March APC 2019 - 20

March APC 2019 - 20

This one seems a bit dark to me.  I will look at it again a bit larger when it is published.  Perhaps with the handmade papers on the right and the darker mica it seems to be heading to the darker side.  I do like that the word “sunset” draws my eye down.  I also like it that it seems like the man is almost coming out from behind the mica.

March APC 2019 - 19

March APC 2019 - 19

Have you ever been whistled at?  You know how one turns to look to see who is whistling?  Well, this is a total happy accident.  The turn to look for the whistle which is on the soda cap.  I love when things like that happen.

March APC 2019 - 18

March APC 2019 - 18

While growing up Seven Up was a happy drink.  Remember either getting a Roy Rogers or a Dale Evans when you were out with your family to a dinner in a restaurant.  That was a big deal and your “cocktail”  was 7 Up with cherry juice giving it the pinkish color. Funny how they had to have a name for the same drink depending on gender.  Different times!

I am anti-weapons of any sort.  So to put the two focal points together must be a message.

March APC 2019 - 17

March APC 2019 - 17

When I look at the APCs that I made I totally focus on the circular portion and forget about the actual  playing card.  It is almost like the numbers and the suits disappear.  Other times I take the whole composition in including the actual card.

March APC 2019 - 16

March APC 2019 - 16

Sometimes the mica is dark and the figure appears dark.  I don't mind that.  I suppose I could peel the mica into a thinner layer though and maybe it would be lighter.  I just punched the mica as is, like I received it.

March APC 2019 - 15

Two-fer Sunday.  I have been so busy creating books that I forgot to post yesterday.

March APC 2019 - 15

This is another one of my favorites. The soda cap is the perfect size for a circular collage.

March APC 2019 - 14

March APC 2019 - 14

I love working with maps.  In this case it is a marine map location somewhere in British Columbia. Perfect for the hiking image.

March APC 2019 - 13

March APC 2019 - 13

This seems like the perfect Valentine to me not only because of the hearts but the other red included. Everything works in this piece for me.

March APC 2019 - 12

Two-fear Thursday.  No excuses why I did not post yesterday.  Just forgetful I guess.

March APC 2019 - 12

As a kid my favorite pop was Crush orange.  Now I can stand the thought of drinking it.  I barely get get orange juice down on occasion with the exception of fresh squeezed. 

March APC 2019 - 11

March APC 2019 - 11

One does not see the Flying A Gasoline sign much anymore.  I saw many of them as a kid.  I do know of one in a “museum” in Seattle.  Kind of funny how this one came about....the man with the rifle hunting a Flying A bird.  I am not one for guns for any reason so to have made a piece of art with a rifle is pushing it for me.

March APC 2019 - 10

March APC 2019 - 10

I am working on a new problem with circles.  Larger is the name of the game, to be specific 4.5 inch circles.  I have a surprise book I am making.....well actually four surprise books that are circular.  Trying to figure out different bindings is the challenge because normal bindings do not work.  I have come up with two bindings and am looking for two more.

March APC 2019 - 09

March APC 2019 - 09

I do not know the language which is on the brown paper in the collage.  I actually do not believe I have ever seen it before.  It must be an eastern European language, but I can not be certain of that.

March APC 2019 - 08

March APC 2019 - 08

I just learned something that I did not know about grommets and that is when you use them to hold plastic the plastic can move or rotate.   That gave me an idea to work on for new ATCs or APCs.  Stay tuned.

March APC 2019 - 07

March APC 2019 - 07

I am so glad that I found images of old bottle caps.  They are perfect because they are round and they also have writing.   Each October in Seattle there is a group called Zero Landfill.  They fill a gymnasium with unwanted recyclables.  It is so much fun to “shop” and everything is free for the taking.  I found designer magazines offering samples for wallpapers and other designer ideas.  Perfect for backgrounds!

March APC 2019 - 06

March APC 2019 - 06

You might wonder about the curved line on each of the APCs.  It is a punch that the deck has as these cards were once used at a casino.  I guess they punch the cards so that no can cheat and bring in a deck of casino cards.

March APC 2019 - 05

March APC 2019 - 05

I decided to work in the round some more and I am in the process of creating a circular book.  I have a smidgen of a plan evolving.  I like to just start and see where things lead me.  Like always my work speaks to me and I just go with it.  I find there is always a solution and it usually does not take much time before problems are solved.

March APC 2019 - 04

Two-fer Wednesday....yesterday just got away from me and so today is two for the price of one day....

