Thursday, January 28, 2016

2016 Intentions


Whimsy. 
I want more whimsy this year. 
I want to make nonsensical art. 
Works that will make people smile.
I've started whimsy work in my Journal and will go from here . . .

Monday, January 25, 2016

The Evolution of L.E.O.

My L.E.O. painting 
first started December 2014. Not being satisfied with it, I set it aside for a few months. In June 2015, I brought it back out. I added more Lion masks. Obviously not enough change because loving it still alluded me. Just to confirm my opinion, I entered it in a Juried Show - it was not juried in. Thereby confirming, I was not the only one feeling nothing from this painting. Back to the closet the painting went. I'd think about it every so often. I actually decided I would paint over it and re-use the canvas. 

 

Then into my head came Lion Fish. Why not? Not all lions are of the feline variety. I drew some Lion Fish with my awesome colored pencils and collaged them on my L.E.O. painting. 
Perfect. Or, at the very least, much better! 

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Book Review - The Paper Garden

THE PAPER GARDEN 
An Artist Begins Her Life at 72
~ by Molly Peacock

October 1772, Mary Delany happened to be watching as the petal of a geranium fell onto the dark surface of a table. Nearby was a bit of paper of a similar color. Inspired, she began her first collage. “I have invented a new way of imitating flowers,” she explained. And she continued to do so, mixing pigments, dissecting plants and occasionally adding parts of them to her compositions, ultimately cutting and gluing together tens of thousands of “the tiniest dots, squiggles, scoops, moons, slivers, islands and loops of brightly colored paper.”

Delany succeeded in creating a new art form, an early form of collage, and by the time of her death at 87 (in 1788), had managed to produce 985 examples of her paper marvels.

In the late 18th century, Mary Delany created nearly a thousand breathtakingly beautiful and intricate paper “mosaicks” of flowers. Glued onto black backgrounds, they were not only stunning but also botanically precise. Today the collages reside in the British Museum.



This biography reads like a Jane Austen novel, describing in great poetic detail, 18th-century English life. In addition to Delany's biography, the author, Molly Peacock,  includes her own life’s story and what inspired her to write this book. 


As an artist who uses collage as one of my mediums, I wanted to read about the first documented use of paper collage. The historical part of the story was move than I bargained for, I wanted more artsy stuff, but I did read the entire book. All in all, it was an inspiring story.

The book was packed with beautiful reproductions of Mary's collages.




Monday, January 18, 2016

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Welcome 2016


My first 2016 Journal Entry.
These are important activities that will make your day better!!

Monday, January 4, 2016

2015 ART JOURNAL 20


When I read this sentence in Quindlen's book, this image came into my head.
I just had to draw it.
You know that feeling. 
Strong. Immediate. Obsessive.

2022

   Merry Christmas