Nature's Way

Oh, this is the joy of the rose: / That it blows, / And goes. - Willa Cather For more info press here

New Collage

For the past week, we've been exploring collage in my Emily Carr University studio course. It is the first time I've had the opportunity to be guided through the history of collage and various artists surrounding this art form. This collage started out as just an exercise in considering negative and positive space as well as diagonal lines, color and textures. But as is usually the case, , something always emerges that has personal significance to me. My daughters have been on my mind more often than normal lately and I see those thoughts being reflected representationally.

Moira's Byron

Yesterday, I decided my Email Inbox was in dire need of some spring cleaning. Like my collections of bits of paper, junkyard finds, etc. etc., I also have trouble discarding emails. However, in this particular instance, I was grateful for I uncovered this delightful Byron from Moira - sent to me in November 2008.

My apologies have been sent to Moira for missing her beautiful work. For "More of Moira's" delightful mixed media explorations - please click here to be redirected to her Happy Daze blog. If you'd like to see the original Byron challenge, click here.

Bravia Color!

Further Complementary Color Exploring....

Original Painting

This is a quick acrylic on canvas (6x6 inches). I have a second major project starting with only some preliminary information. It will be a narrative piece. I'm playing around with the idiom "the cat bird seat" and so I thought I'd get started with some ideas. One of the requirements is the final submission must contain a sequence of images and a consistent 'theme' of media/color throughout the sequences.

Digitally Altered from Original

Split Complementary Color Exercise

One of the 'color' exercises this week in class was to choose a split complementary color series and then create a simple composition demonstrating how the colors work beside each other.

The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme. It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme.

Pros: The split complementary scheme offers more nuances than the complementary scheme while retaining strong visual contrast. Cons: The split complementary scheme is harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous color schemes.

Tips: 1. Use a single warm color against a range of cool colors to put an emphasis on the warm color (red versus blues and blue-greens, or orange versus blues and blue-violets). 2. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows), because this may ruin the scheme.

The series of images below show a preliminary exercise I did digitally to examine various combinations of this scheme before I painted the final one above. I used Golden acrylics in Cobalt Turquoise, Cadmium Red Medium and Green Gold.

Once there was a collage that grew and grew...

in fact, it grew so large that it overtook its artist until the only part of her that was visible at all, were her feet.

The Dancing Mocking Bird - Tammy Sprinkle

I feel grateful every day but TODAY I had another reason - Tammy Sprinkle's package arrived today wrapped in pink and organza with ribbon and rose petals ! She drew my name in her One World One Heart gypsy caravan event. The "Dancing Mockingbird" necklace and the earrings sparkle and the craftmanship is impeccable.

This on-line group of artists, artisans, crafters and authors is a true blessing. My life is colorfully enriched each day by emails and comments, mail and projects. I know of no other community where encouragement, creativity and generosity is embraced like it is here. It humbles me and it gives me strength DAILY. It gives me a million reasons when I am buying a gift to first check the offerings on Etsy or other shops in an effort to give back.

Thanks Tammy. Your creation will be worn often and will always serve as a reminder of the spirit of OWOH. Tammy's ETSY shop "Design4u" can be found here.

Digitally Manipulated How Crazy Are These AMIGOS?

or........."What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?"

So Just How CRAZY Are These AMIGOS?

This is my first entry into the "Crazy Amigo" challenge. I hope it's not "2" crazy. The specifications for this week were to use the "spin and splash tool." So I dusted mine off (it always reminds me of Hermine, because I saw the technique in her art first) and spun around some alcohol ink...well a LOT of alcohol ink! It reminds me of a similar gadget they used to have at the "exhibition" when I was a child. For those of you who don't remember, you purchased a white card, and it was attached onto a device very similar to a turn table. It then spun around at the bottom of a deep metal 'vat' and you squeezed gobs of primary and complementary paint colors onto the white card as it swirled around. The SPIN and SPLASH I have is a child's version - plastic, battery operated and scaled down, but the activity hasn't lost its appeal...to me! There is something very freeing and mesmorizing in splatting the ink down, watching the centrifugal force spread it out and then as it slows seeing the final image gradually emerge. A new surprise with every 'splat.' In fact, I think I'll have to try my hand at a few more using other mediums before I put it away again. Below, another version - I altered the colors digitally after I scanned the original into the computer. Since I've been studying color in my studio art class over the past two weeks, I was attempting to achieve a purple-yellow complementary contrast.

My Fabulously Colorful Alphabetica Book

I am so proud of this book. The theme - Women and Their Colors. Each and everyone of the pages just sparkle - and of course, like always, they are much better seen in person. I am just in the process of gathering blog addresses on all of the artists who participated in this round robin, hosted by the talented and fellow Canadian, Debby Harriettha, and will continue to post them as they come in so you can have the opportunity to visit their blogs. Participants:

A-B - me

C-D - Debby Harriettha

E-F - Sandee Hyde

G-H - Rachelle Lawlor

I-J - Heather Holst

K-L - Caryl Hobbler

M-N - Mimi Dzyacky

O-P - Frieda Oxenham

Q-R - Judy Evitts

S-T - Linda Eustace

U-V - Heather Robinson

W-X - Abby Lazar

Y-Z - Debby Harriettha

Click on the groups to view larger. I'll bet you'll learn a few new colors too (hint M, N and Z)

:0)

Alphabetica Round Robin 2008

Above is the collection of 8x8 inch pages I did for a collaborative project in 2008 hosted by Debby Harriettha. Next week I hope to post all of the wonderful wonderful pages I received from the other eleven women who participated in this swap. It lasted just over one year with everyone submitting two pages with two letters of the alphabet each month. Each artist chose a theme and we then created our art based on that.