April 8, 2019 April 8, 2019

Spring is busting out all over Indiana and I have been driven to think about women “in bloom”. I was inspired by a makeup ad in “O” magazine. The background in these notecards came from the ad. It shows women in “bloom”…women of all races, ages and types. I wanted to use these really remarkable pages to create cards dedicated to strong women. When creating my first card, I focused on FUN. I wanted the card to have a light-hearted spirit and to make you laugh. Strong women can laugh at themselves after all, in fact, nothing shows strength more. I hope it gives you a giggle.

With my second card I wanted to add a soft touch but combined with strength. Kind of the yin and yang of the modern woman. I think the images work well together and I love the soft, gentle colors.

March 26, 2019 March 26, 2019

Time got away from me! I really want to post something at least once a week so stay focused girl!

 

I had a fun day yesterday working on collages. I found a very unusual image in a magazine advertisement for PLUMBING. It was bluish and eerie and I decided to try to make a notecard with it. I combined it with a beautiful floral background cut from a housewares catalog and fish and shells from various magazines. I think the image is provocative and whimsical and unusual.

 

 

I also created two bookmarks. I am working on a set of bookmarks for the veterinary staff that I visit so frequently. I do love my dogs! These little gifts are proving to be a real treat to give. I dropped off 14 bookmarks for the staff at my local library last week. Talk about dedicated readers! Who could use them more? 

 

March 7, 2019 March 7, 2019

Several times recently I have mentioned the bookmarks that I have been making. I use 140# cold pressed watercolor paper as the base for colorful, whimsical, unique collages. I cut out images from magazines, catalogs, advertising mailings, and just about anything else that has an image I like. I strive to find images that are on paper that is robust enough to hold up as a bookmark. I originally used acrylic matte medium diluted with water as my glue. Now I use clear Elmer’s Glue diluted 50/50 with water.

Created December, 2018

I usually see one object that catches my attention. Then I focus on one word that relates. The word might be a color, a topic (such as Music), or an object (such as Dogs). I spend quite a bit of time assembling and building my composition. Finally I select a background and tweak my composition. I focus on color, overlapping shapes, values, texture and framing. I want to end up with something beautiful, interesting and even funny. Here are some more of my bookmarks. All of these have found a happy home with friends who are readers.

Group 2 December, 2018

March 1, 2019 March 1, 2019

I love working with cutout pieces to make a collage. Right now I am focusing on bookmarks and notecards. Recently I posted a notecard that didn’t quite capture the sense of whimsy I wanted. I added some additional elements and think it is where I want it. My collages are like my art. I have to “live with” them to make sure I am satisfied that they are done.

I also created a second notecard while my thinking about the first was percolating away. Again I have an element of dance in the card and some delicate elements. When I create these collages I look for unusual juxtapositions, happy color compositions and a sense of fun and whimsy. I hope you enjoy seeing both cards!

February 14, 2019 February 14, 2019

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I sincerely hope that your life is as blessed with love as mine. Know that I send love to all my blogging friends.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day I want to post a notecard that I created yesterday. For the last few months I have been creating collaged bookmarks and I am very proud of them and think you will be surprised by them when I begin to post them in the next few days. But for now I am really pleased with this my first notecard. It is quite lovely and was inspired by the love and tenderness I felt when I saw the image. The color is actually richer and deeper than you see in the image. When I create my collages (I’ve done ATC collages for family members in the past. They are posted on this blog in the ATC category.) I use images from magazines, catalogs, advertising mailings, or calendars. When I assemble my collages I try to create something essentially different from the original.

I look at composition, color, texture and content. I chose a background that captures a feeling of starlight and moon glow and added the flowers to create softness and to add a little color. I wish you were with me. In person it looks lovely.  When I create my collages I think of them as original works of art and sign and date them. Enjoy on this special day!

