Bird of Columbia and New Tributary

This is the story of some black and white pieces.

I was thinking I'd make a diptych out of these two 24 x 24 inch pieces.  The backgrounds are mostly black with some greys and a hint of red.  For whatever reason I decided they needed to be two individual pieces.

I tried.  Also, this photo isn't great.

 The one on the left became "Bird of Columbia" based on a friend's observation that the image looked like a picture taken from a Bald Eagle nest cam in D.C. that was live at the time.  (Bird of Columbia is another term for American Bald Eagle, and this title is taken from a poem I found online by Charles West Thompson.)

Check out the beauty on the right!

It is currently part of the annual River Market Regional show at the Kansas City Artists Coalition.

Bird of Columbia, 24 x 24 inches, 2017

 So, I thought I finished this other one at the same time (not completed in the image above) even though I was never quite satisfied with it.  Maybe because it reminded me too much of a pair of legs?  But I called it "Tributary" because...it looks like a split in a river. 

Tributary, 24 x 24 inches, 2017

 Here they are installed in Ann Arbor.

They were not actually right next to each other.

After looking at it for while I reminded myself that I am The Boss and Ultimate Creator of my own work, and I make the rules, and break them.  So I filled in the gap and it just feels so much better to me.  I like leaving a little hint in the corner of space/land/air.  I retitled it "New Tributary" because that's totally accurate to the object itself, and a person can extrapolate from there if they want.

New Tributary, 24 x 24 inches, 2018

I'm going to be reworking more pieces because I just can't help myself.

Don't forget, I'm on Instagram!

Made It: A Border of Memory

Another very big piece.  Complicatedly simple.

A Border of Memory40 inches tall x 66 inches wide

 This little piece was my inspiration.  This was one of the first non-clock orzo sketches I tried out three or four years ago.  It's about 8 x 8 inches.

scrap wood, paint, tea bag papers, vinyl

 The layers were all shades of black with a hint of crimson here and there.  I dragged a scrub brush through the wet paint to add texture.

All white vinyl.

 As I went along I decided to start adding in reflective silver orzos into the design.  Without a flash or other bright light source it's barely noticeable, but if you use a flash on your camera you get a whole new perspective.

Surprise!!

 Look at that glow!  Magical.

The ridges really show up in this picture.  If you buy it you can touch it all you want.

Booth shot

Title from the eponymous poem by Florence L. Snow.

Living Here, Living There

Living Here, Living There
salvaged wood, vinyl, paint
12 x 30 inches

Oh, hello, monochrome!  I put so many pieces of vinyl on this my eyes almost crossed.

There's a metal push pin showing through from when the shelf was being leveled in its closet (I presume) and plenty of background peeking out because I painted and sanded the top after completing the vinyl layer.  This was a big turning point for me, allowing the vinyl to lay on top of itself and keeping it monochromatic.  

Four Seconds

Four Seconds
found wood, newsprint, paper, paint, ink, vinyl
10 x 26 inches

Everyone has really enjoyed the first piece (One and Four Girls) that used this series of a woman doing eye exercises from the 1930s, but it's a rather large commitment, so I made a smaller version in a neutral palette...and I love this image so anytime I can use this woman I will!  

The base is found wood, of course.  To that I glued (pH neutral/archival glue!) several pages of "Used Equipment Directory" from November 1969--the Craigslist of its day, I suppose.  Then I drew petal shapes on with my favorite roller pen (uni-ball eco, FYI), sanded it, painted it white, sanded it again, put on digitally cut vinyl and filled in with more grey paint.

I think we can all relate to her expressions here...just imagine what she just heard to get this reaction.

Shifty!

You can really see the pattern here, and I love the chippy edges and layering!

Mixed Media Number Twenty-Four

Cycles
found wallpaper, book/greeting card cutouts,
black and white photo on matboard, vinyl
10 x 13

This might be the last collage made with the old guys as the background.  Maybe if I find more, but the two I have left aren't quite right.

And, yeah, those are teeth there in the bottom left.  PILES OF TEETH.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Seventeen

Worksite
found headshot, catalog cutouts, book tearout, vinyl
10 x 13 inches

These guys.  Really.  What is this scenario?  Thanks, 1969 Sears catalog!  

The next few collages have head shots taken from the old KC Club.  Lots of old white dudes had no idea they'd work their way into the art of the little lady they'd likely talk patronizingly to if they were still around to see it.  

Mixed Media Quickie Number Fourteen

Coffee Break
painted found newspaper, book and magazine cutouts,
vinyl
approx. 10 x 13 inches

This one did come together quickly, but in all honestly its components took a while to make.  The building is from a Swiss Modern architecture book that was one of the first things I kept from the sheds at the farm.  The newspaper was painted over the course of weeks as I was making other works and just had it around as blotting paper.  I cut out the strawberry dessert over a year ago from a Reader's Digest scavenger hunt and kept it around.  This is how I work.

Mini Collage Number Twenty-Two

Pink Rain in Frankfurt
vinyl, cut paper, travel book page, matboard
4 x 5 inches

Don't forget, friends, Instagram is all the rage and I'm on the bandwagon!

Mini Collage Number Sixteen

Filler
magazine bits, matboard
4 x 5 inches

Mini Collage Number Twelve

That One Time in Madrid
recycled old art, cutouts, colored pencil, vinyl
4 x 5 inches

That's Dick Van Dyke's arm.

Mini Collage Number Eight

Ahh! Refreshing!
magazine images, vinyl, matboard
4 x 5 inches