Wide Open

OK, I have to tell you about a collage class I took probably 20 or more years ago. Local live class about twelve minutes from my home. First time I'd signed up for an art class probably since college back in the early 70's. Turned out to be horrible. 

Turned out I didn't really undertstand what collage was and I had no idea that it had any relationship to painting. Turned out the instructor was not a good fit. Turned out I cried driving home from class more than once. 

GOOD thing I had a friend who said, "You can drop the class, you know." Hadn't even occurred to me.

I dropped the class.

Whew! That was a relief.

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Turns out all these years later: I LOVE COLLAGE! 

Who knew?!

The artist in me has her heart and soul wide open to the fun of it!

I present you with a little light reading here.

A Room Full of Open Windows and Doors
3.75 x 5.5" postcard, acrylic, collage, 
and oil pastel on card stock
abstract
2022

Boxing Day

There are competing theories for the origins of Boxing Day, none of which, evidently, is definitive. In any case, December 26, the day after Christmas, is called Boxing Day in many countries and plays out in several different ways. 

Today, I have my own definition. In my neighborhood, Boxing Day and trash/recycling collection day overlapped this year. Not only that, but also—on the very same day!—I was in need of a box of a certain size to use as a containment space in which to place a painting in progress, load my brush with loose wet paint, and let go with splatters. 

Imagine the curbside selection I had as I took a two-mile walk early this morning! Square boxes, rectangular boxes, taped boxes, flattened boxes, boxes stuffed with bubble wrap and crumpled gift wrap, tidy boxes, torn boxes, shirt boxes, appliance boxes.

The splatters I splattered fascinate me. They make no 'sense' in terms of content in the abstracted treescape here, but they totally saved this little exercise, an exercise offered generously online yesterday by Amanda Evanston to those who might be having a quiet holiday and wanting to pick up a brush to play with paint. Splattering kept me on track with my goal to be loose and quick in my playing (it was a close call!), and my trusty new box kept me from splattering anything beyond my painting playground.

Happy Boxing Day!

Lichen-Rusted Kaffeeklatsch
6 x 6"; acrylic, ink, oil pastel, and pencil on canvasboard
abstract treescape
2020
$75

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art history:

 8/1/15

10/12/20

12/23/20

Boxing Day 2020!