Oh for that Sweet Madness!

“It’s what we call a dolce pazzia…a sweet madness. Once you feel it, you will never want to leave”. – "Juliet" by Anne Fortier

Travel and romance. To me the words are synonymous. I have wanted to use the photo of the woman with the dreamy expression from my collection of Victorian postcards in a project. At last I found a place she might call home.

I will soon be facilitating a collage workshop at a local library. We will use discarded book covers as a substrate.  I was given a deep blue cover to see how it would inspire my work. The map of the romantic city of Venice from the Old World Maps series was perfect for what I had in mind. I started my Design Team project by stenciling in a subdued colour palette of blues and aqua to allow the rest of the collage elements to pop. This is another reason why I love the Artistcellar collection of stencils. They can be bold and the focal point of your work. Or they can be subtle, but just as vital to your art. The inside book cover was smooth and didn’t drink up the acrylics. As I had hoped, there was very little shift in colour.

I have been experimenting lately with transfers on various types of paper. This time I transferred the photocopy of the woman and added it to a blank shipping tag covered with a layer of gesso. I was pleased with the finish and the way the colour complimented the background. I surrounded the tag with textured paper I received from the Netherlands in a paper swap. The gold foil was reclaimed from greeting cards. Cherry tree twigs blown into the yard with the last storm, wrapped in tea stained gauze, became part of the collage. It’s great that with this type of work trash can become a real treasure!

I usually have tiny jewelry tags on my table when I am working. They are a great place to try techniques or to deposit left over paint. I chose a few from this collection. After masking out parts of the Playful Pods and Quasicrystals stencils, I added glittering dots of colour to the design.

I am captivated by the woman’s wistful smile. Could she be thinking of a journey in the making? Or is she returning to her dolce pazzia…the sweet madness of a certain time and place?

We are fortunate that creating Art allows us the freedom to follow our inspiration wherever it may lead. The door is open just waiting for our ideas to burst through. Who is your muse today?

MATERIALS USED:

• ARTISTCELLAR STENCILS: PLAYFUL PODS SERIES (Bodacious Pods), OLD WORLD MAPS SERIES (Venice), QUAISCRYSTALS SERIES (Infra)
• LIQUITEX GESSO
• LIQUITEX MATTE MEDIUM
• PLAID ACRYLICS: Aquamarine, Blue Topaz, Pure Orange, Blue Sapphire, Amethyst
• DECOART: Splendid Gold, Blue Harbor, Peacock Pearl, Sea Glass
• DYLUSIONS PAINT: Vibrant Turquoise, Cut Grass, Fresh Lime, London Blue, Crushed Grape, Squeezed Orange, Bubblegum Pink, Postbox Red
• DYLUSIONS INK SPRAY: Bubblegum Pink
• REEVES: Bronze, Gold
• VIVA INKA Gold
• MEMENTO INK DYE: Tuxedo Black
• RUBBER STAMPS
• NATURAL SPONGE
• PAINTER’S TAPE
• TISSUE PAPER
• GOLD FOIL
• TEA BAGS
• STAINED GAUZE
• ORGANDY RIBBON
• CHERRY TREE TWIGS
• JEWELRY & SHIPPING TAGS
• VINTAGE PHOTO POSTCARD
• DISCARDED LIBRARY BOOK COVER

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.

Powerful Women...in the Digital Age

Powerful Woman Digital Collage

What could be more beautiful than a powerful woman?

The image was constructed for a Press Kit for the  Egyptian Moon Dance Company Powerful Passionate Woman Retreats. As much as I like to see the traditional two piece costumes, called a bedlah, on dancers in promotional material, I wanted something different for my work. After all, I am exploring my mantra: "The Heart of Belly Dance™".

Dance and Art are so intertwined in my life that it is hard for me to separate the two. It is something that has been with me for as long as I can remember. It is the reason I do not dance under a "stage name".  Many dancers like to take on another name in their dance life. For some dancers it makes them feel more authentic..that it is part of the illusion they are creating. A fellow performer said it was like putting on the finishing touches to her costume. Dancers also look at it as a rite of passage. Teachers will bestow a name they feel is fitting for their student when they reach a certain level of expertise. Unfortunately, for some dancers it is a security issue, a way of keeping their private life private. While all of the reason for using a stage name are valid, I never felt the need. The Dance is something intrinsic. Where does it end and my "real life" begin? My Art Life quandary follows the same path...where does my Dancer life take over from my Illustrator life?

And so goes for the Digital v. Conventional collage debate. For me they are both tools I use to get the work as close as I can to what I see it in my mind's eye. The collage uses a variety of materials. I incorporated art papers, handmade papers, clipping from old magazines, rubber stamped images, various fonts, postage stamps, postage cancellation stamps, tissue paper, and vintage images. Most started conventionally and ended up in the digital format.  I wanted something that gave the feeling of beauty and grace. I am an aficionado of all things Nouveau and Pre-Raphaelite, so it was natural to have the Muse guide me in that direction. I chose the colour scheme to enhance the overall feeling of sweet languor.

The debate continues...digital or conventional collage. Why not both? I think the Muse would agree.

Winter...and "The Four Seasons Suite"

The Four Seasons Suite: Winter

Part of "The Four Seasons Suite" is Winter. 

I used a 5" x 7" canvas as the substrate. The handmade papers were altered using acrylic paint, alcohol, water, Ranger inks, and Perfect Pearls Mist. At the woman's eye level I attached a piece of metallic copper Polyester Organza fabric. Red Mulberry paper completes the top portion of the design.

Again, I found the image of the woman and the holly leaves in a Dover Publications book. My love of Victoriana finds a home with their large selection of art.

I love the quote by poet Edith Sitwell:

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home."

The colours, the florals, the expectant look on the woman's face all say "Home"...and "Winter" to me.

Summer Is Just A Sigh Away...

"Four Seasons Suite - Summer" 5" x 7" COLLAGE

The collage is an homage to one of the best times of the year and is part of the "Four Seasons Suite" I have been working on.

I used a 5" x 7" canvas substrate. The handmade papers were altered using acrylic paint, alcohol, water, Ranger inks, and Perfect Pearls Mist. Tea dyed gauze crosses the canvas at the woman's eye level. Mulberry paper completes the top portion of the design.

I am crazy about Victoriana. The images from Dover books. In my opinion they have the best selection of all.

To quote Henry James: "Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

And Summer will be here before we know it!

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!