Weekly Quick Collage: Abstract II

Abstract II

collage,  7.5 x 6 inches

I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
                                                                                                                                ~ Pablo Picasso


I'm definitely taking Picasso's advice on this one. I have been trying to push myself to work more abstractly, which is not really my strongest suit, so to speak. Really, to be clear, I should say I'm attempting to make work that's non-objective, meaning that it's not based on real objects, whereas abstract work is. Art history.com says, " Nonobjective art is another way to refer to Abstract art or nonrepresentational art. Essentially, the artwork does not represent or depict a person, place or thing in the natural world. Usually, the content of the work is its color, shapes, brushstrokes, size, scale, and, in some cases, its process."

Though my work isn't completely "realistic" by any means, and I wouldn't necessarily call it abstract,  it usually depicts objects that are based on real ones, i.e. butterflies, flowers, birds, faces, etc.  I guess it walks a line somewhere in between. So I thought it would be fun to do something that's focused on colors, shapes, and movement rather than recognizable things. I don't think this is easy at all, but it was fun, if not entirely successful. And I think I'd like to try more of this in the future.

What do you think? Is making non-objective work easy for you, or difficult? Any insights or thoughts concerning how to make it easier?


Thanks for looking, and have a wonderful weekend!

Bonus Weekly Quick Collage: Kingfisher

I really have been making quite a lot of these lately, so I decided to share two this week instead of just one.

Kingfisher

mixed media collage on board, 5.5 x 6 inches

Making these collages has become addictive, in a way.  I love to be able to juxtapose disparate elements without worrying about whether or not they "go together." I love the constant exploration of form, size and composition. Part of the fun is seeing how far you can push these elements and still make it "work." Working on these collages is a very intuitive process for me, and one of the most rewarding aspects is that it's always a surprise in the end - I never know how they're going to turn out until they're finished. I also find that working on them has vastly expanded my ability to pull a composition together - something I never really thought about when I started.  And the best part is that it's play, which is the best kind of learning experience.



“This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
                                                                                                               ~ Alan W. Watts




“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.”
                                                                                                                   ~ Tom Robbins

Weekly Quick Collage: No Direction Home

No Direction Home

collage, 8.5 x 5 inches

It is good to feel lost... because it proves you have a navigational sense of where "Home" is. You know that a place that feels like being found exists. And maybe your current location isn't that place but, Hallelujah, that unsettled, uneasy feeling of lost-ness just brought you closer to it. ~Erika Harris



Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. ~Henry David Thoreau




You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. ~Alan Alda

September RoyGBiv: Metallic Gold

Since we have traveled the entire rainbow now (and more), you'd think the metallic gold would be what we found at the proverbial end. No such luck, but I did find some beautiful golden things on a Buddhist altar.

To see what golden things others found, go to our hostesses' Jennifer Coyne Qudeen and Julie B. Booth's blogs for the links.

Think Square

I have a piece in this exhibit by 50 different talented printmakers form Tiger Lily Press and Northern Kentucky Printmakers. Please come by and see it if you get the chance. The opening reception is September 18 from 6-9pm.

Weekly Quick Collage: The Magic Door

The Magic Door

collage, 5.5 x 4.25 inches

Did you ever work on a piece that turned out radically different from what you expected? Yeah, me too.  Art-making, I find, often involves the element of surprise. This one looks nothing like I thought it would, and I'm not really sure if I like it, though not specifically for that reason. I tried some decollage with this one, gluing on several layers and then tearing some off in various places to reveal what's underneath.  Then I glued lace over some of the other parts, which I think may have been a bit too much for such a small piece. Everything I make, though, is a lesson that informs my art- making process, and therefore the next piece. So that's a good thing, right? We learn from our mistakes, and from our successes, both of which make us better artists in the long run.

If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.                                                                                                        ~ John Wooden

If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.                                                                                                                    ~ William J. Clinton

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

                                                                                                                                   ~ Scott Adams

New Mixed Media: Map IV

Map IV

ingredients: vintage maps, vintage book pages, vintage stamps, acrylic ink, metallic pen, watercolor pencils, image transfers, stitching  (7 x 7 inches)


This piece has come together slowly, originally starting with two fragments of pieces that didn't work out, and then building on from there. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, though some parts were ripped up more than once, as you may be able to tell. It just goes to show you that you shouldn't necessarily throw away the pieces you consider failures; you may be able to recycle them into something else. Does anyone else do this? I find it often works out well for me.

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.                           ~ Alan Cohen