast of a time Friday.  Several friends came over to have open studio time in my garage.  It is just fun to sit and chat and work on art.  I almost completed 14 new pieces yesterday.  What a productive day!  The new series which piggy-backs on this architectural series will begin being published on this blog soon.  

I figured that if I do one blog entry for the next 90 days I will hit over 300 entries for 2016.  I have a goal and a challenge to see if I can do it.  I am inspired by Jacki Long who blogs every day.

Happy October, my favorite month! :-)