Winding Down 2014

Well I have let this blog really slide.  Sometimes life gets full and that would be it here. There were some great joys this year and some very hard times as well.
I have two family members that are dealing with cancer- so far so good.  I was able to be with my brother out west for his surgery.
This year I discovered the joys of art collaboration.  I have connected with a wonderful group of artists from all over the world really.  While there are negative issues with the social media stuff I have to say connecting with other artists with groups on social media has opened up a new world to me.  Trips to the mail box now often are rewarded with art in the mail.
This piece is a journal spread I made this week.  It was an assignment for a visual journaling class I am taking.  It was to be a metaphorical self-portrait.  It's titled Seeker.
Thank you for your stopping by this past year to visit my blog.  I hope to be more regular with this in the new year.  Wishing you all a new year full of good health happiness and of course art!

Back in Skool

I have been taking a drawing class titled Sketchbook Skool.  Back in the day I use to draw a fair amount but for the past 20 years not so much.  This online class was terrific and one of the things I really liked is that each week we had a different teacher.  Each week there were several videos by that week's teacher- these included then talking about their drawing and showing their drawings in sketchbooks and usually a video of them working on a drawing.
Here are some of my drawings from the class.

Dedicated

My show Mad Men and Monoprints at the Wild Hare Bistro in Bemidji Minnesota opens tomorrow afternoon.  I am dedicating this show to my youngest brother Tom.  He is battling lung cancer and it has been and continues to be very difficult.  His perseverance is nothing short of amazing.  This show is for you dear brother.
The opening is tomorrow Friday November 7th from 3 until 5.  The show is up until December 3rd- so hope you can make it by to see what I have been up to this past year.  Here are a couple of pieces.

 Rescue

Mixed Media Collage

 Found Keys

Mixed Media Collage

 Flowing River

Monoprint with Collage

Stormy Sky

Monoprint

What a Month!

I can't believe how fast the month has gone.  I have been doing a lot of collaborations and have more yet to do. I will share the latest ones here.  I also made the yearly trip to visit friends and family in Iowa.  I also have been busy cutting mats and framing collages and monoprints for I show I am having in November.  I will include  the info for that at the end of this post.

The first set is a completed set started by Carol White.  Nikki Soppelsa and I finished it.

                                             I did the bottom third, Nikki did the middle and
                                             Carol did the top third.

                                            Here I did the top third, Carol did the middle
                                            and Nikki did the lower third.

                                           Nikki did the top third, I did the middle and Carol
                                            did the bottom third.


      The next set is in progress.  Nikki started this set. I will be mailing these to Cork Ireland               
       for Carol  White to finish.

                                                  Nikki did the top and I did the bottom

                                                    I did the top and Nikki did the middle

                                                I did the middle and Nikki did the bottom


                                           And here's the info about my up coming show

A Finished Accordion Book Collaboration

I recently finish an accordion book collaboration with a terrific artist, Jani Collins. I mailed her a blank accordion book and she did 2 spreads and started the back side and sent it back to me and I completed it with my two spreads and my additions to the back side.  This was a great challenge in the best way possible.  It's really like art improv.  One person starts the idea off and the other one runs with it.

Here are Jani's two spreads and the back:

Next are my 2 spreads and the back and a couple of views of the opened book.

A New Kind of Collaboration

I recently took an online collage class with Randel Plowman. One of the last assignments was to do a collaged accordion book.  I posted mine on September 5th  I thought that the accordion book would be a great form for collaboration. So  I decided to do just that and this first one is with Jani Collins, a wonderful artist living in Ohio. I made the accordion books.  One for me and one for her- On the inside we each get 2  spreads to collage.  So in the photo- 1 & 2 = 1 spread  3 & 4 = the second spread and so on.  The back side we both will work on. So the photographs below are my pieces in my book-  I actually just received Jani's book today but haven't photographed it yet.  I am finding this book format to be very fun for a collaboration.

   This is the cover of my book

 These are my 2 spreads together.

 Here's another view of my 2 spreads.

This is the back I started and Jani will finish it.

Real Studio Photos

I am participating in Seth Apter's blog project of having artist show what their studio tables really look like.  Not the pretty cleaned up ones that people often show. http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/
I reach a certain point where I just have totally put everything in order- then do it all again.

Cyanotype Collages

One assignment for the collage class was to use solar or sun paper- you lay things on the paper go into the sun for a few minute then put it in a tray of water- The paper I had was at least 15 years old but it worked somewhat- Then I remembered I had some real cyanotypes.  These are made by coating nice paper with a chemical solution- then expose it to strong light. I made several years ago and put them away in a box- so it was great to use them finally.

September So Soon!

 A Book and a Journal Spread

I made this accordion book for my collage class with Randel Plowman.  I made mine a bit different than the assignment (I always have had trouble following directions) I did a cover called a wrapped board cover- it's a non adhesive cover where you essentially wrap a board with the paper. The first and last panels of the accordion slip into a slot that is created when the board is wrapped. The accordion is 22 1/1 inches long. I chose to do a continuous collage.

This journal spread felt good to do- I have been thinking how we all have this need to define things.  When sometimes it is best to just feel things and leave it at that.

Another collage assignment

I am taking Randel Plowman's online The Art of Collage Class.  This assignment was to make collages using one of the theme choices he provided. I chose the theme of Home.  These collages have some person connection to my ideas about home- some relate to home from growing up and others more current.  The first one has a background of buttons I made.  I poured buttons on my scanner and then altered them.  The next one with the yellow porch is a photograph of mine that I also altered. The titles are below each collage and my friend Tom LaBadia has a way of coming up with the best titles.  Thank you Tom.  These collages are 6 X 7 1/2.

                                                                    My Heart is Not at Home

                                                                     Forward Thinking

                                                                       Let's Try Magic

                                                                    Open Heart

                                                              Comfortably Numb