mixed media – Page 2 – red paper boat

More Paper Boats

July 14, 2013November 13, 2015 Shelly

I just added a bunch more paintings to the shop.

Little Paper Boats

June 23, 2013November 13, 2015 Shelly

These are now available in my Etsy shop: Red Paper Boat. They were made from a large painting I did years ago that had gotten damaged. I cut it up and recycled it into new art.

Buy now, because after I’ve got the money for Franny’s surgery, prices will go up. I’m just not motivated enough to sell stuff under normal conditions to price it this low.

Altered Books, Art, Collage, Found Poems, Poetry

The Departed & The Chosen

December 26, 2007November 8, 2015 Shelly

The Departed & The Chosen
collage (altered Polaroid, map, anatomical illustration, and child’s dress pattern) with Neocolors II in altered book
9 3/8 x 11 3/4 inches

The Departed (a found poem)
Our departure
cost nothing less
and offered freedom
from entanglement.

The Chosen (a found poem)
The chosen
arranged
according to the measure
of influence and power.

Art, Collage, Photography, Poetry

(Re)Photographing Old Work

December 25, 2007December 29, 2015 Shelly

There are several pieces that I’ve been meaning to re-shoot, because the original photos I took were total crap. I did a couple this afternoon. I did both straight-up versions as well as tarting them up in Photoshop. It’s kind of interesting when a piece can have two lives, both as an artwork and as a photograph.

Remembering Beatrice Stone

I got an e-mail a couple of years ago from a guy who was looking for genealogical information on Beatrice Stone. I hated to break it to him that the name was made up. Using an old college yearbook, I took a first name from column A and a last name from column B.

Epitaph for Eula Strange

Epitaph for Eula Strange
I dread for me
living one mute day every time
an allusive and subtle communication
an ever present affliction
clutching to me
an old thought to gnaw on.
I am afraid
out of worth
without words
caught and reduced and disorganized
like dreaming of sleep
and the taste of dry bones.

Art, Collage, Paintings

In Progress

October 13, 2007November 7, 2015 Shelly

In Progress (detail)
collage with encaustic and oil pastel on wood panel

I’ve been trying to get this piece sorted out for ages, and it just keeps fighting me tooth and nail. I think the background is finally in a fit enough state to move forward, though.

Art, Drawings

Blue Tree

August 5, 2007November 2, 2015 Shelly

Blue Tree
wax resist (wax crayon and India ink) on leaf from 19th century patent book
9 x 5 1/2 inches

The altered books group posts monthly techniques. I hadn’t done wax resist in years–and never with India ink–so I thought I’d try it. I used RoseArt crayons, which aren’t as heavily pigmented as Crayola, but they are waxier, so they might be better suited to resist.

Blue Tree
wax resist (Portfolio water-soluble crayons and India ink) on leaf from 19th century patent book
5 1/2 x 9 inches

I also did one with Portfolio water-soluble crayons. That was only almost as stupid as it sounds. The top layers of crayon washed away in areas, but I can go back in and replace them. What’s more interesting is the way the ink bloomed. There are circular spots in the top drawing, where the ink dropped onto the paper. In the bottom one, there are lines, where I used the dropper to squeeze swathes of ink along the edges of the paper. In the scans, those areas read as tears, though close up, it’s obvious that they are not.

You could use other colors of ink. Watercolor or acrylic paint mixed with a small amount of water might be interesting, too. Pretty much anything that flows well and is water-based should work.

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, Paintings

Little Boat

February 14, 2007October 29, 2015 Shelly

Little Boat
acrylic on canvas with collage, buttons, beads, and cotton thread
24 x 24 inches

This is yet another bad photo of the (I think) finished painting. I’ll try to remember to get a better shot of it this weekend, when the light will hopefully be better. I ended up using flash, which does very unkind things to artwork. Well, flash is just unkind in general. It also doesn’t help that I had to take the photo from an angle, to avoid the worst of the flash glare. I unskewed everything in Photoshop, but that’s not a very good solution. Much better to try to take a square(ish) photo from the start!

And, now, I’m going to get off the computer and try to warm up.

Art, Artist Books, Collage