Another Postcard - 10

 Happy New Year!  It is kind of funny because I actually put this image in the queue in November.   The best to you in the New Year!

How the West Was Won - 16

I debated on whether or not I should use a word with this cowboy.  In the end I did not.

How the West Was Won - 15

 

Should I add one more cloud?  Maybe so.  Or if I could think of a word I might add that.  If I change it I will share it below.

I did add another cloud and forgot to photograph it before sending it off in the mail.

How the West Was Won - 14

 I like simple and this one is with four elements. 

How the West Was Won - 13

 

I wanted to add a vulture to this one but could not find one that I liked well enough to include it in the collage.

How the West Was Won - 12

 

This was actually the last one that I completed of the 16.  It was the most difficult.  I finally came up with an idea and then changed it at the last minute to what you see.  Happy Boxing Day!

How the West Was Won - 11

 

Oh, the southwest!  There is a stark beauty there.  If it were not for snakes I would love it even more!  Merry Christmas!

How the West Was Won - 10

 

Just works for me.   It is Christmas Eve.  Merry Christmas!

How the West Was Won - 09

 

Ride ‘em cowboy!

How the West Was Won - 08

 This is a five or six element collage.  Love how the cows are the fiddlers audience.

How the West Was Won - 07

 

This cowboys eyes capture ones attention.

How the West Was Won - 06

 

Another one of my favorites in this series.  I love how the background paper came through the transparent part of the packing tape transfer of the cowboy.  I love it when experiments happen for the best.

How the West Was Won - 05

 

This piece was one of the most difficult pieces to complete.  I had to think what this cowboy would think and find the right lettering.

How the West Was Won - 04

 

I found many lovely images of cactus on Pinterest.  Everything seems well placed.  I like the background a lot.  I usually do not place an image directly in the center of a collage but this one with the cactus works.

How the West Was Won - 03

 

This might be my favorite in the series.  I absolutely love how the cowboy turned out.  I found his image and changed him up in iColorama and PhotoShop.  He hung around without the cowboys on the fence and the cow for awhile.  Selecting the right images to complete the collage did not come easy.  I think this piece is well-balanced.

How the West Was Won - 02

 

It has taken me about three weeks to complete the 16 collages for this series.  It was fun working on all of them simultaneously.  A great amount of time was spent searching through ephemera and finding images to complete each collage.  I started with backgrounds that I though appropriate for a western theme.

How the West Was Won - 01

 

This is a new series of 16 collages.  Four collages each go to Thomas, Terry, and Brian who are also working on this project.  Terry made a journal for each of us to work in.  I will receive four images back from each artist(I have Terry’s completed images already.).

This collage started with a background on a heavy watercolor paper substrate.  I found a cowboy image which I altered in iColorama and PhotoShop.  The cowboy image was then printed on printer paper off my laser printer.  I did a packing tape transfer off the laser printing.

Another Postcard - 10

 

Just going through ephemera boxes and finding lots of treasures that were forgotten about.

Another Postcard - 09

 

Lots of iColorama work done on this postcard.  I love faces that have so much history and character.

Another Postcard - 08

 

I wanted to add some writing to this postcard.  I have some French letters but the script was blue and it just did not look correct.  Black writing does.  It is amazing the difference.

Another Postcard - 07

 

I love how the background paper came through onto the packing tape transfer.

Another Postcard - 06

 

Frequently I want to capture an image that is wider than packing tape.  I am going to look into the possibility that a wider tape is available. Splicing two packing tape transfers together is fairly challenging.  When laying tape against paper there is often the jump effect.  This is when paper jumps up to meet the tape.

Another Postcard - 05

 

As difficult as yesterday’s collage was to complete this one came together quickly.  I was going through a box of ephemera that I had not seen for awhile and this and that just popped out quickly.

Another Postcard - 04

This was a difficult postcard to create.  Finding just the right background for the women and then working up.  It was a trial and error.

