Planning, Pinning, Prepping

I'm gradually getting some fabric "collages" together that will form the basis for the next batch of mixed media work in the on-going (though presently stalled) Calabria Series.

  I'm pulling material from my seriously depleted supply of  scraps  and fitting them together in colours/patterns/arrangements that please me.  I'll then sew them together and add the photo transfers on muslin.  However,  I'm debating whether to hold off sewing them together until I have the transfers ready so that I can tuck the transferred photo edges under fabric edges.  Not that it really matters, as paint will be spread over all.  I'm just dithering as I'm fearful to get going again.  What's that about? 

I'm also flummoxed by the discovery that the Staples brand of transparencies that I use to make the photo transfers onto muslin is no longer being produced.  The replacement brand is appallingly expensive and I'm not sure how the image quality will be, so am reluctant to go there.  I'm going to experiment with transferring  from matte photo paper onto muslin.  Will let you know how it turns out.  Fingers crossed!

OK, so I just couldn't help myself.  Here's a digital treatment of the fabric collage that you just saw.  I played with it in Adobe Photoshop CS2.  Probably adjusted the hue, toned down the saturation, and added a warming filter.  I guess I should take notes about what effects I apply so I could do it again, but I just keep trying things till I get something I like, then keep on going.  Please--somebody stop me!

Crawling Back to You

Before I left for Montreal I was goofing around with some magazine images. Now that I'm back, I was goofing around with them some more, this time on the computer.  (Can you say "procrastination"?)  The image above is what resulted from the original image below, each having its own degree of weirdness, don't you think? 

Have Bag Will Travel

Just a little kiss good-bye before I head off to Montreal for a few days. 

I sometimes get uncontrollable urges to cut up magazines and glue things together in unusual ways (or find myself standing in front of the bathroom mirror with a pair of scissors in my hands and a flurry of chopped-off hair on the floor!)  It sort of kick-starts me, or satisfies the creative urge when I find I can't concentrate on the "more serious aspects of art-making."  Recently, I was fascinated to watch some videos on Teesha Moore's blog demonstrating how she puts her journal pages together and was inspired to go goof around with magazines, scissors and glue in my studio till the wee hours of the morning.  It's highly therapeutic, and more than a little addictive.

Now I'd best go pack my bag.  Knitting will keep me happy on the road (I'm not the one driving). 
See you soon!

Out of the Blue

This is the latest canvas that I've finished in my Calabrian Series.  It's different to the previous ones in that the motif is boats rather than buildings.  Also, there are more images than in the others, which made it very busy (not to mention the wild fabric) and much more challenging to integrate into a cohesive whole. 

This is the state the painting was in when I arrived home from my trip out to BC.  I'd been working on it just prior to my departure and wasn't quite sure whether or not it was finished.  I rather liked it at this stage, but when I returned, I felt it was just a bit too "collagie" and not enough "painterly."  Plus, it was just too different from the rest of the series.

This is where the composition began.  See what I mean about "busy"?! 

So with the completiton of this painting, I'm now back to Square 0 as I have no more fabric collages or photo transfers prepared.  In fact, I was rather dismayed when I checked my fabric-scraps stash and discovered I'd radically cleaned it out before I left for Vancouver.  What was I thinking?  I admit, I'm having trouble getting back in the creative groove.  It usually takes me a bit of time to get back in the "zone."  As we're heading off to Montreal next week, I think I'd better content myself with just puttering in my studio. 

Please bear with me!

Old Home Week

Staying at my mother's house, I find it interesting to be confronted with testaments to my ongoing development as an artist as I wander from room to room.

When I was at art school, most of my paintings were about 48 x 36 inches. I only painted in oils, which were furnished by the school. I loved the rich smell and creamy texture of the paints when I mixed them with Damar varnish and turpentine.



I find, though, that my oil paintings looked like they were done with acrylics. They had a certain flatness to them. We weren't taught any techniques; just thrown in to muck about until we found our own style. A list of suggested colours was provided, and the proportions for mixing the medium to add to the paint. We were also shown how to build stretchers and stretch the canvas properly.

My motifs were largely to do with nature but were more decorative than organic. I was greatly influenced by Persian paintings (hard to tell from these examples, perhaps).

So these are a sample of my art school work. Blasts from the past. At least they don't make me cringe when I see them!

Words to Live By

I made my pilgrimmage to my own Mecca, Opus Framing and Art Supplies store. Even though I live 4,000 miles away on the other coast from here, I order my art supplies from Opus. But seeing as I'm here, I stopped by to pick up a few tubes of acrylics. This was the sign they had posted on their outside notice board. (Mr. Dress-up was a Canadian children's program TV host that my little sister and then my own daughter used to watch as tots). I think it's pretty good advice.