Thanks for coming by.
I am starting this blog in the midst of a pandemic. In some senses, we are all starting over in a changed world. I think those who make art at any time can find comfort in creating, but especially now.
I’ve been taking online art lessons in various methods of painting and collage. Here are some of the pieces I’ve produced in the last few weeks. The two long narrow pieces are 6 x 11 inches. Although the two with birches in them look the largest here, they are the smallest–3.5 x 5 inches. The others are, respectively, 8 x 10, 14 x 14, 16 x 20, & 12 x 16.
I suppose I am a true introvert, because I have, at times, relished this necessity to stay home, even as I miss friends, miss the seniors that come to my class at the Goeske Senior Center. I miss my Life Drawing group, but we will meet on Zoom today. My poetry workshop has met twice on Zoom already. There is Facebook, email, and the phone. I am fortunate to have a home, a garden, a husband who insists on doing all the shopping (he has the best face mask). I am thankful for the sacrifices that many are making, the risks that health care workers take, especially, but also workers in post offices, grocery stores, and all the businesses that provide for us. Politics and the news media remain terribly divisive,. I wish that could change. The air is cleaner now, the neighborhood quieter. I am more aware of what matters most to me.
Her are a few of the drawings I’ve made since early April. It feels good to have one thing I do each day to improve my skills.
I am a member of the Southern California Collage Society, and recently prepared a list of Resources for collage artists to be added to SCCS’s web page. You can find my list below, with links. If you have favorite resources you would like to share, please let me know. I’d also like to hear if any of the methods in the hands-on videos work well or don’t work so well for you. By the way, I use a glue stick for magazine pages, but have found the paper comes loose sometimes, so I’ve been sealing over the top with Utrecht matte gel. A friend said I should use Yes glue, but I read online that it yellows, so am not sure if it’s a good choice.
Jane Davies tutorials (some are specifically on collage).
http://janedaviesstudios.com/videos-tutorials.html
Bob Burridge, Abstract Collage Demo, first 8.5 minutes. Bob’s other
videos are called Bob Blasts.
https://www.robertburridge.com/Weekly_BobBlast/Issue_209/video.html
National Collage Society Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/nationalcollagesociety/
Some glues to use for various objects (fabric, delicate objects, larger objects)
5 Collage Artists in 5 Minutes
Deborah Shapiro (magazine collage artist)
Rebeca Maloney (creates a landscape collage; works quickly in mixed media)
Joan Fullerton –
Bird and Nest Collage (part 4; 1-3 also on You Tube)
&
Bridging Worlds Collage (painting over collage)
&
One way to create a photo transfer
Monoprinting with Gelli Plate (to create decorative collage paper)
Citra Solv and National Geographic magazines
Lavina Blossom’s Pinterest board “Collage Variations (over 500 pins)
