CollageLAB

Lab 6 - ORGANICS

 

When I'm not working my day job (for a landscaper), you can usually find me in one of two places: Outside or in the studio.  Small wonders that organic materials always wheedle their way into my work....not sure I would know how to create a piece without either their presence or influence.

Let's begin by gathering a few basic materials.  The phone book is the storage (one of many) cabinet for my dried materials.  Easy method and I'm lucky to live in a place where they are free and easy to obtain AND small in size.  There are options if you want to try using dried leaves and flowers for those of you who enjoy instant gratification.  Lee Valley Hardware sells a microwave press which I personally find invaluable, especially when I'm in a mood to work with something and don't want to wait for it to dry, which takes weeks in a phone book.

Lay out your composition (in general) on your substrate (in this case a preprimed canvas panel).

 

Slide the material to the side trying to keep it "together" as much as possible and generously coat the surface of your substrate with Matte Medium.

Carefully lay down your organic matter...FRAGILE is a key word...dried plant material breaks easily.

 

Again, coat with Matte Medium.  NOTE: Notice that some of the leaves are right side up and some are upside down.  You will obtain different effects with either side.  Before you work on your final piece, play with your plant material to know which side gives you the best (or most desired) results.  Most often it is the underside with the most veining, but once in awhile you get a leaf or petal that will surprise you.

Let the Matte Medium dry and then give the piece a light coat of gesso.

Let gesso dry, then give the piece it's first coat of acrylic paint. Use a dark color. In this case, olive green was chosen.

Using a dry brush method, (pick up very little paint on your brush and wipe most of it off before applying to your surface).  A dryer paint works better than a wetter paint.  If you paint is thin and watery let it dry up on the palette a bit before using.)

The idea behind dry brushing is to just hit the high spots to highlight them and make them stand out.

Next an application of two colors of Pan Pastels (those of you who missed a previous mention...these are one of my favorite things to play with!!!).  The pastel is used to deepen and shadow the olive background and to make the foliage "pop".  A crimson edge was also applied to add contrast and interest.

The final step... I wrote Mary Oliver's "A BOOK OF TIME" on a piece of neutral colored tissue and adhered it to the piece with Matte Medium.

Another look at the finished piece!!

 

While I was working on this piece I got inspired to try something else...here is a sneak preview.  Will show you the results when it's done.

Okay....off with you.  Go play with plants, or sand, dirt, just about anything you can think of with an organic nature.

SIDE NOTE:  I received ONE set of ATCs so far and are they beautiful...They will be posted later this week along with the Buddha winner.  Please remember to send me your ATCs!!!! 

Lab 5 - CORREGATED SUBSTRATES

 
REUSE...REDUCE.....RECYCLE - nothing could be more accessible today than corrugated cardboard...it's everywhere and oh what fun it is to play with.  Here's an opportunity to be green in your work.  Also....this particular technique translates well for kids.  Good rainy day kind of thing.

In the lab, we explore different ways to treat the surface of the cardboard.  In this little venture I actually played with making forms from the cardboard.  While doing this I thought how much fun it would be to create a green christmas tree this year with kids using all recycled and re-purposed items...yet another path to follow.

Time to gather the materials....as you can see, pretty basic items.  The bird is a chipboard form from MAYA ROAD, but you can use anything, including just a sketch, to create your starting point.

 
  Trace or draw your form onto your cardboard....

cut out the form or forms..... 

add some detail.......you can get much more complex than this, I try to keep it short for examples.

cut and tear the surface of the cardboard.....refer to book for specific instructions.

In this particular example, I'm using a wash (40 water 60 paint), robin's egg blue craft paint to coat the surfaces.  I ended up with 4 coats, letting each one dry before adding another.

Next...TISSUE PAPER.  I chose a light apple green color.  (NOTE* If you are doing this with kids on the spur of the moment and don't have Matte Medium, just water down some good old Elmer's white glue for the project.  ALSO...another opportunity to reuse tissue wrapping paper with patterns on it!!)

Give the surface of your painted form a good coat of Matte Medium.......