March APC 2019 - 04

I really like working smaller.  I have done a lot of postcards and those are 4 x 6 or 5 x 7.  Now the "coins" are 3.5 inch diameters.  I am a happy camper when working smaller.  I guess I should try some really big pieces to push my boundaries.

March APC 2019 - 03

March APC 2019 - 03

Just where do ideas come from?  Imagination and creativity are a mystery.  I am speaking of why did I decide to use mica?  I am sure glad we have both imagination and creativity though.  Think of all the inventions that have come about because of it.  Taking an idea and going with it until one comes up with something different or new.  Thank goodness for that!

March APC 2019 - 02

March APC 2019 - 02

My process on the "coins" in this series was to add at least three background pieces before adding the focal point and the mica.

March APC 2019 - 01

March APC 2019 - 01 

New series today....I had a blast creating the March 2019 Artist Playing Cards.  I decided that I wanted to do circular collages and adhere them to the cards.  I also wanted to use mica which needed to be adhere somehow  I punched holes in the mica and adhered the mica to the card with a rivet.  I think there are 30 of the cards.  Three of them were in a APC show in MN a couple of months ago. 

Monkey Series 13

Monkey Series 13

Lucky 13, the last of the Monkey Series. Have you noticed the asemic writing?  It has been on each postcard always in white.  Each time I write something in this type of writing it is a secret message from me to the universe.

Monkey Series 12

Monkey Series 12

As any mixed media artist knows when adhering ephemera to the substrate one can get wrinkles.  No problem!  Once the ephemera is dry I just sand away.  It gives character to the piece.  I like the distressed look.

Monkey Series 11

Monkey Series 11

Frequently I add line to  an almost completed work with a graphite pencil.  I always do an odd number of lines.  You can see the most visible line above the X in the top middle of the postcard.  The lines are just random marks.

Monkey Series 10

Monkey Series 10

One of my favorite techniques is to have a partial image in one of my collages.  Here you see the last half of a monkey.  I like this method because the eye automatically wants to complete the image.  It is also a movement trick because your eye is drawn, in this case, to the right after first stopping off at the main focal point, the woman.  I believe it is drawn to the right because of the desire to see what is happening to a recognizable figure, the monkey.  Since the monkey is obviously in movement that helps with movement within the composition.

Monkey Series 09

Monkey Series 09

She just makes me smile.  Perhaps she is like Pippy Longstockings!  The triangle formed by the monkey, the mannequin head and the bottle cap causes movement as does the "swinging" monkey moving towards the right of the postcard.  The sewing machine line going from one line behind the head toward the right becoming two lines helps with movement as well.

Monkey Series 08

Monkey Series 08

The color tones of the face, the monkey, and the bottle cap are pleasing to me.  When I completed this series and another one I had a goal in mind.  I needed to make 50 postcards.  That was a big endeavor but after I teach I often send each student a postcard.  I love sending and receiving snail mail and especially love the idea of collaged postcards.  So I embraced the postcard project which took me most of the month of March to finish.  I work in stages when I have so many to do.  Each layer is a stage in the process.  No one postcard is the same.

Monkey Series 07

Monkey Series 07

This postcard seems to be all about the eyes.  Both the figure of the woman and the monkey have dark eyes which pull me into this piece.

Monkey Series 06

Monkey Series 06

I really like how this postcard turned out.  The colors are a flesh or pink tone which helps to make the composition work. It is unifying. The boy image was adjusted in iColorama.  He has such a sad or maybe a reflecting look.  Whatever, he seems to be lost in thought.  The monkey's expression of excitement or joy provides movement.  I would say this is a strong piece.

Monkey Series 05

Monkey Series 05

The monkey series seems so fall-ish.  Choice of background colors.  I am loving how the pattern line paper works in each of the series.  Don’t you just love the glasses on the mannequin?

Monkey Series 04

Monkey Series 04

There are many things I like about this postcard.  The placement of images works causing movement from the center of the card toward the sides.  Just the monkey's arms cause movement.  I love the eyes of the woman.  Perhaps she is Elizabeth I.  Could be Bette Davis playing Elizabeth.  Unsure.

Monkey Series 03

Monkey Series 03

After weeks of completing this piece it seems now when I look at it again that the composition is crowded.  There are things that help with that though.  The sewing pattern lines draw the eye as does the "flower" figure in the upper right.  The chop mark also becomes more of a part of the total composition balancing the heaviness.

Just so you know, even though this is the monkey series, there is no monkey in this piece because it got covered up.  Yup!  Sometimes one has to let go even if it means no monkey!