I’ve been participating in a round robin with some folks from the Art Erratica group. Each of the books has presented a different challenge. Mags’ book was no exception. She chose red and green with cream and brown. I had a difficult time working with those colors, so some of my reds tended toward the orange or purple. I also had a little trouble with the small size and the spiral binding. I’m used to working across a two-page spread, but didn’t feel like I could do that in this book. That meant coming up with four ideas instead of just two.
And, oh frabjous day, I actually remembered to sign all the pages in this book. I’m afraid I forgot to do so in Cathy’s book.
China
collage on paper
5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
When my brother and I were kids, we had a friend whose parents did the craft show circuit. One of the things they sold were window hangings made from Chinese paper cut-outs. The cut-outs were sandwiched between two pieces of glass, then the edges were sealed with leading. For years we had a cut-out of a fisherman who hung in various kitchen windows. He had long ago faded to white, but was cherished for the memories of old friendships he sparked in each of us.
I think this is the first time I’ve used Asian ephemera in my artwork. My brother and his wife import Chinese arts and craft and the sandalwood fan and paper cut-out were gifts from them. In light of the recent discussion about fetishizing others’ cultures in artwork, I was hesitant to take this route. However, I feel strongly about the importance of using objects that are a part of your life, that have a history and a story of their own.
Derranged
collage on paper
5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
This piece incorporates one of the photos I altered a couple of months ago. It’s of a bronze Pan figure holding a bouquet of roses, with a live, red rose resting on top of the bouquet. The Indian-inspired tissue paper on the left came from Ms. Lea’s wedding.
Empty Little Boat
collage on paper
5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
I still have boats on my mind. I’ve been suffering from a lack of motivation and inspiration lately, so this photo of an empty wooden boat, beached high and dry on the sand, seemed appropriate. The circle comes from a children’s book I dismembered.
Edit: I did some things a little differently this time. Part of that is because I was working in someone else’s book, which is a little nerve wracking. Part of it is because I had a major case of the waffles and decided to change horses in mid-stream. A couple of things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to, which sent me into a panic. Hmmm. What to do? I laid some tissue paper over the problem area, which helped, but not enough. Then, I tried a piece of an old dress pattern. Better, but still not right. Finally, I settled on wadding up some unbleached waxed paper and gluing that over the mess I’d made. Much better!
The Keeping Tree
collage on paper
5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches
This is based on a painting I did a couple of years ago. I used the same drawing in an altered book spread and in a tip-in swap. Someone suggested “a penny a head” for this one, but “a penny for your thoughts” is more what I was going for. I got the hat pin at a yard sale when I was in high school. The little bit of cork came from my first real art-school ruler (the ubiquitous 18-24 inch cork-backed, metal straight edge). And, again, more of my Yearbook Girls.
red paper boat 