 

.....lay your tissue down on top and smooth out with your hands.  Push lightly into the recesses but not all of the way.  OR.....play with it...push all the way down on some and not on others...poke holes.  EXPERIMENT!!

Tear the damp edges of the tissue and smooth to the back of the piece.

Next I tried writing on the tissue before using it.  In this instance, I sat quietly for a moment and thought about home.....then just started some stream of conscientiousness writing about home and what it meant to me.  Don't worry about making it pretty...it's about content not appearances.  Just remember it's important to use a waterproof pen or other mark maker.  Otherwise when you are using the heavy coats of Matte Medium, the writing will bleed....which you might or might not want.  Choose your mark making tools wisely!

New forms....I'm building a card board house using the same steps as the birds with a little twist because I want this to be 3 dimensional rather than 2 dimensional.

To put it all together I taped the inside of the walls together to hold them steady then added unwritten on  tissue over top of the surface to hold the walls and roof together on the outside.

All of this from a simple little piece of cardboard...imagine the possibilities.  I'd love to see what YOU make using these techniques....please send me some photos to post!!

Off now to help a friend open their house for the summer season.....let the wild rumpus begin, the longer daylight is here and there is more time for art!

Learning About Limitations....an "Aside" Lab

We bring you a minor interruption to the CollageLAB schedule.......

So this weeks "lab" is a little side step from the book but still a lesson to be found in here somewhere.  My husband (Lowell) and I traveled to South Carolina this past weekend from Massachusetts to attend the graduation of the middle child (Jenna) at CCU.  It was an amazing way to spend the mother's day weekend, surrounded by all of my children and their significant others and extended family as we all proudly watched Bean as she is known to us, walk the walk of Magna Cum Laude on Saturday morning under the blue skies of coastal South Carolina.  The afternoon was a flurry of celebratory lunch, laughter, jokes,  packing boxes and cars full of the school experience then off to watch the CCU baseball team (4th in the nation) bring home yet another big win this season.  Being the baseball family that we are, it was the perfect end to the perfect day. 

 Mother's Day was spent with my kids on the beach, eating (way to much) and really, just being together before we all popped back in the cars and headed up the coast again to our various locations, (West VA, PA, MA and CT).  I couldn't have asked for anything more.  A short introduction to my family (sans "the boyz")

     [me, Leila, Rian, Paul, Jesse, Jenna, Corey & Lowell]

On Tuesday after depositing the newly graduated daughter's belongings (along with her and her fiance, Paul) at their new home in CT, where Jenna started graduate school yesterday.  All the time I'm wondering why is she pushing herself, why not take a break and enjoy the summer?

Apparently, apples (or nuts as my children like to say) don't fall far from the tree.  Last night when I got home from work at 6:30 I realized that I had the following on my plate for the evening; Lab work and post blog, make the four new pillows for the couch so that they match the party decor for Sunday's graduation party, clean my apartment (where we live in Nantucket),  laundry and pack for my trip down to PA after work today.

This is on the heels of leaving work last Thursday night (the 5th), hopping the ferry to the mainland and driving to PA, arriving at midnight, then hopping in the car Friday morning and driving the 10 hours to SC.  7:30 am arrive at graduation, have a great weekend with family, hop back in the car at 7:30 am to drive to PA, pet the dogs and remind them who I am, sleep, hop back in the car and drive back to MA, hop on a plane because I missed the ferry (hazards of living 30 miles out to sea)....back to work at 6:30 am Weds morning and working 3 12 hour days because when you work for a landscaping company in the spring that's what we do....and now, I am headed back down to PA after work to throw a party at our home in PA on Sunday to celebrate the graduation.

Somewhere in my brain I thought I could do it all.  Obviously, my limitations have been breached and choices have to be made.  I am not offering this up as an excuse as to why the lab isn't posted today.  There is no excuse...I simply planned poorly and put too much on my plate, for that I apologize.

The difference is, instead of stressing out and feeling guilty about it, I thought as I was sewing pillows and washing clothes last night that there is a lesson in all of this. 

