Joker

Index Card Collage- 3" x 5"

Assorted collage papers, music, clip art, playing card, scrapbook paper and magazine image.

Face hand-drawn in Sharpie permanent marker.

Black and White Art

Collage created from magazine and clip-art images, a scrap of the inside of a security envelope, and fabric.

White gel pen and Pigma Micron pen.

Surrounding doodles inspired by Dover clip-art, and handwritten script is a portion of an Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Index Card Collages

"Card Scraps" 2010
Mixed Media Collage on index card
painted papers, dictionary page, playing card scraps,
chalk pastel, permanent marker.

"Bird's Nest & Beehive" 2010
Mixed Media Collage on index card
painted papers, collage image, hand-carved stamp,
permanent marker, white gel pen,
tissue paper, and scrapbook paper.

Quilt National

QUILT NATIONAL 2009
Postcard image: "City" by Paula Kovarik
(click on the image to see the quilting stitches!)

The caption on the back of the postcard:

"Marking its 30th anniversary this biennial juried show and traveling exhibit has been called "the premier international showcase for contemporary quilts" by the Wall Street Journal. The works are rich with metaphors, stories and fresh, original interpretations of a traditional medium. The techniques used include all manner of fabric manipulation: printing, painting, embellishing, dying, and more.

Quilt National was intended to demonstrate the transformations taking place in the world of quilting. Its purpose was then, and still is, to carry the definition of quilting far beyond its traditional parameters and to promote quilt making as what it always has been --an art form."
--Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida Panama City, Florida

My words:
There were no traditional quilts here! The exhibit was well done and the quilts were amazingly detailed and high quality. I was surprised, however, that the number of quilts shown was small,
(maybe 24? I didn't count) so I am not sure if this was a partial (traveling) exhibit, or if the number
of high quality quilts being submitted has decreased dramatically. When I first saw a Quilt National exhibit years ago, at the Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio, there were hundreds of quilts, both traditional and contemporary. The majority of the 2009 quilts were machine-quilted, and the designs and technical expertise were phenomenal. No photographs of the quilts were allowed, so I am only showing the promotional postcard I picked up during my visit. This was contemporary painting with fabric and thread, and I am pleased to see that
quilting is alive and well in contemporary art. The colors, textures, and variety of treatments were stunning!

The exhibit continues through March 14, so time is short.
If you are in the area, it is worth a visit! For more info, visit www.vac.org.cn

Sunset Color

Ocean Colors

Panama City Beach, Florida

February 2010

White sand

the sparkle of diamonds on waves...

no snow!

Trees in my Art

Pen sketch in my art journal
Woodpile under snow
Jan. 2009
You can see the Maple tree in the background,
along with Pines and a Pin Oak...

Watercolor done while painting with a friend.
Portion torn from practice page & mounted
in my art journal, 2009

Pen drawing inspired by Klee's art,
especially the "Twittering Machine"
2007

My first ever "Tip-In" for an altered book swap!
Watercolor and collage
2005

Watercolor in my art journal
Lake Erie park
2005

Pencil sketch from a Chinese art scroll
by Dong Qichang, Toledo Art Museum.
Watercolor added after returning home
2005
This scroll was housed in a glass case, and
the lights came on in the room as you entered, in order
to minimize light damage to the colors. As I stood and sketched,
the lights went out because I hadn't moved much, so I had to
walk around a bit every few minutes to keep the lights on
while I sketched!

Pen and colored pencil in art journal,
from a National Geographic magazine photo.
2003
Ruins of sculpture (South America or Mexico?)

Pencil sketch done in my sketchbook/art journal, 2001
Camp Avery Hand, Ohio (a Boy Scout Camp)
Had to darken the scan a bit...

Trees are a recurring image in my art.
I am intrigued by their variety of texture,
shape and personality. Bare winter trees
are even more interesting to me
as they have a sculptural quality
silhouetted against the sky.

Dawn asked if I have different journals for different media. I actually work in a journal until it's full, so the different media are all mixed in one book. It usually takes me a couple of years to fill a sketchbook/art journal.(So I am not terribly prolific!) I have one main art journal at a time, but might work in other smaller journals sporadically. This blog has served to inspire me to make something to post at least once a week!

In looking at my older sketchbooks, I did a lot of note-taking about composition, media techniques and ideas to be explored. I also enjoy collecting quotes about visual art, music and creativity, so those are also found in my journals. I believe an art journal should be whatever you want it to be, so pretty much anything goes. I have been known to glue in brochures from museum visits, write in notes from the exhibits I saw there, or paste in magazine clippings that I like or think might inspire some artwork later. The art in my journals reflects where I am in my development as an artist, so my older journals tend to have more drawings & watercolor work in them. As I've experimented with mixed media and combining elements of painted papers, drawing, fabric, and hand-carved stamps in collage, that is reflected in my art journal as well. Inspiration can be found almost anywhere. I hope you will act on that inspiration and create some art!

Art Journal Page

5 1/2" x 9" flap in watercolor journal

Border made with scraps of fabric,
painted papers & scrapbook paper;
drawing in permanent marker.
Quote written with calligraphy marker.

Signs of Life

How can a "little" thing like a cold
make you want to
crawl under a rock
and die?
I've been escaping into a fantasy world
within books...drinking tea, and coughing a lot.
After finishing reading my book, I made this
quick little collage from mostly scraps.
Hoping I'm on the mend
as there still seem to be
"signs of life..."

3" x 5" index card
mixed media collage

Collage Journey

5" x 7" collage
tissue paper, painted papers, vintage music,
collage scraps, hand-carved stamp image.

Some days are easier than others...
some art comes together smoothly,
but most takes quite a bit of trial & error,
at least for me.
Some people become most cherished friends...
making art with passion & enthusiasm,
giving themselves to the process
and to those who understand.
Thank you friends...