Fabric Collage

Fabric Collage

3 1/2" x 6 1/2", 

hand-stitched, beaded, embroidered,

lace, paper, fabric & felt.

Felt backing stitched by hand

with buttonhole stitch around

outside edge.

An exercise in cream, white & tan.

These could be bookmarks, or

hung up on the wall as art.

The paper scraps are from a

vintage French textbook.

The fabrics and lace were

mostly scraps I had on hand.

Buttons and beads add

some sparkle, along with circles of

fabric or felt edged with

buttonhole stitch.

I call this fabric collage because

a traditional seamstress would not usually

have unfinished edges showing.

I did whip some edges with thread,

but some I did not.  The 

 paper gives additional

texture. I coated the paper with

gloss medium & let dry before

sewing onto the base fabric, which

gave the vintage paper more strength.

Had a lot of fun creating these

for gifts and made about a dozen!

Sewing gifts has been the order

of the day this Christmas.

Looking forward to drawing, painting

and art journaling again!

Happy Holidays to all!

Santa Collection

My growing Santa collection...

includes Father Christmas 

and Santa Claus,

homemade and purchased,

fabric and paper...

On the top shelf you'll see a

very simple Santa made from yarn--

I made that when I was in high school!

I'm not telling how long ago...

The Santa on the far left was made by

my dear friend Diana. He is adorable!

The Father Christmases (no faces)

I made myself. The sleds were from

Boyd's Bears.

I didn't intentionally start collecting

Santas. It just kind of happened.

Then it tends to snowball!

There are more Santas on the tree,

but this little doll is also a favorite.

Our decorations are quite eclectic.

Hand-crocheted by my grandmother,

cross-stitched or sewn by me,

glass and wood, and yes,

plastic too. The non-breakables

are near the bottom of the tree

this year in honor of my 

14 month-old granddaughter!

The little wreath made from 

puzzle pieces was made by my 

daughter-in-law--very cute and clever!
I always leave the tree up until
New Year's Day. Sometimes I'm
slow to take it down, and my
husband says I should just
make it a Valentine's tree...hmmm.
Lots and lots of hearts...
What do you think?

Happy Holidays to all!

Bits of Rust

Pages for a swap

done on watercolor paper.

The theme of the recipient's book

is Rust, a bit of a challenge for me

since I am often drawn to

using bright colors in my work.

Subdued color and actual

rusted metal was the goal.

Managed to work in some

copper, fabric, metallic thread

and painted cardstock as well.

A bit of embroidered fabric is combined

here with rusty bits--washers I think--

watercolor, metallic thread, stamped designs,

and a DaVinci quote.

Back of page with a library pocket

to hold a tag. Copper wire,

silk leaves in a "copper" color, fabric,

and a rusted flattened bottle cap

are incorporated here.

 

Tag inside the library card pocket,

with an original poem and

a vintage charm from my

grandmother's stash of

craft supplies.

These pages are about 8 12" x 11"

and holes were punched to 

be collected into a ring binder.

A swap is a good way to stretch

yourself and try subjects you

wouldn't otherwise consider!

Theotokos

Theotokos
The Greek term for

"Mary: the one who gives birth to God"

watercolor, 8" x 11"

in my hardback art journal.

The paper in this art journal is not

for water media, and so it was 

difficult to get the shading

smooth as I would like.

The paper absorbs the water

and wrinkles. So my next art journal

will have heavier paper for mixed media.

Below, is the photo used as my model.

Color illustration from the book

Early Christian & Byzantine Art

by John Lowden, 1997.

In the illustration in the book, 

Mary's head is about one inch square,

so my version is greatly enlarged.

The actual original artwork is a mosaic in 

the apse of a large church,

St. Sophia in Istanbul, and the figures of the

mosaic are about 16 ft. 4 in. tall!
(Click on the image for enlarged view)

Since they are seen from far below,

however, they seem relatively small

to the viewer.(According to the

author of the book.) I found Mary's 

face and expression quite sweet, 

and was inspired to try creating

my own version.

Fall Greetings!

Special thanks to Diana, who created

the background for this piece: layers of

assorted papers, including music, scrapbook,

and text from a book.  I completed the
piece with images that are

color copies of watercolors I did several

years ago, based on vintage Halloween.

