Calling all collagists!

It's the last day of 2013 and seems appropriate to start thinking of the coming year.  In early 2014, I will be sending collages to the International Collage Exchange (for the third year). 

I have already started:



A Chip Off The Old Block



Fish For Dinner

 

 

It's All Greek To Me

The Grudging Soil

Now I would like all you collagists out there to join in. All instructions are HERE, and you have at least until the end of February to make THIRTEEN, no bigger than A4 size (mine are around 6" x 8" on 8 x 10 watercolour paper or matboard)

Meanwhile I will be posting more of mine as I complete them.  Some are combinations of paint & paper, some include found objects, and some are simply cut paper.  I use pages from old books, painted papers, rusty metal bits, or rust-dyed fabric....whatever is at hand.

To see what other participants have done in the past, click
HERE.  Click on any of the exchanges to see the galleries.

If you join up let me know.  I'd love to see your work!

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas

 

 

My last post for 2013 (and overdue at that) just had to be about Xmas images from my life.  Hoping that you all have a joyous festive season too.

 

 

(It's an oldie...just a few years...but a goodie)

 

 

Friend and neighbour, Bill, taking Santa for a ride on his train

detail from my Xmas tree

 

Xmas window in a Brisbane store

Poinciana in my garden

Richard in his Xmas t-shirt enjoying a little Xmas cheer

Summer Red eucalyptus in my garden

 

Hippeastrums from my garden - digitally manipulated

 

Table setting in one of our major stores - manipulated image



One of my Xmas decorations

Another corner in my home

May you all enjoy the festive season as much as we do.  We wish you health and happiness in 2014!

Jane Davies Workshop - wrap up

It's been six weeks of collaging...so Xmas has been on hold until now.  Jane's workshop was such fun, and I got to use a few techniques I haven't spent much time on before, altering images, image transfer etc.

My last couple of lessons produced these (among others that need some more work):

BarBQ

Saltwater

Vanity

 The final lesson was to use what we'd learned to make a series of related works where the text and image were connected.

I chose to do a series based on old Chinese propaganda posters, with the text from western songs. A juxtaposition of the serious, and the frivolous.  My favourite thing.

 

It was fun, and gave me lots of ideas for next year's International Collage Exchange.

More from the Jane Davies Workshop

It's been six weeks of hard slog.  You might have guessed, since my posting has been infrequent lately.  Probably the wrong time of year to do a workshop with Xmas breathing down our necks and so much to do in the next few weeks (in between parties).

That said, here are some more of my pieces from the 'Text and Image' workshop.

Chook

Text Sampler

Childhood

Cha-Ching

Siren To Siren

There'll be more to come soon....I promise

WORKshop...with Jane Davies

Jane Davies  has me working my butt off...again. I so loved the last online 'Extreme Composition' workshop I did with her that I signed up for Text and Image.

It is making me consider thoughtful ways I should integrate text into my collages.  Hope I'm achieving something here.

From Lesson 1:



Fifty Percent



Network

From Lesson 2:

You're Not Alone

Spekulatus

It is a six-week course...and EXCELLENT value.

I will post further exercises soon.

The final 4 x 4s

Have been missing in action because I'm doing another online workshop with JANE DAVIES.....but more about that next post.

ROSEBED ST GALLERY is having it's usual Xmas 'smalls' exhibition in December and my final 3 canvases are done.  The previous ones were posted on October 2, October 11, and October 14 .

This is series 4:  Travel Broadens The Mind

Recent travels to exotic locations have left a jumble indelible impressions. A foreign phrase,  a museum here, a cafe there, perhaps a ticket for a show. 

 

acrylics,  travel ephemera (tickets, images from brochures, etc.), image transfer(acrylic skins)          

I've loved doing these...and the gallery is a delight.  So it's all good.

 

Next week some info on my work with Jane....she's an inspiration.

Online Exhibition

Yayyyy!... today I'm on the home page of Artist Table's latest online exhibition 'Art des Femmes'. I have four works in the show, AND you can vote for me by visiting this LINK, entering and finding my paintings, click on the one you like then click 'VOTE'. Hope you like them enough...there are so many wonderful works in this show.

Hot Gossip

Rough, Rough

Along The River

A Conversation With Myself

As you can see I've put in works from several of my constant series...all in square format. (my favourite).  In The Square, Beach Culture, Above The Landscape, Abstract.

Every so often I revisit one of these series for some more paintings... but am still searching to find the 'essence' of abstract...harder than it looks.

An In-between Challenge

My favourite ATC trading group (Paper Traders) has regular challenges, but I've loved this one. 'My Stuff, Your Stuff' meant exchanging envelopes of bits and pieces with a randomly selected partner. Each was then to make ATCs with what they'd received and return them. My selected partner was Cathy Calamas...yayyyyy...I love her ATCs.

I received these, made from the stuff I sent her:

I sent such a strange conglomeration of stuff (sorry I didn't photograph it), I'm amazed that she could find any that went together.  Clever girl. LOVE the retirement one.

In return she sent me all this lovely stuff...

 ...and I sent her

Being Willing Is Not Enough

French Broad

 It was such serendipity that one of the maps she sent had a street named French Broad.

The Wall

I've no idea what the Russian text says...but I like it.

Now the frivolity is done..... back to my final 4" x 4" s.

Words Are Rocks

My next series of 4" x 4"s is based on text. The spoken or written word is the rock that is my foundation, as I am and as I will become.  Advice from friends, a letter from someone lost for years, a book to teach skills or simply free my imagination..... these are the basis of a sometimes complex life

So far, this is the group that I'm happiest with.

More 4" x 4" - Yellow

"I actually posted this several days ago, but found that I didn't care for the way the images looked (sorry those who said such nice things). They have now been reworked, and I'm much happier....Jo"

Following on from my previous post on 4" x 4" canvases, my next series is basically yellow.
 

 

 

 

'A Long Time Ago....' is based on a time before the things I am familiar with were called 'vintage'.  Old photos, weighing machines that printed out character traits, handwritten letters.  It is about memories of early travels, and other snippets of trivia.

It's funny how your early memories get jumbled...a bit of this, a bit of that.