3 Crazy Guys

 

Crazy Guys #1, #2, #3

 

The three Crazy Guys are done and all nine parts are labeled as to whom they will be mailed to or kept by me.   Sometime by June the exchange will take place and I will have six new pieces from my ATC gentlemen's group to assemble with the three parts I keep, making this a true collaboration.  I did scan all nine parts of my Crazy Guys and plan on making replicas of these guys to be added to my journal along with the three collaboration pieces.  This was a really fun project.  I can't wait to see what comes my way from two talented artists, Terry Garrett and Brian Kasstle.

Rolodex Challenge

My friend Brian sent me five Rolodex cards to create art on.  Here are my works front and back for those cards.  I used tar gel on the first one but left the others without as I did not want them sticking together on his Rolodex of art.

Rolodex #1

Rolodex #2

Rolodex #3

Rolodex #4

Rolodex #5

Crazy Guy Collaboration

Crazy Guy #1 Artist Proof
 

I proposed a Crazy Guy collaboration to my gentlemen's ATC group and everyone readily agreed to participate.  To complete this collaboration the participants make three crazy guys each consisting of three parts, head, torso, legs and feet.  The three parts for each guy will be either kept or distributed to the others in the group.  Each card has a specific identity on the back on where it is suppose to end up.  So the members of the group create a collaged  background for each of nine cards.  Then they collage the head, torso, and legs/feet on three separate cards.  When the trades of body parts have been made, the participants reassemble the crazy guys which may be collaged into yet another art piece or become a fixture in journals.  I sure hope I figure out the distribution of body parts correctly!

This particular crazy guy is unfinished, but I have been working on the nine backgrounds and this guy for two days.  I just had to unveil him on this blog.  The others when done will appear here along with the reassembled ones.  The deadline if  possible is June.

Red Barn #3

Red Barn #3

I have never added lace to a piece of art before and today was the day to try it out.  Ingrid, my Swedish art friend sent me a package of fabrics and such several weeks ago (Thanks again, Ingrid.).  Ingrid also took a series of barn photos which I have been using in collages of late, this being the third.  So today was quite a busy productive day.  I made this collage, I printed postcards for mail art, I worked on a Rolodex card for my friend Brian, and I was an art docent in a classroom of second and third graders where we did monoprinting and stenciling.  We are making journal covers for a to-be-determined project, either science or writing.  I think I have earned a glass of vino.

Oh, I forgot, I went to the library to check out 24 books on Georgia O'Keeffe which I had ordered online to be delivered to my local branch......

The Mixed-Media Artist

Last August I was asked by artist/author Seth Apter to submit a piece of my mixed-media art for a book that he was writing.  I had to mostly keep this under wraps, however, now there is a publication date and as you can see a cover for the book.  I had to sign an agreement not to publish my piece prior to book publication. The cover for Seth's book is just amazing.  The book will be published in October, 2013, not so very far off.

Then last month Seth wrote to the 40 artists included in the book asking us to submit tips and additional art to accompany the tips.  I submitted three tips and two more art pieces.  The editor of the book will make final decisions on which additional pieces will be included in the book.

All said, the book is available for preorder on Amazon.  To say the least, I am pretty excited!  The full title of the book is The Mixed-Media Artist: Art Tips, Tricks, Secrets and Dreams from Over 40 Amazing Artists.

Channeling Picasso

What an awesome day I had Saturday!  For five hours seven artists joined me in my garage to do art journaling.  It was the most amazing group of enthusastic journalers.  I can't wait for us to get together again next month.  Here are a few photos of our day and work.  Today's experience was called Channeling Picasso which you will see the artists did. Click on the link to view photos.

https://plus.google.com/photos/106404291205708776350/albums/5856371078591695825

 

 

 

 

Fashion - Turn of the Century - # 7

Fashion #7

This is the last of the Fashion series at least for now.  I probably will revisit sometime as I really like the backgrounds on each and I also like the simplicity of making these ATCs.

Red Barn # 2

Red Barn #2

Red Barn #2 came together very quickly as I am inspired by the photos sent to me by my Swedish friend, Ingrid.  Thanks again Ingrid for another super barn.  Ingrid and I have started a discussion about doing a collaboration journal on barns.  I guess I am hooked as this is barn two in just two days.  I love this vintage photo that I got in Long Beach.  I have used these women in a prior collage.  Don't you  just know that they worked hard all of their lives, perhaps on a farm somewhere.

Silenced

Silenced

I have my thoughts on this subject that definitely purports history.  What are your thoughts?

Red Barn

Red Barn

Over the past year I have been taking online art classes and I met an artist, Ingrid, from Sweden in many of those classes.  Ingrid and I started emailing each other and leaving comments on each other's blogs.  Now we have joined an international  group to send ATCs bimonthly.  Ingrid loves to take photos of the multitude of red barns in Sweden.  This one particularily took my fancy.  So I asked Ingrid if I could use the photo in a collage.  She emailed me a bunch of red barn photos to use.  Perhaps I will begin a Red Barn Series. 

Thank you Ingrid for your generosity and your interest in photographing barns.  Ingrid recently needed to clean out a studio that she was using and asked if I would like ephemera from the clean up.  I never turn down that opportunity and this week I received many wonderful fabric scaps and such in the mail from her.  I have scanned those pieces of fabric and have already used them in collages.  One of the fabrics is just under the man in this collage.  Thanks again Ingrid for your thoughfulness.

On a totally different note...

An friend of mine who lives in Seattle had a rather unsettling experience recently.  As he left his house one morning last week he had a feeling that something was wrong.  Indeed, something was wrong.  Someone had stolen a piece of his art right off the side of his house!  The art is a Guadalupe that he had been encircled with chili pepper lights.  The art thief must have liked the total package as the Guadalupe and the lights are now gone.  The thief had to take the time to find the plug and unplug the lights before making the get-away. 

My friend has now posted the following sign in front of his house.  Here is the sign and a photo of the madonna.

Fashion - Turn of the Century - # 6

Fashion #6

I especially love the color match of the dress and the butterfly wing.  In looking at women's fashion history I have noticed how opposite female dress is to bird species where the male is the one that is the most flamboyant colorwise.  Take a cardinal for instance, the male red announces "look at me" versus the pale of the female of the species.  Is that a protection characteristic for species survival?  Have to do some research on that.

Fashion - Turn of the Century - # 5

Fashion #5

Yet another in this series.  All of the fashion pieces are ATCs and I have also made several of them into postcards.  Each is covered with tar gel which is something I seem to be having an affair with as I am using more and more of it.