December 19, 2017 December 19, 2017

Christmas is almost on us and I have been trying very hard to find gifts that “fit” each of my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My oldest grandson has three lovely little girls. They are 7, 6 and 4 years old and are are becoming interested in reading to which I say “Yahoo!!!” I love to read and rise early each day so I can read in the quiet of early morning. When my girls were growing up they loved children’s magazines, so, for Christmas, I am giving my “emerging readers” a subscription to Highlights magazine. The first edition will not be delivered until January or February. In order for the little ladies to have something under the tree, I visited Barnes and Noble and bought every kids magazine I could find. (As an added benefit this will help keep them busy during their holiday break!)

 

I thought it would be fun to give each girl her own personal bookmark. Instead of buying them (couldn’t find a theme that had three different designs I liked!) I decided to use my collage technique to make the bookmarks. Here they are…

 

 

 

November 30, 2017 November 30, 2017

I have finished creating the ATC’s for my family. I must say that I had so much fun that I will probably create some additional collages. I have some watercolor postcards and note cards that I want to work with. I enjoy the mixing and matching to create an end result that is interesting, unique, unusual and, most of all, fun. This may not seem like art to you but for me the end result is much different than the individual pieces. Think about that old saying “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” I try to create something new and different. I must admit that I am itching to pick up a pencil to do some drawing and a brush to wet my colors. I am just wrapping up a busy period for my three volunteer efforts so that will happen SOON…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 20, 2017 November 20, 2017

I’ve been working on ATC’s and more ATC’s. I was busy cutting and pasting, and putting the pieces together like a puzzle for most of the weekend. I always look for a theme or an interesting juxtaposition. Most of my Christmas cards are stuffed and addressed. Here are four more of my creations. Horses….

 

 

 

and birds!!!

 

 

 

 

and cats!!!! Animals are such wonderful subjects.

 

 

November14, 2017 November 16, 2017

I had another day of “creating” with my grandson. We worked on three different projects and enjoyed trying our hand at something new. We started by making reverse prints. We used styrofoam plates as our printing plate and bamboo skewers as our drawing stylus. Ian got two interesting drawings and I worked on a simple poinsettia. I struggled because I did not leave a deep enough impression on the plate. When we printed our images we had some problems because my ink is old and pretty thick. BUT Ian had several successful impressions of his two images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I finally got one.

 

 

 

Then we worked on new abstract paintings. I think Ian was rushing a little. He chose many colors this time and said he loves color and having many choices gave him more options. Again I worked really wet like I do with my watercolors so my painting took a lot longer to complete. I am not sure it is actually done yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we did two more collages. This was fun for me but Ian became frustrated because I wanted to natter on about “composition”. He said he likes to learn by failing! Oh My! Doesn’t this sound like a grandmother and grandson??? Ian’s is on the left and mine on the right. We had a very good day all in all and I thought he created some very interesting, fun art. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

November 12, 2017 November 12, 2017

I am moving forward with my ATC project. As I’ve mentioned this project is really a treasure hunt for me. I spend hours looking for interesting images and cutting them out of magazines, catalogs and flyers. Putting them together is like assembling a puzzle that doesn’t really have a right answer. I try to achieve a balanced composition, a unified color palette and frequently focus on a theme. I cut strips of paper from many sources to create a frame or interesting strips running through the design. I hope the strips create movement and interest. I just completed two new designs.

The first is a rustic sculpture of a cardinal sitting on top of a Native American rug. The cardinal is the state bird of Indiana so I thought that was appropriate for my Hoosier family members.

 

 

My next ATC goes back to my original theme…horses, horses, horses! Look at this beauty! Just a remainder ATC’s are the size of baseball cards – 2 1/2 inches X 3 1/2 inches – so they are very small. It can be extremely difficult to cut out the detailed shapes I use but I love the results I am able to achieve. Once again I have a Native American textile design in the background. The strips are cut from a seaside scene shown in a travel catalog

 

 

I do want to mention Josephine’s blog LemanShots . She creatively expresses her response to a scene she encounters.  I relate to her images for the same reason I like doing the collages. They are interesting, express emotions and can be thought provoking and even whimsical. She tries to communicate as do I. Please enjoy a visit to her blog!