I Love This Dance Piece

This is just a detail of a collage I have been agonizing over for over two years. It has been incubating in my mind's eye. I have tried all sorts of combinations onto a less than wonderful monoprint. In the spring I felt that I was getting closer. Then fear paralized me and I was unable to commit to finishing it. I stared and studied and fretted and wondered and stared some more. Finally in September I gained the courage I needed to glue together the pieces. I was feeling victorious. And so here it is. i am confident it is in its completed stage. WHEW. Now I love it. But do I love it too much to let it go into the world to a new home? That is a good question. I will find out soon.

Refuge: My most recently completed collage

Life is Fast Forward

The last few weeks I have been working hard to complete as many pieces as I can for my upcoming exhibit at St. Thomas the Apostle's Ninth annual fine arts exhibit. Each year I participate. Last year I was not able to be there because my husband surprised me with a trip to Paris. I am not complaining. So this year I am trying to make the best of the show. Post cards have been sent for the most part. Last minute fine tuning of some pieces and finally getting everything framed and ready to show. I will include some notecards for those unable to afford my larger pieces. I hope this is a success. I have been getting my artwork out into various venues. There are 5 pieces in Bloomingdale Museum. There are another 4 at Hinsdale Public Library and soon there will be several at various Art Leagues in the western suburbs of Chicago. All this distribution of artwork requires carefull planning and organization. But it is exciting.

Just a small piece

Sometimes you feel as an artist you need to get some closure. I am one who has so many paintings started or in process. They are emerging from their incubation stages. Some are so close to being finished they are begging for completion. Then the artist come along and freaks out that she might kill the precious piece. So today I had only a smigdet of time. I needed to complete something. Recently I purchased these lovely little 5 X 5 frames. They accomodate only a small 4X 4 piece of work. Then I found just the right mini-easel for the frames. They make a great miniature. The best part of it is the satisfaction of completing a piece that is easy to frame and the presentation is complete. Today I completed two of these. They are ready to be displayed at my next exhibit and sale at St. Thomas in November. I feel a definite sense of accomplishment.
I present to you: "Emerging Angel".

Another Print altered by collage

I have always enjoyed making collograph plates and then printing them. This is a section of a collagraphy I printed about 5 years ago and I now found a way to recycle it into a collage. I am really enjoying altering past arworks as I begin to take some of my work to a new level. This one is a 4 X 6 postcard size and I called it "Winter Moon."

Old prints become new

I have always kept my less than successful prints because I once had a very respected teacher, Rebecca Moore who told me: "never throw any of your art away." So recently I have been taking some print-making classes and I have been rummaging through some of my old stash. Looking at the old stash has allowed me to see some of my work with new eyes. Now with my newly acquired skills as a collage artist I can see potential where I did not see it previously. So here is an example of a print that became a 4 X 6 postcard size finished piece which will hang at a show in Bloomingdale during November and December. The theme for it is cool blue and my title for this piece is "Blue Dreams."

How long does it take?

So often an artist hears the question: How long did it take you to paint/create that work? This little 4 X 6 took about a year to complete. How is that possible? At least three times I felt stuck and unable to complete the piece to my satisfaction. An artist converses with the art. The dialogue goes on and on until the artist has the final word: YOU ARE DONE. The feeling is great. But the satisfaction seems is so much richer when the struggle was greater.

This week has been a whirlwind of activity. The Annie Morgan workshop I organized for our Midwest Collage Society has been a wealth of information. I learned some techniques of transfering images that I had not tried before. Working with other artists in a workshop allows one to learn not only from the teacher but also from the other participants. My artwork is sure to go to another level after this intense workshop. Between working in printmaking and mixed media I am forging ahed with new ideas and experiences. In a few weeks I will be sharing some of my new skills with a group of senior high school students. This should be lots of fun. In the meantime I am frantically pracising some of the techniques before they go stale. Many pieces going at the same time. No finished piece yet to display.....