Lesson 5, Project 2, Exercise 2

Played again today with open grid collage and line. Haven't found my voice yet with this assignment.

But I loved using my own handpainted collage paper, and—happy news!—it didn't buckle. The lush colors and interesting painted textures were so yummy. And I remembered to throw in a few neutrals.

I forgot to photograph the collage before I added line. Oh well. 

Time to Declutter
6x6", collage and ink on drawing paper
abstract
2016
[not for sale]

After the fact, I played around with cropping the photo to see what other compositions I might like. Good teaching tool. If you have a favorite, let me know. I hear my paper trimmer calling me.

Ugly Painting Day

At some point in the past two years, Sylvia and I gave ourselves full permission to have and enjoy Ugly Painting Days.

Raise your hand if you think the image below depicts what I saw in my mind's eye when I taped watercolor paper down before starting today.

Anyone?

Anyone?

Yeah, well. An Ugly Painting Day!

And, unlike back in 2014 when I was a total newbie painter instead of the mostly newbie painter I am now, instead of feeling disappointed and discouraged, I feel excited and curious.

I've started something.

I don't know where it's going.

I do know I'm going with it.

a start

DIYA

Do it yourself again.

You might think I'd test this paper for its collagibility before painting up more of it. But you'd be wrong.

It's just too much fun to brush that paint on and play with textures.

more yummy handpainted collage paper

and more, in neutrals this time

DIY

When I did Lesson 5, Project 2, Exercise 1, I got a little frustrated by the no-paint-only-collage part of the directions because I couldn't find collage paper with colors as vibrant as I wanted in the magazines I had at hand, and the magazine paper kept buckling when I used matte medium to apply it.

In the middle of the night, during a brief span of insomnia (is it insomnia if it's brief?), a light went on in my mind: Do it yourself—make your own collage papers (with paint! ha!).

I'd been planning to do something else today in my studio but knew I had limited time. The something else, while it might not have required a huge amount of time, would have needed temporal spaciousness surrounding it in order for me to get centered, so today wasn't the right day.

Instead, I landed in hog heaven painting up a page that I can cut into collage for Exercise 2. I was so happy playing with the luminous energetic colors—made me think of Laurie Mueller's colors, which I love!

Don't know how the drawing paper I painted will take to being collaged, but I'll find out soon enough.

yummy handpainted collage paper

Lesson 5, Project 2, Exercise 1

Project 2: open grid with line. Looks pretty easy.

Yeah, well. Isn't there just always something more to learn? And isn't that such fun? It is!

The idea is to make a grid composition, leaving some blank space. All collage, no paint. Then add a single line that goes from one edge to the other.

Here's what I bump up against: the limitations of my experience with color, the way different papers respond to matte medium (buckling … grrr), and composition. Very engaging. So many puzzles to work out.



I am fascinated by what one line can do to change the dynamic.

Creamsicle, Melting
6x6", collage and ink on drawing paper
abstract
2016
$36

I can picture three or four of these framed and hanging in a sunny breakfast nook.

On to further interpretations of the project …

Not a Start?

I had a black and white postcard start in Maine with me in addition to the colorful starts I worked on yesterday.

The b&w actually might not have been a start. I think it might already have been a finish.

But I started playing with the card … when I might have done better to leave it alone.

Oh, well. Too late.

When I got back home I picked up two bottles of fabric paint in my studio and felt free to mess about without a care. Stopped two minutes later.

So—went from a start that may in fact have been a finish, to a new start, to a new finish.

Postcard 26
4x5", acrylic and ink on manila stock
abstract
2016
[not for sale]

The Best!

On May 13, 1950, a man welcomed his first child into the world—on his 24th birthday. Today that child is 66. Today that man is 90. Today they're hanging out together in Maine (along with daughter #5), kicking up their heels and having a grand time.

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to Futh!

As is my custom, birthday or not, when I visit Futh in Maine I bring postcard starts prepared ahead of traveling. This time I started with a 4x10" piece of manila stock, painted it up with colors and shapes, and collaged a bunch of tissue paper.

4x10" manila stock with acrylic and collaged tissue

This afternoon I cut the start in half, added a few touches of line and quiet pattern to both halves, and rustled up two postcards!

Postcard 24
4x5", acrylic, collage, ink, and wax pastel on manila stock
abstract
2016
[not for sale]

Postcard 25
4x5", acrylic, collage, ink, and wax pastel on manila stock
abstract
2016
[not for sale]