We all fill our lives with obligations and commitments and set ourselves up to disappoint and be disappointed by doing so when we over extend ourselves and breach our limitations.  We WANT to do it all...there is some driving need in women to "do it all".  Especially women of our generation(s).  The supermom who works full time and still takes care of the needs of the family and still "has a life".

Where do we find time for what we want and what's important to us?.  The truth is, it's all important, the family, the work, ourselves and the art.  For me, the art is what enables me to get through all the rest of it with energy and care....it's the carrot that I dangle in front of me.

 
With all of this in mind, I am looking forward to the weekend of more graduation flurry but selfishly, I am looking forward to returning to Nantucket on Monday and settling back into my simpler life of work and art and my boyz (Lowie and the dogs)....a quiet rhythm found that will encourage and stroke the muse within.  By not posting my lab as planned, I haven't killed anyone, this isn't brain surgery so I figured out that I need to be kinder to myself and more tolerant of my shortcomings when they surface.  In other words, be as understanding to me as I am to others.  So, that is the lab for this week....Find ways to forgive yourself, make room for the important things and know that as long as you're happy and loving those around you to the best of your ability it's okay not to do it all.

In the meantime....please remember to post a comment to last week's lab to be eligible to receive the Budda piece.  AND don't forget about your ATCs....would love to start posting them soon.  That quiet rhythm didn't last too long did it?

Lab 4 WASHES

 
Good morning!  It's an exciting weekend coming up in the Shay household....the whole family is off to South Carolina first thing in the morning to witness the graduation walk of the middle child on Saturday, then it's a whirlwind 3 weeks of moving her from SC to Connecticut to start graduate school on June 1.   When I awoke this morning I was feeling like I needed to clone myself to get everything done that needs to get done between family, work and art.  Looks as though those thoughts found their way into my work today, which often happens!

So....to the lesson at hand...WASHES!  In the book the lab outlines 9 different ways to approach doing washes.  Here, in this little experiment, we are working with two simple washes; 1) acrylic paint wash (two colors) and 2) a sepia ink wash.  To make a wash, simply dilute your paint or ink with water.  The ratio of water to medium depends on how strong you want your color.  The focus in our exploration will be less about the washes and technique and more about what you use under them.

Gather up your materials.  Now please don't think that I am telling you to run out and buy all of this....to the contrary, please use what ever you have on hand in your own work space.  It doesn't even have to be what I have used in these examples....REALLY....just whatever you have on hand.  The idea is to see how the washes, both acrylic paint and ink respond to what you are putting them over.

I started with mat board cut into 2.5 x 3.5 inches (ATC size) and a carved stamp from my stash.  My little goddess has been with me for over 10 years and I love using her.  Noted on the back of each card is the medium used to stamp with and the type of wash that was used over top for later reference.  I am way to forgetful in my advanced years to remember tomorrow let alone weeks from now what I did. 

 
Starting with your first medium (in this case, GESSO), load your stamp or object by spreading the medium out on a palette. Press your stamp or object into the medium on the palette.  Make sure you have complete coverage.

Stamp your board. (You could also paint your board or ink your board before starting and have more results to compare and think about.)

Continue stamping your image onto your boards with your different mediums and let dry.  NOTE:  Make sure to clean off your stamp or object between each printing for cleaner results.  It would also be fun to try NOT cleaning it off to see what happens.  There is always another road to travel!!!

It's interesting to observe the different textures and how they respond to being stamped with.

 

Clear Tar Gel is really fun to use for watermarking and faux embossing....

 

All stamped, DRY and ready to wash....

I chose to spray my washes but they can also be brushed on......

 
The first round results.....washed with coat one of acrylic paint (turquoise).  Note how the different types of mat board respond differently to the paint wash as well as the medium.

 
step two.....peach wash over turquoise

Now for the Sepia ink wash trials....wow....that's pretty purple isn't it?

 
The color really surprised me.....I've never used this particular ink before diluted.  I'm hoping it will tone itself down when it dries.

