Thursday, July 24, 2014

Weekly Quick Collage: Pink Dress


Pink Dress                5.25 x 5.25 inches


Not a very creative title, I guess, but here is my second weekly collage. Everything I used in this one is vintage, except for the peach and green swirly design, and everything was found on my art table at the time.  It's pretty amazing what can be found in my current mess at any given time; even more surprising because I do usually clean up between each piece - otherwise I would never be able to find anything! Sometimes the sheer proliferation of "stuff" makes me want to go back to just painting, instead of working with mixed media. Does anyone else ever feel that way?




29 comments:

  1. Sharmon, My answer is "no never!" :-), I love all the stuff, though I wish I had more space!
    This is a fun piece. xoxo

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    1. More space would definitely help, that and a better memory - half the time I can't remember where a particular piece of stuff is when I need it! :) Thanks for stopping by, Annie!

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  2. i knew i would love these pieces!! love this, sharmon... the scribbles, the dress, the ledger paper, etc., etc.!! it's so pleasing the way you've put it all together.

    the sheer proliferation of stuff is one of the reasons i paint. we live in a very tiny home and it just gets too crazy to keep/work with a bunch of collage material. plus i love to paint... but yeah, the proliferation of stuff.

    xoxo

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    1. Lynne, thanks so much for the sweet words about my collage. I am really getting tired of all the stuff, but I still love working with mixed media... Don't know the answer to that one. xoxo

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  3. YES... Sometimes I do miss painting.. The simplicity, the ease.. But then I remember how stifled I felt and how mixed media saved my art life and so I sort and pare down to make it less overwhelming.. This is wonderful, I agree with Lynne! X

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    1. Cat, I do know what you mean about mixed media "saving your art life". I try to pare down, too, but inevitably the next day I will wish I had that thing I just threw away... Thanks!

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  4. I love this collage.
    It's wonderful
    I can see my little granddaughter Rose in that sweet dress, she loves wearing dresses

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    1. Thanks so much Margie! The dress comes from a set of paper dolls from the 1940's - so sweet!

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  5. Such a darling piece Sharmon.
    I am really in trouble if i am working in watercolors and then start a different piece in acrylics, yikes, stuff every where. And i do not have a designated work space, just sit in the corner of a couch, but that will change.

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    1. Tammie, I do have an entire room for a studio, so I'm very lucky. Still, it's small for a proper studio, and finding things has become a problem! Thanks for stopping by.

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  6. Yes to the simple tools ... I have such a stack of cloth, thread, etc. that like you, I must clean up before each art making. I say I might stop and just paint or just do prints with no other additions. It hasn't happened yet!
    This piece is wonderful ... I smile at the dress, paper doll ... just great!

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    1. Mary Ann, i know what you mean about the lure of doing only painting or printmaking... I just can't give up mixed media, though. Thanks for the nice words... the dress is from a 1940's paper doll set - just too cute!

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  7. je pense être au même point.. peinture et mix.. c'est le résultat qui compte!
    ceci est très joli!

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    1. Yes, Elfi, judging from your work, you must have quite a pile of stuff yourself! Thanks for the kind words!

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  8. Love your work, Sharmon.
    Yes, sometimes I wish I didn't have so much "stuff" but mostly I love it and am inspired by all the random bits that collect in my studio, especially when I discover something I forgot I had!

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    1. Thank you, Verna, and I agree completely about finding those cool things you forgot you had!

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  9. Those clear storage tubs with snap-down lids can help in the maintenance of stuff. They stack and it's nice to be able to see what's in there. I have found that lots of stuff is not too maddening if some semblance of visual order can be arrived at with minimal effort.

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    1. Verna, you're so right about the clear tubs, which I do use... I guess I just need a better memory so I can remember where I put things. Even with clear tubs, things can get covered up...

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  10. This is so delightfully wonderful! The colors, the elements, the composition....beautiful. Thank you for sharing your work and the process. (Please keep doing mixed media....). I so look forward to your blog posts.

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    1. Janet, what a sweet thing to say! I doubt I'll be giving up mixed media any time soon... so glad you enjoyed the post.

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  11. love your collage Sharmon you do it so well!
    I like the rhythm of clearing the bench then getting all wildy & messy with the making & then clearing and putting away again and then getting all wildy and messy over and over month after month year after year with the New Moon marking the clearing to make a fresh start each month... it's a life but saying that I am still looking for two tiny emeralds I stashed somewhere in all the boxes back in 1989... I hope to find them again in this lifetime not the next!

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    1. That does seem to be a good rhythm for me, Mo; I don't always coincide with the moons, but if I do it's even better. I know exactly what you mean about the 2 little emeralds - there are things I know I have, but am sure no one will ever see until they clean out my house someday...

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  12. Shar on, I just found your blog! I love the period papers. Couldn't live without them, so when you asked...it thought NOOOO! Periodically, I'll just draw, or paint, but inevitably,mi find that I will manage to layer or sneak in SOMETHING. Flat...just doesn't do it for me anymore. Looking forward to following...:) Laura aka hastypearl

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  13. Grrr. Blogspot...if I leave out letters on my IPad, it WONT let you go back and correct...of all things to typo...your name...sooo sorry:) Laura

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    1. Don't worry Laura, I don't count off for spelling - lol! Yes, I think I would be lost without my vintage papers, and I too find it difficult to leave a piece completely 'flat'. Thanks so much for following!

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  14. well I have a large studio, with two enormous tables - what happens is they start out clean and then gradually the area I have to work in becomes smaller and smaller and smaller as all the stuff comes out of hiding and winds up on the tables - then I have to clean again. For me the big problem is if things are put away I forget about them, it requires constant archeology in the drawers and cupboards to find all the treasure that is "lost" there! I love working with collage, but I sometimes despair of ever being able to properly wrangle all the stuff. And as always I love your collage, do you find that things that come out of the same "environment" (as a curator friend of mine politely calls my table mess) have a similar feeling?

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    1. The scenario you describe sounds extremely familiar to me, Deb. I do forget about much of my stuff unless it's in front of me, and understand your despair of being able to "wrangle all the stuff" - a great expression, by the way. And yes, I do find that gleaned from the same table mess have a similar feeling. At times I think I should just go to differnt drawers and start throwing stuff on the table so I'll work with different things...

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  15. I know exactly what you mean about the mess. When I try to clean up I often get distracted by a piece of paper and start another collage....and so it goes. I like your small collage, but would have preferred ALL vintage papers. I find the swirl so new it's distracting.

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    1. Yes, I have that same problem with cleaning up, Jo. :) I agree with you about the vintage papers; I too find the swirl doesn't really fit with the rest of the collage. Why didn't you tell me that while I was making it? lol

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I'm happy to reply here, but may not always have time for individual emails.