S'Inspirer

S'Inspirer

Celadon seems to give a warmth and softness to the pieces in this series.  It is a calming color.

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Better Know the Great Wave | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ufFlXIWjA

Mere Bretagne

Mere Bretagne

For me the bird is commanding, showing the way into the depth of this piece.  There aren't really many layers but somehow the arrangement draws me in and toward the back.  Then I return to the strong focal points.  It may affect you differently.

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7. What, How, Where - Florian Rivière & Jim Walker | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZd3_ydljPs

Le Sommaire

Le Sommaire

On each one of the pieces in this series you will notice some writing in white.  That is asemic writing.

I have been working on yet another series and finished it this morning.  Now I have to bind the individual pieces into a book using the slip knot binding method that I am now hooked on.

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12. Imprint - Sopheap Pich | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eszUEdj-Hs

Jardin

Jardin

Mostly in the past or at least until this year I never overlapped ephemera with the photograph.  I love how the overlapping ties the image to the rest of the collage.

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16. Desktop Monument - Lee Boroson | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX9FiewKqI0

Inspiration

Inspiration

I really like how this piece turned out.  I guess I am in love with the colors the most.  The three bits of red just tie it all together.  Have you noticed that I have repeated several things in each of the pieces in the series?

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Scramble Scrabble Dinner - J. Morgan Puett | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwNpuYOdFHk

Grand Bleu

Grand Bleu

I usually avoid using children in my work, not because children annoy me.  They don't!  I think they are adorable and after all I taught elementary aged children for 36 years.  I just find adult images very interesting.  Somehow they challenge me more.  With that said, I could not pass on this photo.  The children are so charming and the poses go from stiff to nonchalant.  I did not use the whole photo but cropped it to focus on the children totally.  

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How to Critique | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9neybpOvjaQ

Avant-Garde

Avant-Garde

Recently I was asked to be more specific with techniques used.  Everyone is free to ask me questions for more specific information and I will be happy to email you an answer to your question.  My email address is   johnner55@yahoo.com .

The specific question was about sanding and wondering how I kept the bird's beak from being sanded.  Sanding goes on prior to focal points being added.  The name of the game for mixed media collage work is layering.  You add something and let it dry and then you sand.  This can be repeated layer after layer.  Then focal points like the bird are added afterwards.

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13. Sorted Books - Nina Katchadourian | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24MRdNMOIA

Chez-Vous

Chez-Vous

All the photos in this series come from a garage sale that is an annual event in Everett, Washington.  There are about fifty square blocks in north Everett that participate and on each block there are perhaps five houses with goodies for sale.  Last year we walked seven miles shopping.  I just happened on a box of photos and got them all for $7.00.
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Collage Artist Richard Buntzen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG2gijOFWS0

Imaginez

Imaginez

Most all the words in the background are sanded.  Each of the twelve also has three focal areas, photograph, bird, and some sort of ticket stub.  Most of the ticket stubs are torn.  More tomorrow.

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Collagist, John Digby, introduces his work and techniques

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtca7QPIwJw

Au Chateau

Au Chateau

I am starting a new series today, twelve in all.  I have finished all twelve and now I am working on the cover so that I can bind them with the slipknot binding.  I just love adding words to the substrate and after they are totally dry, distressing them by sanding. Each day I will mention one of the techniques I used in this series.

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A Portland collage artist......

Greg Hanson - collage artist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hURBm8O6OFo

Austrian Passport Round Robin

Austrian Passport

I was sent an Austrian Passport in a Round Robin that is circulating around the world.  This passport project was begun by Geronimo Finn who lives in Vienna.  A narrative is evolving in this vintage  passport which once belonged to Josefine Gruber.  So far the narrative has Josefine being raised by a family of birdkeepers.  My part of the story is that Josefine, as a young woman, loved anything about  American Indians.  She would daydream, even at the beach, about that topic.

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Art Trip: Tijuana | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw_-gmHP0VY

POW!

POW!