 
It did (whew)...the purplie pink went away and the russet hues appeared.   One last look at the final results...not bad for a quick little experiment and certainly has me thinking about some interesting ways to use some mediums (like the Clear Tar Gel) that I hadn't thought of before.

I created a photo album that has close ups of all the individual pieces and what I used so check it out for a closer look.

NOW....for the CALL FOR ART!!  We've worked our way through the first chapter so now it's time for a little reward. 

1)  It's time for another giveaway.  Be sure to make a comment to this post to be eligible.  I am going to give away the BUDDA (Where I Find My Peace) that I did in Lab 3.

2)  It's also time for and ATC exchange.  Here's how to play.  Use any technique or techniques in chapter ONE to create 5 ATCs.  Send them to me and I will exchange them for 5 in return and will post ALL of them in a photo album here on the blog.  Follow these simple instructions:

Send me 5 ATCs (again, using any technique or techniques from Chapter ONE.  They must all be originals (no copies) and please use mat board or card board as your base.  On the back tell us what you did to get the results you got.  The whole purpose of this exchange is to share information with one another and to learn from each others experiments. 

     Mail them to me:

BEE SHAY  2 GREGLEN AVE PMB 324  NANTUCKET MA  02554 by JUNE 10.  I will scan and post all ATCs received on the 11th and send your new ATCs back to you at that time.

Okay...the music has started and it's time to dance....see you soon!

Lab 3: DIFFUSING IMAGERY

In the book the suggested method of diffusion is to use gesso.  In this experiment, we are going to use tissue paper and a little japanese lace paper (one of my FAVORITE collage papers). This method is not going to be for just the background...we're going to do the whole collage using diffusion methods.   Let's begin!!

 
Gather your materials....I started with a photo taken in my friend Shelley's backyard in March.  Printed it out on an ink jet printer, let it dry for two days (if you're in a hurry you can print and spray with Workable Fixative to keep it from running).  Adhere the print to cardboard or mat board...or even watercolor paper.  It just needs to be a firm surface to work on.

Start with a sheet of light color tissue (in this case robin's egg blue) that covers the whole image and extends a bit beyond the borders.  Lay down a generous coat of matte medium, then lay down the tissue paper and using a flat brush, coat on top of the tissue with more matte medium.  Take note that some places on the image will come back up and others will not.  This will depend on the wetness of the matte medium under the tissue...the wetter the area the more of the original image that will show.

don't fret too much about little wrinkles and be careful not to tear the tissue.  Wet paper is always fragile.  Now that that whole piece is diffused it's time to add the "details" but still using the same method.  Here we're using a punch to create a similar shape in the original image.

 

Observe below, the circles of tissue are added in rows, again taking the placement, although different in scale, from the original.
 
Continue adding shapes until you achieve the desired effect.

A closer look.....

Shifting gears, use the Japanese lace paper over the background areas.  Again, the matte medium will "melt" the lightweight paper.  The wetter the surface before the paper is laid down, the more of it that will disappear.

Work your way around the piece until you are happy with the resulting image.  Don't be afraid to overlap this paper onto your central image or focal point.  That in fact will help to join the areas in a related fashion.

Another favorite toy comes out of the toy box....PanPastels!!  Check them out if you haven't already.

Use the pans to enhance shadows and add tints of color.......

Continue adding color until you are happy with the results.  Below, I have added a contrasting border of red to the piece and added hints of red here and there within the piece to relate to the red edging.

Once happy, a light coat or two of Workable Fixative will seal the pan pastels but still allow for continuing to work if I change my mind and want to add anything else.

One more look at the original....

and the resulting collage piece.

Now it's your turn.  Choose a photo you want to work with and play with the tissue!!    Don't forget to send me photos of your work so I can post them....everyone has been so shy so either you're just reading and not working or don't want to share.  PLEASE...come on and jump in here...send me photos of what you're doing so we can all see.

More later this week...I'll be posting a collage postcard exchange to play in!!

So long for now.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Learning Curve......

