Don't Be Tamed!

Born To Be Wild - Collage

Colour surrounds us. It defines our world in so many ways. It enhances the environment in which we surround ourselves...from the way we decorate our homes to the clothes we wear...and even the colour of our hair! How often do we, without even thinking about it, use colour in our speech? We could be a true blue friend, or get the green light on a project, or still be caught in a grey area. We react instantaneously. We love or hate certain colours. I like the quote by Murasaki Shikibu: "Beauty without colour seems somehow to belong to another world."  How fortunate we are to live in a world that embraces colour!

The remains of Autumn in Pennsylvania today are quietly covered in snow. It is on days like today that I appreciate colour even more. The deep browns and blacks of the limbs of the trees and the odd yellow or orange leaf peeking out from the snow, the vibrant reds and blues of the cardinals and blue jays as they search for the bird seed I have out for them all remind me of the romance we have with colour.

Which leads me to my collage. I came across a quote by the celebrated dancer Isadora Duncan: "You were wild once, don't let them tame you." Considered a Muse, she inspired those around her to step outside the conventional social mores of the day. You could say she led a colourful life on and off the stage.

The photo of the high kicking women from my vintage photo collection intrigued me. Where were they? I wonder what brought them to such wild abandon! What a perfect way to compliment the quote. Exploring the symbolism of colour the reds, pinks, and golds...the high energy pallet complimented with colour on the wing...called to me.

The substrate is a canvas panel. I stencilled and rubber stamped the background with various shades of acrylic paint and Distress Inks. The high kicking women, type from an old dictionary, and butterflies completed the work.

Colour is a Muse, always there to guide us. We can follow her and live a life filled with all spectrum of colour if we never tame our authentic Dreams.

Dare To Be Yourself...

Powerful Women - Collage

This is the second image for the Egyptian Moon Dance Company's Powerful Passionate Woman Retreat.

As it is a companion piece, I wanted to keep the over all feel the same. The quote by May Sarton inspired the work:

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”

Dance is a beautiful thing. Egyptian Raqs Sharqi accentuates all that is intrinsically female.  It is wonderful to see the transformation when women dance. The Dance is a door to the soul, giving a glimpse of a woman's heart. Grace and elegance are rediscovered. Confidence soars. Dancers are empowered with a passion for living.

Again, the piece is a conventional collage finished as a digital file. I made handmade papers and scanned them. A few of the Victorian postcards are digital, a few I scanned from cards I have collected. I also scanned postage stamps, postage cancellations from envelopes in my collection, rubber stamped images, drawings, writings, tissue and art paper.

I approach a digital collage in the same way I do a conventional piece of work. I collect my bits and pieces. I clear my mind and let the Muse guide me. I like to work conventionally and digitally. Both methods are tools to get me to where I want to go within piece of work.

I feel in art and dance, as in life, we can only be our authentic selves when we dare ourselves to be ourselves. When we allow our Muse to help us to embrace life fervently, then we are truly powerful and alive.

The Muse Moves in Mysterious Way...Like Seven Evening Stars

A song came on the radio last week. The singer/composer is Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam.

I have been working on a postcard sized collage. I was stuck. Everything I tried just didn't seem to "fall into place" as it does when the Muse is my guide, taking me along on a journey of discovery.

Then I heard Angelsea. It was serendipitous. I had come across a vintage photo of a folk dancer.  Two lines of the song kept going around and around in my head...

"She moves like and angel 

And seven evening stars..."

I knew I was moving in a better direction.

The collage uses a canvas panel as a substrate. I covered it with sewing pattern paper. I applied Ranger Distress Inks to give it a warmer feel...the feeling you get when the heat of the day is leaving and night is swiftly approaching. 

A shipping tag, again altered with Distress ink and rubber stamps, handmade paper, mulberry paper, printed tissue paper, pressed flowers, Polyester Organza fabric, and the image of the Dancer all became part of the collage.

If you are in Ohio and wish to see this collage, it will be on view with the National Collage Society's 16th Annual Postcard Show. The exhibit is held at the Downtown Gallery, School of Art, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio from June 19, 2013 to July 20, 2013.

Sometimes the Muse moves in mysterious ways....

Dance As Inspiration of a Digital Nature

A Raqs Sharqi Valentine

I know there is a debate among some collage artists concerning digital vs. conventional collage techniques.

The collage, "A Raqs Sharqi Valentine" is a digital work. It was inspired by my love of Egypt and Egyptian Raqs Sharqi.

The photo of the Pyramids was taken the last time I visited Giza. The stamps are from a letter I received. The cyan design element is from Egyptian money. The dancer on fire is from a photo I manipulated in PhotoShop. The Arabic writing says "Egyptian Moon", the name of the Egyptian Moon Dance Company.

I am a dancer. I danced from the age of three...first at a neighbourhood Dance School in Brooklyn, New York...then on to the June Taylor School of Dance in Manhattan. I studied Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, the dance also known as Belly Dance first while living in England and then in Egypt and the United States. I have had the pleasure of dancing with our Troupe,  Troupe Raqesi al-Qamar al-Masrion, for the last eleven years. I have never met a group of women more pleasant or dedicated.

The first time I saw an Egyptian Dancer I was captivated. Such a variety of interpretations...The balletic style of Samia Gamal, the passion of Tahia Carioca, and the fluidity of  Sohair Zaki, the fire of Nagwa Fouad, the strength of Fifi Abdou. I could see in their Dance the Art I translated from heart to eye to paper. They formulated pictures with their movements. They made the music visible. They drew from their passionate hearts and told a story...the same as I had on paper.

It was a powerful, women's dance. It was magical. I wanted to be part of it.

I have always loved the Middle East. My Mother was an Egyptophile. My Father did business with several Middle Eastern countries. My interest in the Dance was a just a natural extension of the influences I was exposed to growing up. 

Back to the collage, I feel digital work is on par with conventional. PhotoShop, my scanner and a computer is no different to me than scissors, Matte Medium, and art papers. It's just another form of cut and paste. Being able to change from one media to the other keeps it interesting for me as well.

I suppose the debate will go on...but for me, I have my feet planted in both camps.