This piece has been hanging around for quite awhile.  POW finished it off.  I do not worry over most of my work.  It leads me and when it is right something appears that says "Use me."

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Copy a Copy a Copy - Molly Springfield | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMvUmCYb8XM

Boom

Boom

This piece was finished right around the 4th of July.  There was quite a bit of fireworks going on in my neighborhood even though it is illegal.  The poor pets in many households were scared and nervous.  I kind of get nervous, too, because so many people are careless.  The vegetation is dry and I worry about fire.  I have quite a collection of images from fireworks packages.  The Chinese woman is from one of those.

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Why Murals? | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS1oPqP2qyY

Crash!

Crash!

I found mannequin heads online and love the expressions.  I added the word crash over a ballerina toy and it seems to work as her "skirt".

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Art Cooking: Frida Kahlo | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0VwjzuEn7o

Bang!

Bang! 

The interpretation is up to you.  But I did hear on NPR that the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer,  held remorse that the atomic bomb was used on Japan.

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Fierce Women of Art | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHair5dvG0s

Zap!

Zap!

I have quite a collection of antique toy images on Pinterest.  Many of these have been appearing lately in the postcards that I have been doing.  Every once in awhile you will see the red Pegasus horse on display.  It was every where when I was a kid especially at Mobile gas stations.

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Art Cooking: Georgia O'Keeffe | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgB2IKUCXb0

WOW!

Today is a two-fer.....I missed posting one day last week.  So here is my catching up piece.

WOW!

Sometimes you find a piece of ephemera that you like but just do not know what to do with it.  Or sometimes you use a piece and then have to figure out what will go with it.  That was WOW!  The masked figure provided this dilemma.

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Public Art Study: Fred Wilson's E Pluribus Unum | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm3HA8rQYj8

Ooops!

Ooops!

Ooop! finished off this postcard which sat around on my desk for many weeks just waiting for that one last something.  Does that ever happen to you when you collage?

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Art Cooking: Vincent Van Gogh | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFNvogxP1is

Swallow

Swallow

I rather like this postcard quite a bit!  I think color works really well and the layers also work well together.  There are features that one might think are background but are foreground.  I like trying to trick the eye!  This series of postcards all have words that are large which could be considered text effects.

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Trending Artists of the 17th Century

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eq3D9Q9lUA

The Camel

The Camel

The Camel is the last of the disparate series.  I enjoyed making this series a lot and plan on using many of the techniques many times in the future.  I love the distressed look that sanding the background gives.

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The Case For Mark Rothko | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v1mBepDlOw

The Ballerina

The Ballerina

I suppose one can draw similarities in dance but it does seem that ballet and Indian dancing are pretty disparate.  I rally like how the bird is semi camouflaged and the ballerina and the background compliment each other.

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The Case for Land Art | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STW0eZDsKVg

She Looked

She Looked

The month of July is crazily booked and it seems that the next breath of fresh air will not be until mid August.  With that said, I want to do another series and will try to fit it in.  I have to deliver two pieces of art for a show in eastern Washington tomorrow.  I need to finish one piece for a juried show and the deadline is today.  I hate being this late but that is what it is.  If anyone looked in my studio right now they would be in shock.  I know I am.  I am at the point where I can't find something I am looking for and that means I need to clean up desperately.  So if She Looked.....(into the) room she would scream I am sure! :-)

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Art Trip: London | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wrKxlZBcig

She Did Not Move

She Did Not Move

I love the juxtaposition of Micky Mouse with the Native American man.  Unfortunately I could not learn his name but the photograph was taken in 1890 and colorized more recently.

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Art Trip: Washington D.C. | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WF5MjeqgXM

Queen

Queen

I am letting the words provide disparity in this piece.  I thought that the piece came together without additional ephemera.  I am really into the color in this piece.

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The Case for Museums | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcTqaCwBBcQ

My Mind

My Mind

I just love this disparate look.  Not only are we dealing with cultural differences but we are dealing with time differences.  The diver's face is also interesting.  Is there a resemblance?

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Art is Pretentious* | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LNiJK3rK9s