Imagine my surprise when I opened my email this evening and there is an email from a disapointed blog follower asking me if I was okay.....I hadn't posted Lab 3 and she was concerned that something had gone wrong because there was just plain nothing new.  Thank you so, for your concern...and yes, something went wrong....I haven't quite gotten a handle on how to set delayed postings for this new blog!!  So, yet again, technical difficulties (of a third kind) but I'm here to say Lab 3 is now up and available....let me know your comments and feedback!!   I've learned my lesson....I'll be checking in on Friday mornings too from now on!! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO......Lab 3 - Diffusing Imagery.

Lab 2 - BASIC PAPER SURFACE

Many collage techniques can be used as what I refer to as a "stand alone".  Basic paper surfaces are one of those.  In the book you are given directions for tearing, wrinkling and punching.  Most of us think of using collage techniques only on two dimensional surfaces but for this week, stretch your neck out of your shell and look for ways to take this lab into the third dimension.  The instructions that follow are only one of many ways that you can do this....later this week I will share with you at least one more direction (time allowing) that I have played with.

Time to begin....gather your materials....

Most of the items in the photo you should recognize....the funny square with the hole in the middle is an artist canvas with a 3/4 side.  Create the hole in the center by turning the canvas over on it's back side and marking an X in the center of the square hole on the back.  Using an X-acto knife, slice the lines into the center.  Turn your canvas over and push the four triangles to the back of the canvas and secure with glue.  LET DRY!  I used a 5 x 5 in canvas.  For the backing you can choose to use a flat 5 x 5 canvas panel or a 5 x 5 piece of book board to secure to the back of the canvas with glue to create your niche.

Prepare to punch your paper by cutting it into strips that fit the punch you are using.  Use any paper that your punch will tolerate....I like to use text weight paper (plain copy paper works just fine)....the ledger paper just happened to be handy.

Punch yourself a goodly supply of pieces.

Using Matte Medium, begin to apply the punched shapes to your canvas niche.

Note:  I painted the canvas with black gesso so you could SEE the punched pieces, you need not paint or coat the canvas prior to adding the punched pieces...your canvas should be pre-primed.

Continuing adding pieces until you have covered as much (or as little) of the area as you desire.

 
 Let dry and then coat with a thin layer of acrylic paint.  CAUTION:  To thick of a layer will obliterate your shapes which is something you should play with.  It may be more or less effective to do so depending upon what you are trying to accomplish.  This is where the experimentation comes in.  Try doing several pieces using the same punched shape (easier to compare that way), and vary the coverage and obliteration to see what kinds of effects you can come up with.

We're now at that awkward adolescent stage....not very pretty is it?  But here is where the fun REALLY starts.

Using a dry brush (that means to put VERY LITTLE paint on the the brush, then brush most of it off onto a paper towel or newspaper until it seems as though nothing is coming off of it.

Once your brush is properly loaded you are ready to take it to the textured surface.  BRUSH LIGHTLY...you can always add more but taking away means painting over again with your base color and starting from the beginning.

Once you have your piece the way you want it let it dry and add your central point of interest or your focal point....in this case, it's a fossil.

Other ways to play with this our by mixing your textures; example below shows the cover of a book I did about three years ago.
 

 

The piece at the top of the blog was done by wrinkling pattern tissue onto the surface.  It was done with many layers and became very thick and "chunky".

again...it was base painted when dry......

Dry brushed with a metallic copper paint....more heavily than the first piece, in this instance I wanted only a little of the base coat to show through and will use the wrinkles to catch the final two layers of aqua and parchment  to create the copper patina.

 Once dry, wash with aqua and parchment (allowing to dry between colors) and your ready to add your focal point.

This takes patience and often many layers before it builds up and looks real.  Take your time....it's worth it.

Off with you.....find your materials and get busy, it's time to explore!!  Remember, let me know what you've come up with....send me photos so I can post them!

Back before Friday with another little goodie using CUT pieces.

Bye for now......

   

Please Stand By......

