Speaking Your Language!

Cut. Tear. Paste. Glue. Assemblage. Found Objects. Vintage. Paper. Image. Ephemera. Dada.

Are these words part of your daily vocabulary? Do you get all weak in the knees when you discover vintage newspapers and letters? When in public, do you collect "found objects" in parking lots, along curbs, in shopping carts...knowing you WILL be able to incorporate them in a piece of work?

Then you, my friend, share the love of Collage and our secret language!

The National Collage Society formed to promote and support the art of Collage. Based in Ohio, their exhibits are a showcase of international art, receiving entries from the US and abroad. And each month the Society spotlights a member artist. I was thrilled to find I was selected for the month of May. To view my feature please visit here

To find out more about the Society and to become a member, please visit.

After all, it's wonderful meeting people who speak your language!

Good Things Come in Small Packages!

Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' - Collage

For those of you who live near the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Georgia you are in for a treat!

The Center is hosting this year's National Collage Society 19th Annual Postcard Show. Comprised of small works, the exhibit features art no larger or smaller than 4" x 6" in size. The theme for the show is: "Expansive Art can be Found in a Small Format."

The opening reception is Thursday, April 14th at 5:30 pm. The exhibit runs through Saturday, June 4th, 2016.

My entry this year is "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'". Using a weaving technique, I brought together art paper, hand-made paper, an ad from a trade magazine and husks...which I acquired from a local cornfield.

As with all NCS exhibits, the show promises to be a visual smörgåsbord with something to delight everyone's palate.

To view the exhibition opening, gallery photos and more please visit the Quinlan Visual Arts Center online.

The show certainly supports the axiom "Good things come in small packages"!

The Sisterhood...Knitting Our Lives Together

THE FOUR SISTERS - Collage

Did you ever wonder what sisters get up to when they visit with each other?

Many years ago I purchased a lot of old photos on Ebay. In the group was the photo of the four women. On the back in pencil was scribbled "We sisters have fun!" It was such a lovely photo and sentiment I couldn't resist incorporating it into a collage. But how?

 Again my Muse guided me to an assortment of experimental papers. I've been trying new techniques with wax and inks. And there it was. In a page torn from a book was this passage: "the four sisters knitting away in the twilight". Perfect, especially for a very enthusiastic amateur knitter like myself.

  

I primed two canvases for the diptych with acrylic paint and inks. The papers I used all seemed to just fall into place...CitraSolv, tissue, pattern, art, handmade, and even Braille paper went into the mix. Next was the photo...I wanted the sisters to be in the thick of things...surrounded with warmth and the fun of knitting. I completed the collage with a vintage knitting pattern and stenciled acrylic paint.

  

The Sisterhood. It can encompass close friends or family. It's the place where we feel safe and at ease with the people we knit into our lives.

  

The work will be one of twenty-eight pieces on display as part of my solo show at the Oyster Mill Playhouse in Camp Hill, PA. The exhibit will run from September 25th to October 11th, 2015 during the performance run of  the play "Next To Normal". I hope if you are in the area you will take in the show and view the exhibit.

Are You That Woman?

Strong Women - Collage On A Tag

On March 8th every year we celebrate International Women's Day. With this event in mind, the March Tag Swap I joined was a celebration of women...in all our glory!

"Make it Happen" is the 2015 theme, encouraging effective action for the advancement and recognition women in all walks of life. I am delighted to see that purple is the official colour used in commemoration of the Women's Suffrage Movement, for which I have a deep appreciation.

In my life, the strongest women I know are the ones who elevate other women to be the best they can be.  They are the supportive, nurturing souls who are there to catch you when you fall and lift you up to even greater heights in celebration of your victories. I am sure you have them in your life as well.

As I started working on the Tag I came across a photo of two women seated together. I wondered...could they have been as enamoured of the Suffragettes as I am?

The substrate I used for the Tag is illustration board. The background is Citra-Solv paper from a magazine article about women. I added the vintage photo, a doily, a blossoming flower, wax infused paper, text clipped from a magazine, and finished off with sponged and stencilled metallic acrylic paint in various colours. The Tag is now on its way to a new home in California.

As artists, we can "make it happen"...not only through our work, but by being that strong woman we adore having in our lives. So, my question is...Are you "that" woman?