Video of Latest Mini-Journal

 

Yet Another Mini - spread 08

 

A friend of mine has been collecting smashed bottle caps off the road or parking lots for years.  I always thought that I would never find any myself as I thought the “supply” was limited.  However, that is not the case.  I have been finding them just by keeping my head looking down when I cross parking lots especially near the grocery store.  I have also got to smashing my own as well.  There is something about taking the hammer to a bunch of bottle caps.

 

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You will be seeing this portrait in a later piece of art.  I worked on it in iColorama.  I love her hair.

Yet Another Mini - spread 07

 

 

I see possibilities for spreads everywhere.  In this case I used the netting from a Mandarin orange bag.  I also used a dried rose petal that came in the surprise box from Jacki and I used a partial spine of a book.

Tiny Tome 1- Spread 03

 

It pays to spend some time searching through what one has saved in drawers or boxes and forgotten about.  The numbered pieces must come from a game.  I have had them in a plastic container forever.  I opened a drawer that I have avoided for a long time and there they were.  Time that they were used.

Tiny Tome 1- Spread 03

 

The beads on the left are made from rolling up fabric on a skewer.

Yet Another Mini - spread 06

 

I took an old Chinese umbrella apart.  I have been using the paper from it for quite some time but now I thought I should try and think of a use for the bamboo pieces.  There are tiny holes in the “sticks” and I decided to wrap the stick in embroidery floss and created a piece to add to the spread that mirrored the design on the tannish paper.  I also made what I call map lace.  I recently ran across the “lace” that I made on a trip to London.  It takes awhile to make as one has to cut out the map leaving only the streets.

Yet Another Mini - spread 05

 

This spread gave me problems, too.  Sometimes one just has to wait it out and answers will come and this is the case here.  I recently received some Tarot cards from a friend, Laurel.  I soaked the cards and peeled off some of the cardboard backing so that the image would not be so thick.  I do not know much about Tarot cards but I certainly appreciate the thoughtful gift of cards.

Yet Another Mini - spread 04

 

Did you ever chew Black Jack gum when you were a kid?  I had forgotten all about it.  Many months ago I received an ATC from my friend Elsa.  In the envelope was a stick of gum.  Had to use that wrapper in a spread and I did.

Yet Another Mini - spread 03

In my surprise box from Jacki was a paper head.  I think perhaps it was made by pushing paper pulp into a mold.  Not sure but as soon as I saw it I knew where it was going to go.  It took care of a trouble spot that I had on the left hand side of the spread.  I had found an image of a woman that I really liked.  I wanted to make that piece of ephemera my own though.  I tried different heads on her.  Nothing worked with her body position.  So I decided to cover her up with fabric and paper and hence giving her “No Voice!” Then the 3D head arrived.  Jacki must of known I needed that head.  Again, thanks Jacki.

Yet Another Mini - spread 02

 

Oh this spread was “painful”.  I loved the background so much that I was having trouble covering it up.  I did though.  Love the buttons!

Yet Another Mini….cover and spread 01 that opens up

I completed this journal over a period of weeks.  I worked on it and put it aside and then picked it up again.  In the end it was finished over two working days.  I received a surprise box of treasures in the mail a few days ago from my friend in Southern California, Jacki Long.  The bling frame in the middle spread above was in that surprise box.  Thanks Jacki!  I love it!

Video of Mini-Journal

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 09

 I just love this photo of the two women.  they are so stylish.

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 08

 

Maybe you might think that shabby chic is just throwing everything in but the kitchen sink.  What an odd expression!  I will have to look up the origin of that idiom. OK….the origin is during WWII and it was said that everything but the kitchen sink was thrown at the enemy.

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 07

 One might think this spread is too busy.  Well, that is shabby chic.  Happy Thanksgiving if you live in the USA.

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 06

 Have I told you that ever since I watched Project Runway many seasons ago and Armando used different patterns on the clothing he made, I have thought that it was a perfect idea?  It makes it even shabbier.  

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 05

 

Each page in the journal has some sort of stitching.  In this one it is machine stitching.

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 04

 

This spread took a very long time to complete.  I kept thinking it needed more and more and more.  Finally I had to say, “Enough!”

Just Another Mini-Journal - spread 03

 

At first glance one might think the image of the boy is a slide but no.  I mounted the tin photo on the slide.