The last two days have been plagued with technical difficulties and a few other obstacles so hopefully you can be patient with me and wait until this evening for LAB 2 - Basic Paper Surface.  In the meantime, I would like to thank everyone who has joined this journey for your enthusiasm and support!  It's amazing to see what you all have been doing and posting on your blogs. For now...to wet your appetite....some photos from one of the classes I taught recently at ARTFEST.  This was my tenth year making the 3000 mile trip to one of my favorite places in the world....the GREAT PACIFIC NORTHWEST!!

I was fortunate to have two days with classrooms packed with energetic, creative and daring people...and oh the fun we had!! 

 

adventuresome experimentation.....

going places we had not gone before.....

finding our patience and willingness to move slowly and surely.....enjoying the dance.....
  

speaking our hearts with our hands......

finding new friends to play scrabble with.......

learning that we really can "draw" flowers......

and found that our roots had new ways to grow......

The days at Artfest flew by....there is never enough time in Wonderland!! 

Now for the TA-DA part.....WE HAVE A WINNER from last week's drawing for the copy of COLLAGE LAB.....would  GWEN please send me your snail mail address so I can send along a copy for you to work with? 

By this evening....things should be straightened out and I'll be able to post LAB 2.  Come on back and see what's in store.  I'll give you a hint....it' NOT 2D...I took the paper to the 3rd dimension.

see you shortly....
 
 
  

 

LAB 1 BASIC GESSO SURFACE

 

 

Good morning and welcome to FRIDAY MORNING LAB.

This week's unit is part of Chapter One - BUILDING THE FOUNDATION.

The best way to start adding more interest to your collage work is to build layers.  Be patient and it will pay off.  In the lab you are given may options of ways to lay down some basic gesso foundations.  Hopefully you've done your homework and have experimented and gotten some good results. Today we will highlight one of my most often used gesso techniques.  STAMPING with gesso is probably my absolute favorite. 

I don't stop at the foundation.  Stamping with gesso during the collage process is in the top ten tools of my personal visual tool box!  The piece above, Time Line, is a good example of this.  The board started with a troweled gesso surface then was layered with old blue ledger paper (with glorious handwriting), then a glazed surface of Golden's Glazing Medium mixed with Golden's Transparent Yellow Oxide.  A layer or 6 of acrylic washes and ink washes then used some old wooden print type to add the numbers with gesso.  MORE washes of acrylic paint and ink.  Added nature printed fabric from the personal stash, a few more layers of washes and then some of the Dervian Liquid Graphite (blue- re-wettable) and some handwritten text about how much of a spec the human race is on the time line of the earth's history (currently working on a series and this is one of the pieces), finished off with several thin coats of beeswax mixed with Demar Resin.

So, as you can see, the gesso foundation is just the beginning.  The key is to not get caught up in the foundation and worry about it being perfect.  Move quickly, most of what you do will not be seen in detail but the effects will be none the less intriguing.

Let's begin....

Choose your weapons.....

Get out your tools.....

Prepare your work surface....

 
Now the fun begins.... Stamp away.

Example 1 - basic shape with lots of negative space

   Example 2 - All over coverage

 Example 3- One of my personal favorites- TEXT

Using a tool such as a palette knife or sponge to apply the gesso to your text for stamping yields neater (as in not messy) results.  If you want the text to be clear, use thin (not runny) gesso.  If you want it to be slightly obscured (and a little less obvious) use thinner gesso, almost runny and spread it out on a work surface and load the text block by patting it into the gesso then press HARD when printing to "smush" the gesso.  Even try sliding it around a bit for interesting results.

These methods work and should be applied to ANYTHING you print with.

This is a GREAT use of those unmounted sheets of text that you've purchased and never cut apart and mounted because it can feel so daunting.....One of my most reached for "stamps" is my unmounted collection of text.

 
 NOTE: I used black gesso for a more graphic effect but who knows...by the time we're done with this foundation the black will probably go completely away or....maybe not!

Example 4 - Screening with gesso (using sequin waste and a credit card)

 Results in this....

Note: Red Ochre Gesso over black.....LOVE THIS STUFF!  The RO is so very warm as a base and shows through even the coolest blues and greens and warms them right up.  Can be very interesting!!

