Collage composition video

 I made this short video this week. I suppose it's a bit instructional; but I really just wanted to give folks a bit of an insight into how I go about creating my collage compositions. https://youtu.be/D6tKx3-vQ5c

Postcard for Arkell exhibit

 I was very excited yesterday when I got the postcard announcing the "Made in New York" exhibit at the Arkell Museum Library. I was previously informed that I had been accepted into the exhibit (87 accepted of 209 submissions); but they also used an image of my piece on the announcement postcard. It's not that big of a deal, but I'm tickled by it.

Return to Farmersville

I was so happy to return to the auction at Farmersville (Lancaster Co., PA) last week! It was the first time since the pandemic hit (over 2 years!). I didn't get too much, in terms of elements; but I got a bunch of framing. I must say that this single page was such a compelling image, I had to have it:

And these images I think will be good for transfers...

And here are a couple of vintage images and frames that will be interesting to work with...

And here are some of the stranger items that I saw and didn't buy...

Always a fun time at the Farmersville auction! Looking forward to going again soon.

 

Good news/bad news

 It's always nice to be able to enjoy the fruits of one's work (in this case, creative works). I am happy to say that the collage I submitted to the Vayo Gallery (Rochester, NY) for their "Everything is Nothing with a Twist" exhibit (see my post of April 14) was chosen for inclusion in the deck of cards made to commemorate the exhibit. It was a very interesting concept. All works submitted were accepted for the exhibit, but a juror chose 52 of the pieces to be used as images for the playing cards -- very cool! There were 187 submissions in total. That's the good news. The bad news is... they sold out of the decks of cards. I hope that they will consider producing some more. I think they would be awesome gifts for my friends and family. They look pretty damn cool too...

You can learn more about the Vayo Gallery here: https://www.vayocollagegallery.com/

I have not visited yet; but I look forward to going soon!

final products

As I have intimated in the last few posts, I am really enjoying my time in the studio these days. I have also been exploring some new places, in terms of my creative compositions. Last night, I finalized some of the sketches I have shared recently and have created an odd "pair" of artworks. The pair are not the same size, nor will they be framed in the same way (one will be black metal; one will be wood). But they are weirdly "connected" in that I used the leftover portion of the fish element for one piece, to serve as the bottom "panel" for the other. I have also "connected the pieces with the titles. The top piece shown here is entitled "Weekend with Uncle Sepia". The bottom piece is entitled "Weekend with Uncle Sepia: The Rest of the Tale" (pun intended, of course). BTW, I am aware that umlauts are not normally placed above consonants (such as the "R" here). But it's a collage... so I can do what I want ;-) The umlaut is placed over the "R" as a means to simply create more balance in the composition.

 

lately in the studio

 Once again, I must say, I am grateful to be back in the studio after months of dormancy. And I am thoroughly enjoying my time in my creative space. As evidenced by some of the recent posts, I have been "stretching my voice" a bit with some of the compositions with which I am experimenting, and which I am creating. It feels great -- liberating in a way. I have done some minimalist, Stezaker-inspired pieces in the past (i.e., the British collagist, John Stezaker). And although this sketch is similar, it emerged from somewhere else in my creative cavern, it seems. I am intrigued by some of the details in this piece, so far. Firstly, the way the stairway seems to morph into the guy's hand, gives it a strong "sleeve" feeling and connects the middle and lower panel. This detail was a serendipitous emergence. Secondly, somewhat in response to that detail and connection, I thought it would be useful to continue the pillar from the middle panel into the upper panel (see below). Now all three panels appear more "integrated" and interesting. This evening, I will experiment with cutting, so that the little girls arm goes over into the lower panel. I will need to be careful to pay attention to the balance of the overall composition (i.e., I don't want it to become bottom-panel-heavy). Thirdly, I am REALLY liking the color scheme of this piece -- tri"chromatic" in a way, with white, gray and sepia). Fourthly, I love the dimensions and the frame color for the piece too. I think this piece is close to being finished... and I think it is a "keeper".

sketches and stretches

 I have been feeling really good in the studio these days! That is in stark contrast to what I was feeling over the summer and into the fall, when I felt like I didn't even want to spend time in the studio. I was dormant/stagnant for MONTHS. It didn't feel at all like "incubation"; but I suppose that's a possibility. Not only have I really enjoyed being in the studio lately, but I feel like I am creating some good works (and, perhaps, some works that have been atypical for me). I don't know what will become of these sketches (the one with the fish "might" be finished; the others, definitely not), but I enjoyed stretching my style a bit with these sketches.