Something New

Cast-Off Collages

This year I wanted to do a collage journal – so I dug out a 4x6” sketch book I had purchased last year. I wanted to work on color backgrounds so I found my set of water color paints (the set was from my fashion design art box in college – the price tag says “Gold Circle $2.99” , so these paints are probably close to 25 years old) and started painting. The sketch book is 50 pages and I painted both sides of each page so I have 100 mini canvases to work on. In addtion to the paint set, I used only one paint brush and a plastic bottle cap and my finger to create the backgrounds for the collages. Then I set some rules for the things I would use to create the collages. As it is early in the year – the rules may evolve, but that is part of the creative process…

The Goal: To make one small fiber-art, mixed media collage using trimmings, embellishment or things given to me from others each week during 2009.

The Rules for my Cast-Off Collages:

1. Let the collage background color inspire the piece.

2. Use only cast off items to assemble the collages

3. Each collage needs to be dated – the day it is actually created.

January 10, 2009

Collage #1: My first collage – I could see this collage in my mind for several days before I actually got to work on it. I was very apprehensive about starting this project as I was not sure this was in my creative spectrum. I used rubber stamps, tissue paper, and markers to create this collage. For added detail, I used a gold paint pen as well. It turned out OK.

January 17, 2009

Collage #2: Challenges – some of the marker from the collage on the front bleed through to the back side of the page so I had to incorporate that into the design – it was the orange dot-dash outline. For this collage I got a little more brave… I used jute, newsprint, raffia, ribbon and yarn scraps as well as a trimming from an inchie background I have saved. Detail is added with fabric scraps, thread scraps, and markers.

January 25, 2009

Collage #3: Green – This was a fun collage to make – There are lots of groupings of 3 create movement in the collage. The secondary them is circles – and all shapes in the collage are round of of some sort. Buttons, fabric, sequins, and stamps, as well as a round rubber stamp and a cooking spray can lid were used to repeat the design element. Detail is added by adding avocado bag netting and tulle and markers.

More to come on this creative journey.....