recycling vintage scraps to create collages

I am not sure that recycling is the correct word here? The vintage scraps to which I am referring were part of a prize ( competition: pocket packet friday) from Kim Newberg on her Ning web community site, PDA. Anyway I have had these for some time and because of problems with MIL I had not gotten around to using them... and then along comes Margaret Fields MAMMA challenge on Flickr using recycled materials. This presented an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Voila, two atc's made from "recycled" materials and made my first art from my prize packages.

I called this, "Who is Ozro Grant". The main image came from the cover off an old paperback novel, by of course..... Ozro Grant. The background was a vintage postcard. The cigar label and the used postage stamps picked up on the red blouse to cmplete the card.

The second atc I entitled, "It's a Mystery". Again the main image was off the front of an old novel, the postage stamps again picked up on the red dress. The background for this was an order pad from West Side grocery store dating from the 1930's. The 25cent coupon check and a label from Pioneer Lemon Sour reflected the backing, What's the connection between the background and the lady? It's a mystery!

One more atc for this post, it is created using found magazine images. I am still not sure that I am happy using magazines as a source of images but now and again I see something which gies me an idea and I am off before stopping to consider the source, and then I think well why not! It is irrational but I am not totally happy.

This called "Love from Shropshire", an entry to a monthly lottery draw for a small private group. The theme was spring, I had been thinking how to go about an atc for this before I started reading this travel brochure. I saw the images especially the cheeky male statue and started putting ideas together. This is the result. Hope the recipient likes it.

Well it is raining hard outside here and just wondering what to do today.... maybe, get my crafting hat on and make more art - see you again.

playing with watercolours and collography

MIL is still taking up much of my time but she is now in a very good residential home close to us. It is only a four week trial period but we are hoping that she will setle in. It is an ideal solution for us but MIL is still in denial about her abilities to look after herself at home, especially during the night. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it works out.



I have managed to get to my art group this week and although I wasn't feeling particularly inspired, I took my watercolours along and am still getting the feel of the brushes and paper. It has been so long since I did any real painting. I took some photos of a sunset last week and this inspired me to use this theme as a subject. I had intended to do another monochrome painting, but I needed just a little vermillion to help things along. The main colour in these paintings was "neutral tint" for those who care, LOL. The first image is based on the sunset theme..

I was quite pleased with this and surprised myself because I only used a 1 inch flat brush for the whole work. I did use a toothpick to scratch out some minor details in the forground "tree" shapes. As you might be able to see, I used lots of water on the paper before starting to paint. A larger version of the painting can be seen on my Flickr photostream, I called it "Surreal Sunset", there is just something about those cloud shapes. I do wish that I had put a cloud across the moon, but it was added as an afterthought. Note to myself - planning is good!

The next painting, was also wet-into-wet using the same colours, but apart from getting a very good impression of rain.... I am not so happy with this piece.

Mmmm, the rain effect does not really show up in this photo - maybe the flash, washing detail out. However I called it "Rain over a moorland path".

My wife and I ( sounds regal) have just spent a weekend in the Cotswolds and I visited an art gallery in Winchcombe called Winds Of Change and came across a print making technique called collography ( see for details ) and the more I see and read about it the more I am determined to have a go at this technique. I may not have the right materials or equipment but I will be experimenting with what i have over the next few weeks to see what I can do. I will of course be posting my results on here wether they turn out works of art or failures. that is what this blog is really all about, the trials and tribulations of a leisure artist. So watch this space and see what a mess I can make of this new (for me) project.

As an afterthough, here is a photo of that sunset:-