Collage – Page 23 – red paper boat

The Terrible Hours

July 8, 2007November 2, 2015 Shelly

I started working on a new altered book today: The Terrible Hours. It’s about a submarine rescue, I believe. I’m not a big fan of disaster stories, so I haven’t actually read it. I picked it up at the Mission thrift store because it was a nice size for altering, in good shape, and I liked the title.

The Terrible Hours: Sealed Against the Sea
collage (map, glass, and anatomical illustration) with Neocolors II and gesso
9 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches

My scanner doesn’t handle depth very well, and because there are shallow niches cut out of the pages, the furthest layer is out of focus. I’ll try to get a photo of it tomorrow, when there’s decent light.

Now, to go watch SiCKO, now that I have finally managed to get a clean copy of it.

Art, Collage, Paintings

Paper Boats Under Full Moon

June 2, 2007September 21, 2015 Shelly

3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
collage, acrylic, gesso, gel ink, and beads on 140lb Cartiera Magnani hot press watercolor paper

The moons were made from antique silver beads I’ve had for aeons. I salvaged them from an old necklace. The boats are made from vintage onion skin stationery, meant for sending air-mail letters.

Art, Artist Books, Collage

Balancing Equations

May 26, 2007September 21, 2015 Shelly

It took me half the day yesterday just to get it scanned. I would insist on making books that don’t quite fit on the scanner when opened. It’s not hard to stitch the two halves of a spread together, even in my old version of Photoshop, but it’s still an added pain in the ass.

A few of these will be repeats, but I wanted to stick them all together, in order. The entire set, with large versions of the images plus a few more photos of the book itself, can be seen here.

Addendum: You can also click on each individual image to go to that image’s page, then click on that image to view it full sized (for most artwork and photos, that means 1024px wide for landscape format images or 1000px tall for portrait format images).

Front Cover

Wings

Then I Shall Be

To Those Who Know Her Less

Solving for X

Mending Bone

Eclipse

Three Unknowns

The Moon Came Down Too Soon

Fig.42

The First Last

Form of a Radical

But what will our gift be, riding afar,
Our brightest jewel, the Northern Star

Would you dream those were our shadows
Weight in carats, price in dollars

There Have Been Wrecks on Smaller Seas

Left: A tiny “Mayflower” launched on sunlit seas
Right: And the visions faded that now we see

Inflorescence

Three Pennies and Two Birds

Ten Pieces Given

My Annie dear, you lift your eyes
To ask me where the moral lies?

Five Paper Dolls

Cut Away Here

If You Should Get it and Let It Fall

Dancing Hands

Spine

Foredge

Art, Collage, Paintings

Two More Boats

May 5, 2007November 1, 2015 Shelly

3 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
watercolor, gel pen, sea shell, button, brass brads, and paper boat on 90lb cold press watercolor paper

Art, Collage, Paintings

Paper Boats

May 4, 2007September 21, 2015 Shelly

3 3/4 x 5 1/2 inches
acrylic, gel pen, button, brass brads, and paper boat on watercolor paper

I think there is some rule that it must start raining every time I begin to photograph artwork. So, these images are not good, but they’ll have to do for now.

Art, Artist Books, Bookarts, Collage

Balancing Equations Journal

April 29, 2007September 22, 2015 Shelly

Balancing Equations Journal, front
9 1/2 x 6 inches
collage (altered Polaroid, fragments from algebra book and dictionary, anatomical illustration, old dress patterns)

The paper bag journal has a name, now. Also, a front cover. The covers were made from recycled backs from old spiral-bound notebooks. On one of them, I’d written a bunch of figures while balancing my checkbook. I glued dress patterns over most of the numbers, partially obscuring them, but I kept the “Balance.

I really like the way the hemp cord looks, woven through the holes in the covers. I’ve left the ends long and dangling for now, and will probably attach something to the ends. Little brass or copper cow bells, maybe, but that’ll have to wait until I’m finished filling the book, because the noise might drive me nuts.

Top and Spine Detail
9 1/4 x 6 inches
brown paper grocery bags Coptic bound with waxed linen thread, 10 signatures of 2 leaves (40 pages)

Art, Artist Books, Collage

Working

April 28, 2007September 22, 2015 Shelly

Working

Mending Bone
9 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches
collage (dress pattern, buttons, linen tape, acrylic paint on baby wipe, film strip, gesso, dictionary fragments, and anatomical illustration) on paper bag

Then I Shall Be
9 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches
collage (altered Polaroid, sandpaper, anatomical illustration, dictionary fragment, poplar leaf, brass brads, and wick anchors) with gold and copper leaf, tissue paper, India ink, and acrylic paint on paper bag

Art, Artist Books, Collage

Solving for X

April 19, 2007September 21, 2015 Shelly

9 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches
gesso and Caran d’Ache Neocolors II with collage on paper bag

Art, Artist Books, Collage

To Those Who Knew Her Less

April 18, 2007September 21, 2015 Shelly

18 April 2007
9 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches
gesso and Caran d’Ache Neocolors II on tissue paper with collage (film strip, altered Polaroid, sandpaper, yearbook photos, antique lace curtain fragment, and candle wick anchors) on paper