Dos-a-dos Journal - Brian Kasstle

I am involved in a journal round robin and we just finished our third exchange. So we are half way complete. April and May were especially busy and I was not sure if I would be able to complete my May entry in Brian Kasstle's journal by month's end.  However, I did and here is what I entered.  I have mailed it on so no more can be done in it.  Deadlines are good for me! :-)

A dos-a-dos journal has three sections.  I have an earlier post on how to make this type of journal (January 10, 2014).  I really like the color choices for Brian's spreads, ones I normally do not use much.

Gentlemen Prefer Red # 5, 6, 7, 8

This concludes the Gentlemen Prefer Red Series.  I can't find #4 so I must have mailed it off without scanning it.  I think I know who I sent it to and I will try and get it scanned after it arrives.  I love how mica sheets add to the composition of each one #5 through #8.  I belong to the NW Collage Society and at our June meeting we have been tasked with creating a black and white plus one postcard for our group competition.  I thought I might recreate number 8 in red, black and white.  It is almost there as is and I especially like the composition....maybe a few tweaks are needed.

Gentlemen Prefer Red #5

Gentlemen Prefer Red #6

Gentlemen Prefer Red # 7

Gentlemen Prefer Red #8

Gentlemen Prefer Red #3

Gentlemen Prefer Red #3

This week has been intense if not exhausting.  I am commuting three hours a day round trip to take a class on Whidbey Island, Washington.  That means driving, waiting, taking a ferry, and driving some more.  I do get to enjoy being on the water and looking at the lovely island environment.  Yesterday eagles were being attacked by the crows.  It is nesting time.  The fight for survival is on.

The workshop is also intense but wonderful.  I can't even begin to create like Jesse Reno.  It is his style. However, I am learning new painting techniques that I can use, hopefully, with my collage work.  Today I am going to try and incorporate collage into what I have started in class to see if I can save it from disaster.  If not, I have learned so much.

Gentlemen Prefer Red #3 is my way of creating in my style warming me up for the day.  I have five more backgrounds to work with and hopefully will complete these postcards this weekend.

Gentlemen Prefer Red #2

Gentlemen Prefer Red #2

So many things going on in this postcard.  There is stenciling, decollage, gelli printing, packing tape transfer, acrylic paint, collage, and spray inks.

I am driving to a class at the Pacific NW Art School each day.  It is pretty exciting taking a Jesse Reno workshop.

Gentlemen Prefer Red Series #1

Gentlemen Prefer Red Series #1

This past weekend my friend Hillary came over to do art with me.  We worked on creating postcard mail art.  Hillary had never done this before and we had a blast working together.  I have been trying out a new technique using my gelli plate and packing tape where I make large "washi tape" type strips.  Once I have added a Pearl powder I adhere the strips with matte medium.  It takes many hours for the matte medium under the strips to dry.  However, once it is, I peel off the tape and a transfer of the design remains.  Too cool actually!

Videos of Mixed Media Processes for Edmonds CC

I was asked to do two videos for the Edmonds Community College uLearn/ArtsNow program.  If you are interested the links to the videos may be found below.  It is so strange to watch oneself.  I had to laugh because the whole experience reminded me of the HGTV Design Stars type shows.  Man those lights during taping were hot!

The first video is here:  https://vimeo.com/95187847

The second video is here if you are not too tired! :-)  :  https://vimeo.com/95187403

I will be teaching two classes for the uLearn/ArtsNow program with Edmonds CC in July.  Information for the classes may be found at:

http://www.campusce.net/edmondsarts/course/course.aspx?C=421&pc=47&mc=2&sc=

or
http://www.campusce.net/edmondsarts/course/course.aspx?C=422&pc=47&mc=2&sc=

Mad Men

Mad Men

Mad Men is the brother of Crazy Guy which I entered in the NW Collage Society Spring Art Show.  Crazy Guy won an award which blows me away.  I almost did not enter it in the juried competition at all. Yesterday I started the Mad Men collage and finished it up this afternoon.  The three center parts were created about a year ago when Terry Garrett, Brian Kasstle and I did an exchange of the three parts.  I have commented on that exchange on this blog previously.

Here is Crazy Guy which won the Spring Award.

Crazy Guy

Bird Series #7, #8, and #9

Bird Series  #7

Bird Series #8

Bird Series #9

Yesterday I taught a workshop at the Orcas Island Senior Center and we worked on postcards to add to our pocket journals. We had a blast!  I made one postcard for each workshop participant, nine in all.  Here are the final three of the series.  Each participant is making a postcard for the other participants in the class. The Orcas Island post office will be getting quite a lot of mail art in the near future! :-)

Bird Series #5 and #6

Bird Series #5

Bird Series #6

I find that the gray photos really change what is dominant in the work in comparison to the darker photos. That is obvious when you think about it but when creating I did not think about it.  With six postcards done it jumped out at me.  The birds are much more prominent than the models in these two postcards  It is more like the women have moved toward the background although they were adhered last.

Bird Series #3 and #4

Bird Series #3

Bird Series #4

I am loving the color combinations of these postcards.  When I start I just start without much thought.  So my work tends to be very organic....especially the backgrounds.  Speaking of backgrounds, I love to do backgrounds.  I could do backgrounds until the cows come home or the chickens roost or whatever other idioms might be appropriate.  My challenge is always the foreground.  Frequently, foregrounds require quite a bit of auditioning before I commit.  The models in these postcards did not look right on some backgrounds. So I just kept moving them around until I felt that they fit.  The other thing that I like about the subjects is that I did not worry about focal point size.  For instance, the bird and the female models are disproportionate. Somehow it works for me.

Bird Series #1 and #2

Bird Series #1

Bird Series #2

I have been teaching art journaling at the senior center on Orcas Island for the last ten months.  We are working on our second art journal.  This one is a pocket journal and we are completing postcards to place in one of the pockets.  I made postcards for each of the participants which will be mailed out at the end of the week.  They in turn will mail to other participants in the class once their postcards are complete.

Last Two Postcards of the Flower Series

Primrose #1

Pansy #3

These are the last two postcards of the "flower" series.  Onto the "bird" series this week.  I made nine postcards in the "bird" series and will mail one to each of the students in my Orcas Island senior center workshop.  Making postcards is one of eight activities for the pockets of a pocket journal that we are making.

One of my art pieces that will be in the NW Collage Society Spring Art Show made it into the Everett Herald newspaper on Friday.  Fun being published!  It is the piece displayed above on the header of this blog.

 http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140502/ENT/140509921

Peony #1

Peony #1

I wish I knew the people in the photographs that I have been using for this postcard series.  Some have had major problems with the law and some are just plain sweet.  Peony seems like perhaps she is a schoolmarm. I imagine her to be a conversationalist.  Who knows?  One can design anything for her personality based on what we see.

Rose #1

Rose #1

I just love doing mail art.  I can't decide which I like better, sending or receiving.  Both are so wonderful.  I also love vintage anything and when I look at the clothing I love how fashion has changed over the years.  I like contemporary fashion for everyday life but I also like how much more formal it was years ago.  It doesn't seem like it was very comfortable but the look is amazing. Rose looks so sweet!