Friday, August 20, 2010

Mixed-Media To Soothe The Brain

My vacation season is fast approaching and I'll be home very little between now and October 1, the day Jane will send out our first class assignments. Because the next two and a half years will be completely packed with fabrics and surface design, I've decided that I'll spend the small interim of studio time left relaxing my brain and indulging my playful, messy muse with tons of mixed-media painting.

The studio is blitzed.


I bought myself a huge pack of 110# super bright card stock, arranged my paints, stamps, foam printing plates, Thermofax screens- everything came out and is now taking up my entire work space- and dove in.


Now please don't laugh at me- I know these aren't "art"!


But they will make glorious elements when cut or torn into pieces for collage work.


I painted and monoprinted, moving from one page and paint medium to the next and then back again, allowing each piece to build organically layer by layer. By the time I call a piece of paper "finished", it usually has at least five- and maybe as many as ten or fifteen- layers.


Many of them relate to one another (in case I need "matchy-matchy" in the future) yet each maintains its own identity so it can be used separately, as well.


Some of them aren't complete, yet.


They may go back into the pile and be pulled out again in three hours to be tinkered with and modified.


Or they could sit for several years before I get back to them.


Eventually, most of them will be used in some way.


And sometimes when I aim for beauty, I miss, and hit something else entirely.


Thank goodness for Gesso.

Background papers like these are really easy to make. A few supplies, a general understanding of color, and you can create collage materials of your own- and never need to depend on store-bought papers, again!

10 comments:

Eva said...

Who said this isn't art?

laura west kong said...

Whatever you call them, they're gorgeous!

ruthanne said...

Very interesting! What a dedication, I love playing with fabric, but have to be in the mood. I will check your site ofter, hope you have time to post.

Unknown said...

Oh, I love doing this, too! The papers look great.

Anonymous said...

Some great papers here Judi!

elle said...

Ah, looks like you are already into vacation playtime! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The second last one, the dark one, is my favorite. Rest up, refresh yourself and get READY. You are in for an exhilorating few years. whoo hoo!

Quilter Beth said...

Gosh, I don't know...I'd call those art! I'd be thrilled if my monoprinting would turn out like those. You do such beautiful work. What an inspiration!

Jan said...

Your papers are all very interesting and full of depth. I saw a tablet of decorated card stock on sale in Joanns the other day, almost bought it but finally decided I could make my own papers and like them better. I really like your idea of setting up a production line, working on one page, moving to the next, next, next until all are worked on, then starting over on them, another layer. Yours look great, very usable.

Jo Reimer said...

I make my own collage papers in a similar way and I call it art. At the very least it's part of the process of creating art, just as one stroke of a loaded paint brush isn't art in itself, it's part of the progression toward a finished piece. I love your results and am inspired to get out some papers and play, even though I have lots still in inventory. The process of painting the papers always gets my creative juices going when nothing else is working for me.
I'm glad I found your blog. Come over and visit me.

Zarina Zertuche said...

Why isnt this art? Who says? I think they are beautiful, detailed and extraordinary. Love it.