Petit Collages II

Each of Petit Collages II will be heading off to an art friend who I will begin exchanging art with in March.   I made an accordion envelope journal to house these collages.  Now I have to create the mailing envelopes for the exchange.  I guess I got carried away with what I will be mailing but it has been fun to try out something new.....

Junior

Mrs. Louise Frie

Havana

San Antonio Express

San Antonio, Texas

Guthrie County, Iowa

Petit Collages

I am loving creating petit sized collages, 4.5 x 3.25 inches.  They are just one step larger than ATCs but they sure are fun and I love the wabi sabi-ness of them.  Today I made six.  Enjoy!

For Remitter

119 Cactus

Albany, Indiana

Memories

Swing Girl, Swing

Memphis

Envelope Accordion Journal

Envelope Accordion Journal (closed)

Envelope Accordion Journal (open)

Envelope Accordion Journal (flat)

I created six mini-collages to fit in the pockets of the envelopes.  Most of the ephemera is what I cleaned out of my parents home when we were settling the estate.  Many of the photos I do not remember seeing although I am in two of them, one when I was about three years old and the other around seven.

Bad News

Bad News

This month I made two 8 x 8 collages for my RR group.  We send an 8 x 8 collage to one of seven members every month.  This collage is different from most of my others as the figures are raised with Styrofoam dots.  I did not know if it would fold properly but it does.  I can't decide if it will be in my foldout journal or one of the other members gets it.  The woman who is crying looks like she is levitating in this photo but in the real work she is grounded.

Can't you just see Mom and Dad have been given some bad news by their daughter?  Dad looks stubborn. Mom seems to be concerned although I think she just got home and has found out after Dad.  Perhaps you have a different take on this.

Reflective Collage No. 2

Add caption

You have to look carefully for the reflections in this one.  I love how the window dresser created this display and I love that I caught reflections in the photo.  Time for more walking tours.

Reflective Collage

Seattle Store Window

I just love reflections.  I captured this photo last summer while walking the streets of Seattle. I really liked how the photo creates a collage from reflection plus what was on display.

Yellow Bird

Yellow Bird

Have I told you how much I love using used tea bags? Yup!  Now I love using used tea bags and Japanese mulberry papers with kanji.  Combine the two and a little wabi sabi magic can happen.  This particular piece is heading to Terry Garrett's home.  Each month I send off a piece to someone in my round robin group.  February is my month to create something for Terry.  I actually made another piece and I decided to keep it for myself.  This was a hard decision as I really like both pieces.  This 8 x 8 piece will be folded using the Turkish folding method.  Eventually Terry will bind all eight works into a 4 x 4 journal that expands to 8 x 8 inches.

The Beekeeper

The Beekeeper

This spread evolved over a series of days but came together rather quickly today.  I auditioned and auditioned and added and so there are about a billion layers.  Almost everything is something recycled.  Loving doing that!  The journal that The Beekeeper is in will eventually end up in California at the end of a round robin that I am hosting.

Self-Portrait

Self-Portrait

Last summer I took photos while walking Seattle neighborhoods.  I came across a window that looked like this....

Recently, using apps on my iPad, I added part of a self-portrait to a portion of the photo that I had taken on this trip.  The top piece is the result of combining the two photos for the new self-portrait.

First Day Issue

First Day Issue

There is a lot going on here.  I am so into using tea bags and I am into using recycled items. Everything in First Day Issue comes from something that I am recycling.  I have used some of what I assume is washi tape off of a package.  I made my own CitraSolv papers from an old National Geographic.  The stamp comes from papers I found when cleaning out my parents' house.  The fabric is from my mother's quilting fabrics and the dictionary page from my father's office.  Ephemera is everywhere just start looking around. :-)

Round Robin Journal - Brian Kasstle's

I am in a round robin with Brian Kasstle, Terry Garrett, and Thomas LaBadia.  Terry made each of us an accordion journal with enough room for each of us to do a two page spread. Chance Meeting is my spread.  In addition, the "owner" of each journal created a background on the reverse side.  All four of us add to that side.  I added the exerciser.  Now it is Terry's turn to add to Brian's journal.  Too much fun!

Chance Meeting

figures added to background

Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall

I do not really understand why I have done two pieces with flies in them but I have!  This one is Fly on the Wall and is a collage I created using apps on my iPad.  I created the portrait of Keith Haring a long time ago and I manipulated that piece with the fly photo that I asked Michele Unger to take when we went shopping for art supplies last week.  I want to spend more time with collages done on the computer.  It was a hoot of a time!

Monday

Monday

Tea bag paper happiness!  One reads about how some people are intimidated by the blank white pages.  Although I have never had an issue with starting a journal spread, I can understand how some might.  Using used tea bags is another way to begin creating a work right away. Adhering the empty tea bags onto the substrate gives texture and color immediately.  One might think that the rest comes easy but it does not.  I carefully audition the rest of the collage papers.  Some feel right and some don't.  I am getting better at just gluing down the papers as soon as they feel right even though the rest of the collage still needs thought.  I have faith in myself that I will find a way to complete the work.  I know that if something seems just not right that the collage is not done and I keep working.  I always find a solution.