Added some off-white acrylic paint over

the papers, stamped swirls, then adhered

images cut from cardstock copies. 

Text written in marker. Black inked

the edges, and then decided to add

dark brown chalk pastel for a

darker frame.

 Also sharing a couple of pages

from my hardback art journal that

were created quickly, using images

that I had collected, but didn't

really fit into any of my recent

work.  Sometimes it's good to

just do something to get going.

The grid format created by the

tags really makes it less complicated

to finish the page...

I really like the juxtaposition of

unrelated images, but often

find it difficult to pull off,

so I tried not to over think

the process this time...
Inspired by a Michelle Ward
GPP Street Team challenge.

Art Journal Pages

Last spread in my little watercolor art journal.  Watercolor, Sharpie marker, white Signo Uni-ball pen, assorted painted papers and fabric.  The profile above is actually paint on fabric.

The square mini-collages are  1 1/2" and I make these up several at a time, not knowing how I will end up using them.  The blue section on the right is a 'flap.'

This is what is underneath the blue 'flap.'  The quote is from a poem entitled "Beauty" by E-Yeh-Sure:

Beauty is seen

In the sunlight,

The trees, the birds,

Corn growing and people working

Or dancing for their harvest.

Beauty is heard

In the night,

Wind sighing, rain falling,

Or a singer chanting

Anything earnest.

Beauty is in yourself.

Good deeds, happy thoughts

That repeat themselves

In your dreams,

In your work,

And even in your rest.

Trees

Watercolor and calligraphy on 

watercolor paper.  Collage elements

of painted cheesecloth, papers, fabric

and tissue paper.

A previous post showed

the 'sneak peek' of just the

trees on the left.

Our cottonwood trees 'modeled'

for this painting. 

Now these trees in our yard

are bare.

The leaves turn brown

and fall.  We have to look to

our Maple trees for color 

in the fall!

New Pages

A new page in the Green Journal.

The original page is shown below.

I painted the envelope with watercolor,

painted the margin nearest the spine

with acrylic, and added scraps of

painted papers, collage images,

fabric, scrapbook papers, and 

handwritten text.
(click on the image to enlarge)

 

The tag inside the envelope

shows a poem through the window,

also handwritten text:

November Night

by Adelaide Crapsey

Listen...

with faint dry sound,

like steps of passing ghosts,

the leaves, frost crisp'd,

break from the trees

and fall.

Art Community

Mixed media Art Journal,(which I have dubbed 'The Green Journal') created by Elizabeth of the Altered Book Lover blog.  I continue to be inspired  by her quirky and creative combinations of paper, fabric and images.  This is another set of pages from that journal.  (Click on any image for a closer look.)

After a wonderful day spent with Art friends in Ohio,  I felt the need to count my blessings: for the people who 'get' my art, who encourage me, who help me grow, and provide much needed support.  Thank you to all, both 'face to face' friends, and the on-line community! 

The Green Journal continues:  the tan page (above) with border added and hand-written text, top.  Bottom, the page as it was before altering. E had applied subtle color, and there is a wonderful sparkle to the page that doesn't come through on the scan.

E created the lovely red flowered page (above) with a white envelope protruding from the back side...and the little red bird cut-out.  I added some old wallpaper images before I realized I needed a 'before' picture.  After scanning, I then added fabric and hand-written text. I decided to stop here, as I feel the richly patterned surface is complete.

As I enjoyed laughter, artwork, and techniques with my art friends, we discussed something that you may have discovered yourself, or may be surprised to know.
"What do you do with it?"  people may ask--referring to your art.  It is my belief that the finished product is not necessarily the most important thing.  The process of learning, creating, and enjoying that process can be very therapeutic. Recent research shows that people need to play, even when they are adults. It is a way to relieve stress, have fun, and actually helps us focus and problem solve in other areas of life as a result.  Artists probably didn't need research to tell us this. I think we have always known.  Have some fun with art today!

Various Inspirations

Here is a partial view of a 

mixed media & watercolor

that I've done for a private swap...

some of the cottonwoods 

in our yard.

Mixed media art journal page

in my watercolor journal. 

Scraps of leftover paper & fabric,

craft acrylic paint, and marker.

5 3/4 inches wide by 9 inches high.