Showings here and there

I had some showings at wonderful places around town over the summer, as well as pieces in shows across the country...

First, local:

May--Holy Cow Pop Up

Starting May and still running: Spencer Fage, a law firm downtown

June--First Friday in the Crossroads

July--Essential Goods for the Lawrence Annual Sidewalk Sale

June through January 2018--Women to Watch//Metals show at the
Kemper Museum...this one gets its own post in a few...

July: Paper works at One More Cup

 And around the country...

"Bird of Columbia" at CORE New Art Space, Denver, Colorado;
Contemporary Abstraction, 24 x 24 aluminum/vinyl/paint

"Air Mail" and "Peeping Tom" at Fabulon, Charleston, South Carolina;
Souvenirs of Summer, 11 x 14 paper collages

"Prairie Porthole" (although I've decided to rename it if it doesn't sell to "Cottonwoods" or something)
at Verum Ultimum, Portland, Oregon; Abstract Catalyst, 30" diameter aluminum/vinyl/paint

I'm applying to many shows here and there, and will be having some sales locally soon...VERY SOON, as in, this weekend at Art Westport.  More on that later...

Mixed Media Quickie Number Thirty-Two

Air Mail
book cutouts, painted newspaper bits, found envelope, matboard
8 x 10 inches

Okay, this is one of my favorites.  Who doesn't love astronauts?  I don't think this letter would make the trip, though.  No air in space.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Thirty

Please Return
found letter, magazine and book cut outs, vinyl
8 x 10 inches

I have been trying to work in this green chair for months now.  FINALLY!  This piece reminds me of something that would be found on a porch, or in a mailbox on an abandoned house, and the chair is definitely on that porch.  But it's a bit mildewy.

Instagram!  @eightyacresart

Right now I'm on my way to Des Moines for my first Vintage and Made Fair!  Send your people or yourself!

Mixed Media Quickie Number Twenty-Nine

Percent Change
magazine and catalog cutouts, wallpaper bits, found paper with type
8.5 x 11 inches

No reason to change your clothes...just wear them all at once!  She seems to like it.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Twenty-Eight

Believe It or Not
painted newspaper, catalog cutout, found ads, paper
8 x 10 inches

I don't believe it.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Twenty-Seven

Secrets in Innes
found envelope, painted paper, painted found newspaper, magazine/book/
greeting card cutouts, vinyl
approx. 14 x 11 inches

This envelope is so worn it almost feels like cotton.  FYI, I think this newspaper clipping is from a paper in Hastings, Nebraska.  It's also from the '60s--big thanks to a neighbor for holding on to these until I was ready to walk by and take them (not that they knew that).

Mixed Media Quickie Number Twenty-Six

Cleaned Out My Pocket
papers, used tea bag, comic book, wallpaper, staples
approx. 8 x 10 inches

I love working tea bags into pieces.  And staples!  I bit of a different feel than glue (although there's plenty of glue in this, too!).  The background paper is from a composition book that had my grandpa's name on the front, but it was unused.  (c. 1920)

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 Twenty-Three

Peeping Tom
black on white photo on matboard,
cutouts from books/magazines/calendars/posters, vinyl
10 x 13 inches

His name probably isn't actually Tom.  Probably Herald.

That parasol, though.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Nineteen

Munsell's Diner
photo on matboard, magazine and catalog cutouts, vinyl
10 x 13 inches

The guy behind the legs was named Harry Munsell.  Nom nom, right?  And that's not just a hamburger--that's a hamburger with BITS OF HOTDOG added right into the patty!  Oh, McCall's, you never cease to teach me new things from the 1960s.

I can't let you forget about Instagram!
Also, you might be able to see my Facebook stuff occasionally if you follow me there.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Eighteen

Small Dreams
photograph on matboard, magazine and catalog cut outs,
atlas
10 x 13 inches

That's a map of Wales.  Seems dreamy under the right conditions.  

I will be taking these collages (and the mini collages framed!) to my first showing at the Vintage and Made Fair in Des Moines in May.  Since the theme of the show is reusing/recycling materials I figured this would be a great place to debut this line of work.  Spread the word if that's your thing.  Thanks.

Mixed Media Number Sixteen

How To Catch a Thing
antique sheet music, book/magazine/greeting card cutouts,
fabric paper, vinyl
approx. 11 x 14 inches

I have so many pages of antique sheet music gifted from a family friend, I don't know if I'll ever get through it, and that's okay!  I can try.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Fifteen

Boheme
found typed and writen on paper, vinyl, painted wallpaper,
magazine/catalog/book cutouts, colored pencil
8.5 x 11 inches

I found MORE THAN ONE typed up note like this in a box of travel souvenirs and whatnots from the '60s and '70s.  I guess it's like a diary entry or something. I love the age on the paper...thanks, Marguerite, for being you and unknowingly becoming my collaborator!

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.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Twelve

Snacks
cardboard, magazine cutouts, vinyl, painted paper
6 x 9 inches

So!  I made more in this series, adding backgrounds that aren't just packaging but still leftovers from the past.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Eleven

Sandwich Head
found envelope, painted found newspaper, vinyl, magazine cutouts
approx.  9 x 12

This is the last of what I made the first weekend of April, but when I get back to making more (and I will!) I'll be sure to post them here.

All the collages are for sale and mounted on standard frame sized paper (8 x 10 or 11 x 14).  I'm happy to get them framed for you, too!  Contact me anytime, through Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, my website, or email signs444[at]hotmail.com. (I am so cool and retro for having a hotmail account! Take notes.)

Mixed Media Quickie Number Nine

Amnesia
staples, box, vinyl, magazine cutouts, painted found newspaper
approx. 9 x 14 inches

We are also a box-loving family.  There's always the potential of organization with these containers, but often failure, too.  

I had to staple another layer of cardboard behind the box to keep it semi-flattened.  Again, the dimension is lovely here.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Eight

Let's Be Friends
found envelope, book cutouts, magazine cutouts,
handmade paper scraps, vinyl
approx. 9 x 14 inches

I love the original imagery on this envelope, and so crinkle-y!  You can almost taste the passage of time here.

These are all for sale, of course!  Contact me through my website: www.80acresart.com for inquiries.  They might go on Etsy sometime, too, and I'll be working on getting that site more up to date.  Thanks, friends, for sticking with me.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Seven

Box 381
found envelope, catalog and magazine cutouts, painted papers,
poster paper
approx. 11 x 14 inches

I used a guy!  Men/dudes/boys don't work their way into my art very often because I obviously connect with the ladies more, personally.  And as soon as you put a male and a female together there's a whole new narrative there and it can get in the way of the pure design.  But, whatever, interpret it however you want!  

Mixed Media Quickie Number Six

Four Footed Folk
found paper bag, magazine cut outs, book scrap cutout
approx. 6 x 8 inches

The next six pieces were made starting with other craft colored paper I had around the studio, as I had run out of the original material from the framed old dudes.  My ancestors LOVED bags and envelopes, and I am no different!  

This is a whole little paper bag.  I thought about cutting it in two but that would have taken away some of the nice texture and dimension.  

The title obviously comes from the book page, which was left over from an early 1900's kids' book that I already cut apart (there was a dandy tiger on this page).  But I found the cat and dog images first.  Simple but I really love it.