This piece is called Monday for two reasons.  First, I found a piece of ephemera with that word on it and, second, I completed the work on Monday. :-)  All my ephemera is coming from when I cleaned out my mother's house after she died.  I probably have enough ephemera for the rest of my life.   At least I have enough old letters and photographs for a long time.  Two wabi sabi works down and more to go.

Reverence

Reverence

Reverence was completed in a Wabi Sabi workshop taught by Donna Watson on Camano Island, WA this past weekend.  What a wonderful two days I had in this class!  I had never previously used Japanese rice papers before but I am a fan now.   Rice papers are not made out of rice but from the Kozo plant.  Thus a better name to use is Washi papers.  The first day of the workshop was devoted to making the painted papers and the second day we were able to collage.  Although many of the papers I used in this collage are the Washi papers, I could not resist my favorite paper of the moment, tea bag paper.

Awoken By a Fly

Awoken By a Fly

Who has never had a pesky fly noisily buzzing around the house?  You know the one that evades you as you chase it around trying to catch it with the fly swatter.  Awoken By a Fly is dedicated to all of you who understand how maddening it can be to have to spend valuable time following this undesirable creature.  Why is it that a fly seems to make more noise when it is up against a window? It can see the outside freedom but it it can not find the way to it.  Some years seem worse than others. I wonder what the upcoming fly season will bring?

Shabby Chic Journal

About ten days ago I attended a book arts meeting of the Belltown Book Artists.  One artist, Meredith Arnold had brought along a fabric accordion journal that she had made.  She called it her Fool You Book.  I was so motivated by this book and Meredith's skill that I started making one the next day.  I call mine The Shabby Chic Journal.  First, I do not sew...much anyway...I taught myself what I know. I am not all that careful and my skill level is lacking.  However, with that said, I love shabby chic and I got what I love.  I have added four pockets in the journal for whatever I desire.  I might put some of the many mail art postcards I have gotten recently in them or I might make something specific.

This past fall I heard about sari ribbon.  I actually had forgotten all about it but when I started working on the shabby chic journal I remembered and so I ordered some.  I am so in love with it now that I will most likely be making something else with it in the near future.  Watch out round robin groups!  I also decided to start pinning things in this journal and found colored metallic safety pins online which do the trick just fine!  The front pocket is a transfer that I did which I added grommets to and then hand-sewed to the journal.  I did machine stitch the bottom of this pocket.  I had a totally fun time creating this journal. :-)

Rose

Rose

Rose is the last of the adornment series.  I will let you know if any of them are accepted by the juror for the NW Collage Society Spring Show.  I am relieved that I finished.  This last one gave me fits.  I wanted it to be very different from the other two and still fit the theme adornment.  I can hardly wait to see what other society members have created.

Madeleine No. 2

Madeleine No. 2

Madeleine No. 2 continues the idea of her brooches or pins.  I learned a lot about PhotoShop while putting this piece together since I created the silhouettes.  I also used a slew of applications on my iPad to manipulate the collage of Madeleine that I had made in the Madeleine No. 1 piece.  I loved manipulating my images to create each new Madeleine.  I almost called it the Madeleine Choir.
Getting the "brooches" small enough so you can still see them but so that they do not overpower was a challenge.  Each of the three pieces in this series will be mounted on cradle board which I have never tried before.

I just found out that this piece has been accepted into the NW Collage Society spring show.  It will be held at the Bellevue Art Museum beginning mid-May through June in conjunction with the Madeleine Albright pin show.

Madeleine No. 1

Madeleine No. 1

I knew nothing much about Madeleine Albright other than she had been Secretary of State under President Clinton.  Then about a month ago I got the prospectus for the NW Collage Society's Spring Show which will held at the Bellevue Art Museum.  The task was create using the theme "Adornment".  The show at the Bellevue Art Museum will be from mid-March through June and is called Read My Pins.  It is based on the book by Madeleine Albright who wore brooches throughout her time as Secretary of State.  Many of the brooches were significant to the meeting she was having with a particular dignitary.

Madeleine No. 1 is based on the idea that Secretary Albright traveled extensively meeting world leaders.  The animals and insects and other things represent the many brooches she wore. I used tea bags and quotes from Madeleine Albright for the background.  There are three pieces in this series. More soon.

Journal Making

Journal

This past week I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Belltown Book Artists.  They meet once a month and I have been trying to go to one of the meetings for months, maybe even trying to go for a year.  What a hoot of a time I had!

We sat around a table and one after the other we shared books that we had made or ones that we thought were pretty exciting that were bought, and we even watched some magic.  One of the artists, Michael Jacobs, is into magic and he practices on the other artists.  He is quite good I might add.  I wish that I had brought my camera or a notebook to capture  images about what was passed my way.

I managed to find scraps of paper and I mean scraps on which to write little reminders of what I saw. I was on a high when I left that meeting and could hardly wait to get home and begin book creating. It was late so I had to wait until morning which I spent creating journals.  This one used an idea that was presented by Michael Jacobs with a couple of twists of my own device.  I can hardly wait until the end of February when I get to return to this group.