Nicolet

My latest piece, entitled, "While we were boating, Nicolet told me about her leg" (15.25 x 19 cm). I'm not sure I will use that color mat when I frame this piece (although I do like the color contrast with the piece).

More circle of art (Linnea)

My dear friend and colleague Linnea gave me a bag of 60 items for my 60th birthday last year (2019, when life was GREAT!). One of the items was a vintage "colorized" postcard of two children. Also included in the items were six "micro" canvases (I think 1" square). So this year for her birthday, I created a 3D collage which included the postcard (cut up) and 4 of the little canvases. The background is from a vintage journal from 1870s; and I framed it with a vintage frame I got at the Farmersville auction in Pennsylvania (I think). I was pleased with how it turned out, and Linnea really liked it too. 

Circle of art (the Marlee connection)

I'm very excited to be posting a follow-up to my most recent post! After posting Marlee's artwork on this blog and on Face Book, I got a friend request from a "Marlee". I'm very cautious about friending anyone I don't already know or who is not mutual friends with others who I know; so I simply ignored it. I also got a phone message from a friend and fellow artist (Trish) who used to live in my area but moved to Florida a couple years ago. She said that she wanted to talk with me about the art I posted (i.e., Marlee's art). I really didn't expect that the two messages were related; especially since I had requested that folks comment on Marlee's work in my FB post. Then I saw a FB post from Marlee that said, jokingly, that she was getting her 15 minutes of fame because some guy blogged about her childhood artwork. That was the stimulus for me to accept her friend request and message her. Lo and behold, SHE WAS the one who had created that art! AND she is the daughter of my artist friend Trish! I have SO many books and magazines and frames and such in my basement (I mean, A LOT). I don't know from where I got half of it -- auctions in Pennsylvania; bookstores in New York City; garage sales in Utica. As it turns out, I got Marlee's artwork from Trish when her and her husband were moving to Florida and wanting to clean out their belongings. I got some great books for collage elements and some frames from them. SO, it's all pretty cool, I think. Marlee is now a Master's level counselor with a specialty in art therapy. She agreed to let me post some of her more current work. I have also posted a collage by Trish that I bought at one of her exhibits (the clipboard is part of the piece... she did a series of these years ago). I'm so excited that all of this has come together like this!

https://youtu.be/5XNxcJkFcuA

The art of Marlee

I have posted similar posts to this one over the years. But I will post again because of my passion for the medium of collage. There's always something interesting to do in the collage studio! When I am not actively creating artwork, I thoroughly enjoy looking at one or another of my sources for collage elements -- vintage books, magazines, catalogues. Other studio tasks can end-up being interesting as well. Last night, I decided to take off the backing and the artwork, and clean the glass that was in an old frame I bought at a garage sale last year. The artwork was apparently created by a child; whose name was presumably "Marlee". I hadn't noticed how interesting the artwork was until I took a closer look last night. I played a little bit with photographing and cropping some of the elements from the overall piece. Very cool, I think. Then I got to wondering when the piece was made; how old Marlee was when she made it; in what context she made the piece; and what ever became of Marlee. I have written about this in the past with regard to some of the yearbook photos I have used in my pieces, or have simply come across in my vintage yearbooks. It's also interesting to me that I have this piece of artwork by Marlee, without knowing any of these details. So strange how things end-up in a collagist's collection of potential materials. Since I don't have much "children's art" from my own life, I have thought about framing this piece as a Basquiat-esque piece for my collection. Not sure yet. I love that my interest in collage has brought me into a world where my imagination is so stimulated -- even when I'm not involved with actual creation of art, per se

Anthony Morgan

I'm one of these guys who claims he has many "brothers from a different mother". I confess... I have several friends who are really like brothers to me. One of the is Anthony Morgan. He is one of the most passionate individuals I have ever met. He is also compassionate and empathetic... and works his ASS off! Anyway, he is also a very talented analog collage artist. Here's one of his latest pieces, entitled "At Times, But Still Our Country" (4.5" x 6"; framed 9" x 11").

liking your own work

I worked on this piece this past weekend. It is a bit different than my usual style. I was trying to expand a little bit. I also show here some of the other "candidate compositions" with which I was experimenting. I thought maybe I would try to use more elements and make it a "grander" piece. But I ended-up liking the "stripped down" version the best (I think I am a "less is more" kind of guy, when it comes to collage composition... see previous posts about minimalist collage and the work of the likes of John Stezaker). Anyway, when I was finished with this piece, I found myself staring at it for a long time... and more than once. People have asked me at times "Do you like your own work?". My answer is consistently "Most of the time". The question is a bit odd, I think. I wouldn't be creating work that I didn't like, I don't think. I suppose I have created pieces that didn't really turn out the way I wanted; and that I ultimately did not like. Most of those pieces are long gone. But one of my artist friends has told me that once he finishes a piece, he doesn't really bother looking at it again. I find that a bit odd as well. I try to create pieces I like (love?). When I do create something I really like, I look at it often. I suppose at one level, I am a VERY fortunate artist; because it seems like the pieces that I create that I like the most, are also the ones that others like (and are likely to buy!). Anyway, to make a short story long; I REALLY like this piece. I find myself staring at it for prolonged periods of time. I'm kind of transfixed by it for some reason. I haven't a title for it yet; but because it resonates with me so strongly, I am considering referring to it as a "self-portrait". But it's not really a self-portrait, right? And I did not set-out to do a self-portrait; and it wasn't what I had in mind at any point during the creation. So I may play with the title a bit -- make it ambiguous. I think the title is going to be "An Artist's Soul-Portrait". That is, maybe I am not the artist whose self-portrait it is. And it's not just a "self" portrait, it's a "soul" portrait (to capture a bit more of the "spirituality" of the piece). Obviously, this composition has elicited something in me. That's cool.

instruments

Sometimes it's cool to see photos of fellow artists' studio/workspaces. While I was cleaning/organizing my space a bit last night, I decided to take this photo and thought some of you might enjoy it. I actually am missing my most fine scissors these days (they finally broke). The "bird" pair is just "okay"... not a real replacement. I am still looking for just the right pair for that level of cutting. And, as I have mentioned before in some post, I much prefer a single edge razor blade to an exact knife... I just feel like I have more fine control over the cut.

Artwork of Terry Graff

Here is some more COVID-related artwork I first came across on Facebook. These are acrylic on wood panel pieces created by Terry Graff. I love the rich imagery and saturated colors! I would love to curate an exhibit of COVID-related artwork at a gallery; but given the situation in which we now find ourselves, these blog entries will have to suffice for now.

"Savior"

This piece is actually the second biggest piece I have created. My work tends to be small scale, as I am an analog collagist and don't do anything digital or photo-enlarged. If you follow my blog, you are aware that I typically create what I call "surreal narrative" pieces rather than "mosaic-style", which also limits the dimensions of my work. I decided to try to expand the size of the work with this piece. It's not like it's large, by any means (it's 14" x 17"; 20" x 24" framed). I really enjoyed creating such a colorfully-saturated work as well.