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.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Five

Blue Undies
craft paper, wall paper, magazine cutout, catalog cutouts, sticker, vinyl
approx. 6 x 10 inches

This is the most deconstructed collage piece I've ever done I think...might be the best one for a starter.  Another collaboration with an unknown framer, this time from Langley's Framing Corner in Westport (closed).

Yo!  Instagram!

Mixed Media Quickie Number Four

Fashion Scewer
craft paper, sticker, vinyl, soil survey paper, coupon paper,
magazine cutout, fabric paper
approx. 11 x 14 inches

That turban, though.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Three

Queen of the Castle
craft paper, painted found newspaper, vinyl, marker, painted paper
approx.  11 x 11 inches

I'm getting a lot of traction from the negligee section of Sears' 1969 Spring/Summer catalog.  Who can sleep with all the scratchy lace on their skin?  Remember, this is before Lycra was blessedly mixed into every fabric on Earth.

Mixed Media Quickie Number Two

Sleep Walking
craft paper, book cutout, magazine cutouts, painted paper scrap,
catalog cutout, wall paper, vinyl
approx. 11 x 14 inches

You can see that the craft paper here was on the back of a framed piece because the framer smartly labeled it with their sticker and info.  I like to think this one is a collaboration with the person who placed that sticker there from the Colony Bistro Art Gallery and Frame Shop sometime in the '60s or '70s.

Mixed Media Quickie Number One

Traveling Light
craft paper, book cutout, magazine cutouts, painted paper scrap
approx. 11 x 11 inches

Here's a new series!  I made the next ten collages (plus this one) in a short amount of time with mostly scrap I had or images I've already cut out along the way.

A friend gave me several 11 x 14 framed head shots of old dudes that were being removed from her office.  The frames weren't anything special and since it's easier to stash a bunch of paper flat, I worked on removing the pictures from the frames.  These were professionally framed over the last 50 years, so there was a thin back cover of craft paper on most of them.  As I do, I kept the pieces I thought were large enough to do something with.  This sparked something in me, and as I had a little pop up this weekend in town I decided that I needed something to do for crunch time, so started on these collages.

My idea was that they could be collage starts for another artist, or stand on their own if that's how the beholder eyed them.  This forced me to work quickly and edit.  Sometimes I clam up if I start thinking too hard about themes and filling the space.

I'm glad I did this and might continue--stay tuned!  I'll be posting a new collage everyday, but you can get a preview on my Instagram feed of a few from the weekend.

Hello, Spring!