Collage: All Good Things....

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

   

I am usually a torn paper person. I love nothing more than to experiment with paper. I adore the way paper speaks with a language all its own with a sound and finished look that is unique.

As this collage uses a grid, I decided to step out of the world of organic edges and into the orderly neighbourhood of Squares and Rectangles. I decided to enhance the angular feel by cutting all of my papers. A bit more time consuming and different to my "tear and glue" method of collage, but I enjoyed it all the same. I wondered if my Muse was trying to teach me a lesson in patience.

The collage incorporates art papers, postage stamps, ticket stubs, wallpaper, newspaper, dictionary clippings, art tissue paper, and handmade papers. I enhanced some of the papers with inks and dyes.

For the most part, I used Matte Medium to adhere the papers to the 6" x 6" canvas substrate. I am not a great lover of the colour green. I did find some beautifully textured green paper. I covered it with Iridescent Medium. It then gave me the texture I wanted and toned down the green which I'm really not keen on. 

But now for a title. The first line of my horoscope was "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait". A message from my Muse? Perhaps.

ATC – Gather Ye Rosebuds…

Gather Ye Rosebuds

The concept for this Artist Trading Cards is a poem by Robert Herrick. It deals with the fleeting time we have on this earth and reads:

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying.

The painting on the card is one of my favourites by John William Waterhouse. I love the intense colours and the style of composition resurrected by the Pre-Raphaelites. Using this inspiration and influences from the Impressionists, a Waterhouse painting is a joy to behold.

The poem and the painting have inspired me. Not to sound maudlin, but I feel so often we take each day as if we will live forever. Instead a healthier outlook would be to embrace the latin phrase, Carpe diem..seize the day..make each day extraordinary.

The ATC includes the use of art papers, pressed rose petals, glass bead and matte mediums. It is the first in a series.

ATC: “Wherever You Go…”

Wherever You Go

The Artist Trading Card is a great way to work. To quote an art retailer: “The biggest movement in art is very small.”

With Spring in the air at last, my Muse is tempting me with dreams leading me out of doors. With this in mind, my Artist Trading Card (ATC) has wanderlust as the main theme.

I used illustration board as the substrate and built up the layers using found objects: magazine pages, postage stamp, ephemera, and handmade paper. Mediums used were Mat, Iridescent, and Glass Beads.

The quote has always intrigued me. Spring is a great time to explore, to follow your Muse…both physically, mentally, and emotionally!