Scrumptious Squares

"Scrumptious Squares", each measuring
an inch and a half by an inch and a half,
on recycled cardboard.
I created these
using scraps of painted papers, stamped papers,
vintage postage stamps, collage images and
numbers. They were inspired by the book shown below,
Mixed Mania by Debbi Crane & Cheryl Prater,
from Interweave Books.

This book inspires you
in a non-threatening way,
to create art.
It's humorous and 'sassy,'
encouraging you to doodle, create
paper dolls, and
approach the process with
your own sense of fun!

"Kid Tags" (above) were created with
scrapbook paper, and drawings
inspired by my grandchildren. The
drawings were done on watercolor paper
with inexpensive watercolors and
Sharpie extra-fine permanent marker.

Altered Vogue ad (for a designer watch)
doodles and paper dolls added,
along with an eye & lips on the
"face" of the watch.

As Debbi described her love for paper dolls in the book, I too remember sitting at my desk by the hour making my own paper dolls and clothes for them. (Of course there was Rock'n Roll on the radio!) The paper dolls here were drawn by me, but there is a template provided in the book so you can enlarge it and just start designing clothes!

Paper doll on watercolor paper, using inexpensive Prang watercolors and Sharpie extra-fine marker.
Fibers and beads added as a "scarf" around the neck.

This book is project-oriented, with "recipes" for creating each project, but enough additional ideas to inspire more of your own projects down the road.
I especially liked the brief explanation of 'The Elements of Art' and 'Principles of Design' which I think many books do not address, even though the information is very important. A "gallery" is included in the last chapter that highlights a variety of styles from various mixed media artists. Basic enough for beginners, complex and inspiring enough for the experienced artist. I am looking forward to making an art doll and quilted clutch!

French Fashion Exhaustion

Doodle/drawing from an old sketchbook, 2007. (For a larger view, click on the image.) Phrases were lifted from a Vogue magazine, and sketches drawn from the same magazine.
Includes ball point pen, purple permanent marker and watercolors. This sketchbook is square, so I wasn't able to get all of the image on the scanner. You can't see all of "intense
colors express who you are" and the phrase "Extremely Cultured." You can see that some of the women's heads were drawn on lined notebook paper, then torn out and collaged into my sketchbook. Not exactly "high art" but it still makes me smile for some reason! Hope you enjoy it...

Poetry on Paper

Collage on recycled cardboard (from a cereal box) painted with craft acrylic paints and collaged with scraps of painted papers and scrapbook papers. My favorite Sharpie extra-fine point
markers will not write on this paint, so I used a Zig Memory System marker that is a scrapbook product. It writes and draws smoothly but is not waterproof, so it must be used at the end of
the process, after all water media has dried. I also shaded some of the edge decoration with chalk pastel.

THANK YOU to Elizabeth of the Altered Book Lover blog for featuring me on her website! I am honored to be her friend and fellow artist. Elizabeth does a very informative and inspiring blog, where you can follow her experiments, challenges, artistic creations and endeavors in mixed media. The very first "swap" I participated in was hosted by Elizabeth, and she made it so fun and enjoyable! Welcome to all who are visiting from Elizabeth's site, and those who haven't met her yet, stop by for her celebration of Earth Day.

Come Sail Away...

Collage and watercolor in my watercolor Art Journal. (Teesha Moore's amazing 16 page journal from one sheet of paper) The top image is a flap that unfolds, and is connected with the bottom image as one spread. Created using watercolors, hand-painted papers, scrapbook papers, stickers, copies of my Moo cards, white gel pen and Pigma Micron marker. I wanted to try something different from the "border around the outside & writing in the middle" lay-out...

April Fool

Another 3" x 5" collage on index card...

I like the Joker image,

but not necessarily April Fool's jokes.

I am so gullible that I'm 'taken in' every time!

I hope you enjoy your day

and all your jokes today are nice ones...

Have fun!

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