Last but not least,

Example 5 - Troweling Gesso

This method can be used with thin or thickened gesso (black was used to make it easier to see) and will create an amazing variety of results depending upon consistency and how many layers.  This example was 5 layers of gesso, allowing the layers to dry between applications.

YOUR TURN

Now this is when you go and scavenge through your tools, kitchen, junk drawer and just about every other place in your home, office, environment, EVERY WHERE and stamp with gesso.  White is fine...you don't need to run out and buy black or RO or anything fancy.  What ever you have.  If you have mat board to work on that's great, or cardboard, wood, what ever is handy for a substrate.  We're going to continue using these as we work through the chapter so you want something sturdy if at all possible.

Post if you have questions or comments....better to post than email because you may ask something that someone else will benefit from and after all, that's what this is about....sharing.  DO however, email photos of your favorite results so I can post them.  Each LAB will have a photo album.  Please let me know if you do not want your name to show with the photo.

One final look at this week's lab results:

 
Think that's it...off you go....STAMP AWAY!!

 
 

and so we begin......

April 15th....hopefully you've mailed off your tax returns and can turn your attention back to the important things in life....like your ART!

Welcome to the first week of the Collage LAB companion. If you don't own a copy of Collage Lab you might want to get yourself one. Collage Lab ( can be found here on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller).  Otherwise what we say here might not make a lot of sense!

The intention of this blog is to be an interactive meeting place for those of you who have picked up a copy of my book and want more....more ideas, more results and more experiments to play with.

I am a teacher first and an artist second.  There is more joy in my world when lighting the fuse that ignites the spark than any piece of personal work could ever bring to me.  So you, dear reader, it's on you.  I light the flame but it's up to you to keep it burning.

Post your comments, email me photos of your work and join our on line exchanges so that you can share your results with others walking through the pages on our journey together.  EMAIL photos and links to [email protected].

Collage LAB is designed to be used over the course of a year (52 UNITS- 12 Chapters).  It's also designed so that the units are interdependent on one another...they do not need to be worked in any specific order but here on the blog we will start at the beginning and work through to the end.

What you can expect to find here......

1) There will be monthly giveaways (and sometimes more often,time allowing) of original art from the book, cds of my favorite music and a few surprises here and there.

2) Play the game, "WHERE IN THE WORLD IS COLLAGE LAB?" - find a copy of the book at your local book store (chains or independents), library, someone reading it or yourself working with it!!  Photograph it and send it along to enter in to the drawing for a collage kit of hand made papers, old documents and such lovely things to work with you can't even begin to imagine!

3) On-line exchanges that will invite you to share first hand your results using ATCs and postcards.  Think of all that mail art!  Much more fun than bills in your mailbox.

4) On-line classes will be offered here from time to time beginning May 15 for a small fee...stay tuned for more information!

5) Who's been blogging?  I've begun to become aware that there are people out there blogging about using the book so PLEASE, if you know someone have them send me a link to post or send it to me yourself!  It's fun to see just how travelled we are!

6) BUT - MOST importantly, you'll find a nuturing environment to spread your wings, test the water and learn how to play again.

So join the fun....share your successes AND the ways that you found didn't work (we never say fail here).

REMEMBER:

"The pessimist see's the difficulty in every opportunity, the optomist sees the opportunity in  every difficulty."  Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill

Tune in on every Friday morning (starting tomorrow)for the newest LAB, more information and ideas and opportunities to share with the online community.

In the meantime....for TODAY, compose a comment to be eligible for this blog's FIRST give away....a free copy of COLLAGE LAB.

Now OFF WITH YOU....go to your studio or workspace, where ever you work and MAKE SOMETHING!

See you Friday morning!!!

bee

ps.....I wouldl like to take this opportunity to thank each of the 20 wonderful artists who gave their talents to this book to create the chapter headers and complete the gallery.  You will find links to all of their sites on the left hand side of this blog....give them a visit and a shout and let them know just how beautiful their work is.  I am a very lucky woman to be in such good company.