Digging Deep

I am taking an online class titled Book of the Night.  This class is taught by Juliana Coles.  http://meandpete.com/id75.html The class is about exploring our dark side-  we all have that and it is something  I'll bet many of you like me- don't find to be comfortable.  I bound a journal for this class using black paper for it.  This is such new territory for me but I have to say it feels so real and authentic.  While I still love to make collages and will continue to do so- this class is taking me to new ways of thinking and feeling using the visual journal as the vessel for this. I bound this journal with some pages that fold out- those long journal spreads that you see here are 22 inches long.  I am finding this to be a good way to end the year and begin the new one.  The experience of using image and words to explore parts of myself I find uncomfortable has been and I am sure will continue to be full of challenges and insights.  I have always loved visual journaling but this class has helped me take this to a whole other level.
I wish all of you a happy new year.  May it be filled with art making and discovery.

Studio Play Session

I have been working on some pretty intense art journaling of late and needed a break.  I had a play session in the studio yesterday and had a great time.  I did these Gelli prints.  It is pure experimentation and it is so freeing.  I am going to use a couple of these for the covers to an art journal I plan to make soon. My foot in the lower photo adds a personal touch don't you think? LOL.

December Reds

I am in two different artist trading card groups.  One of the groups has theme choices- so I picked the red theme and did all my cards to that theme.  I worked their initials into each one.  I must say that after doing the orange and blue themes and now this red one- I do like working with color as a starting point.  I have been doing these cards since the later 90s and really never tire of it- it always amazes me what you can do in a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch space.
We are well into a bitter start to winter here in the northern Minnesota woods- have had some days where the actual high temps were well below zero.. this severe cold arrived after 16 inches of snow last week.  Good weather for hiding in the studio.
I wish you all a holiday season full of joy and of course art!  Thanks for visiting my blog this past year.  More art to come in the new year!

Finished Books

                                                                 FRONT COVER

                                                       TWO INSERT BOOKS

                                                             RIGHT FLAP FOLDED IN

                                             STANDING UPRIGHT VIEW OF THE BOOK

                                        CENTER SPREAD OF LEFT SIDE ADDED BOOK

This set of photographs is of one of the three books I finished for the online class I took titled The Thread That Weaves from Roxanne Stout. http://rivergardenstudio.typepad.com/artimpressions/the-thread-that-weaves-an-online-workshop.html  This class really lit my fire.  I made three books actually- you can see the others on my Flickr page- see link on the right side of the blog.  I love making books and especially like artist books- I use to make lots of blank books- but now I am interested in the content.  I also like that people can interact with it- when they hold it and open it up.  Thank you Roxanne for a wonderful experience.

Works in Progress

These three spreads are the insides of three books I am making. I am taking an interesting class from Roxanne Stout. http://rivergardenstudio.typepad.com/artimpressions/the-thread-that-weaves-an-online-workshop.html  Each of these pieces is 16" long by 6" high.  On a couple of these there will be more pages sewn in and the other side will be collages- when closed this is a 5 1/4" square.  I used Gelli prints for the backgrounds.

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Every year at this time I do a gratitude list and it is very long.

Another Digital One

This is another digital collage and actually the last all digital one I have done in some time.  This one like the last one uses images from Tumble Fish Studios.  The background is a scan of a Gelli print I did.  The title is: The Development of Illumination.  This is deep with meaning for me- hope you can enjoy making up your own stories about this one.
Right now I am taking another online class.  This one is from Roxanne Stout- a wonderful mixed-media artist. http://rivergardenstudio.typepad.com/artimpressions/the-thread-that-weaves-an-online-workshop.html  I am not following the assignments exactly but I am loving the class- it's really an artists book class.  I am doing lots of collage and hope to share that soon here.

Lifeboat

This collage is totally digital.  I made this a couple of months ago when I was dealing with some things that were hard for me.  The idea came that friends can be like lifeboats to rescue us when we are down or going through hard times.  While this does remind me of the hard place I was at the time it is also a comfort to know I have dear friends in my life that really are my lifeboats.  The imagery for this whole collage is all from Marsha Salyer Jorgenson- she owns Tumble Fish Studios(well I did do  the Gelli print background that you can hardly see).

The Last of the Postcards

This is the last batch.  I had fun and it helped when I just dumped a whole box of my collage stuff on the table and started picking images that caught my eye.  It really was a lot of fun.  have a great weekend everyone.

More Postcards

Here are more of the post cards- I hope they all made it to their destinations.

Final Collage Class Project

The final project for the collage class was to make collage postcards to mail to each participating class member.  I made 19 of those and they are all very different from one another.  This was a fun class and the people in the class were great- so much talent and different approaches.  I tried some collage techniques that I would not have on my own.  It's been fun to go to the mailbox and see art in it.  I always have liked mail art and this was a great way to end the class.

Last of this Series For Now

This is the last one in this series for now.  I do have lots of other ideas and imagery and may very well revisit this at some point.  I like the Gelli print background and how the upper part is sky like.  The photographic element is from a photograph of mine that I altered.  The title is: Raymond Looked Toward the Future with Hope.  For me this is a good place to end the series for now.  I have had a very challenging fall but things are feeling much better now.
I just finished a large final project for the online collage class I have been taking- it's a collage mailart postcard project- I made 22 of them each one different- I needed 19 for the class but couldn't stop.  I will be posting those next.

Loose Ends

It feels like ages since I did a post.  I have been gone for a week visiting friends and family in Iowa.  I realized I didn't finish posting the collages from the series I had been working on before I took the collage class.   Clint Realized That Playing Games Can Have Serious Consequences is the title of this one.  Like the others it has a Gelli print background.  I really appreciate all the comments and support many of you have given to me on this blog.
I am finishing up my collage class- our last assignment is a mail art exchange.  We are making collage postcards and sending them through the mail- I have 20 to make- the reward will be getting 20 in the mail from the others.  I do love mail art.  I will post some of the ones I make for this later on.

The Blues

After I finished the orange cards- I ended up doing these three- the opposite of orange.  It was fun making these in a color theme.  I just may have to do that more often.  As I have mentioned before I do love making these little cards- I always end up having so much fun.  Enjoy.

My friend Robert sent this to me and I love it:

Artist Trading Cards for October

I am in 2 different ATC groups- one group likes themes and the other is open.  The theme for the one group was orange and I had such a great time.  These are all one of a kind.  I liked the idea of working with one color for an overall composition.  The leaves up where I live have been orange- sad to say in Northern Minnesota they are now falling fast...leading to-oh no not that!

CitrSolv Fun

This week the assignment for the collage class was to make some papers using National Geographic magazine pages and applying CitraSolv ( a natural solvent) on them.  This breaks down the ink in very cool and unexpected ways.  Here is a link to a site where you can see what other artists have done with this technique.  http://www.citrasolv.com/art/index.html
I used my papers for backgrounds- on a couple of them I scanned the paper and altered it.

Navigating Through Uncharted Waters

Time Waits for None of Us

Hope

Trying to See the Future