playing card alterations

And here's what I did with the cards...

playing card collaborative

Collagist Liz Cohn is conducting an extensive collaborative collage project involving playing cards (see previous posts). After doing three cards last month, I wrote to Liz and told her I enjoyed it and that if she wanted me to do more, I'd be interested. Here are the additional four cards she sent me. Although I like to photograph the cards before I do anything to them, I wrote with white ink on the queen card before I remembered to photograph it. The others are "raw".

9-10-11

This is one of the most non-premeditated pieces I have done. Although I have been interested in the 9/11 anniversary coverage this week (and anxiously awaiting our departure to Italy tomorrow), I wasn't thinking of doing any kind of collage to commemorate the event. I went to an opening reception for Jan Burke at the Hamilton Fine Arts Center Saturday (nice show) and was inspired to do a bit of work in the studio that evening. After working on some playing card pieces for Liz Cohn's collaborative project, I was looking around at some of the elements in my work space. This piece emerged after only about 8 minutes. I know it might seem a little creepy, but certainly 9/11 was an intense event. RIP to the victims of 9/11 and thanks to all the police, medical, military and civilians who helped their fellow men and women.

how long?

After being woken up by a couple of quarrelling cats this morning at 5:00 am, I was cleaning up my photos on the computer and looking back at some of my past posts on this blog. I found that in February of 2010, I posted an entry about a couple of interesting elements I had found but wasn't sure what to do with at that time. The fetus/pelvis illustration was one of them. As it turns out, it was just last month that I incorporated it into one of my better pieces (now getting matted and framed) that will be in the "The End is Near" exhibit at Utica College in the spring. So sometimes when people ask "How long does it take you to do a piece?", I don't exactly know how to answer. Sometimes I will find an interesting element, cut it out and coat it and then put it in one of my "map" drawers only for it to be used at some later point in time. Of course it's not all constant work, but I never underestimate the power of preparing and "being ready" for something to emerge in the future. Enjoy!

Sculpture Space CHAIRity auction (Oct. 1st)

On Saturday October 1st, Sculpture Space, located in Utica, NY will be holding its annual CHAIRity auction. Sculpture Space is an internationally lauded residency program for sculptors (see www.sculpturespace.org). I have been donating pieces to this great cause for the past 10 years. I usually do a piece of painted furniture and for the last couple of years did a collage as well. This year I have done this piece for the event. It's entitled "Thinking of Ewe" (14" x 11"). I'm hoping that two people like it enough so that it will bring in a respectable amount for Sculpture Space. It's a great event and is the closest that Utica ever gets to feeling like New York City (in my humble opinion). Enjoy!

Black and white?

This piece is 14" x 22" and I think I will entitled it "It's Not Always Black and White". The reason for this title? Each of the elements - with the exception of the starry space element- is taken from a book or paper that made it appear to be black and white. However, although the pieces were monochromatic, they each had different hues. The woman is somewhat purple. The fetus is yellowish (aged paper). And the roses have a Payne's gray hue. I love the interplay of these subtle colors in this piece. Enjoy!

Playing cards revisited

Liz Cohn is a collage artist from the West Coast who has organized an extensive collaborative project involving playing cards as collage substrates. Liz begins by placing some collage elements on these cards and then sending the cards to other collage artists for them to add elements. I think it's a great idea and I have contributed my own "hand" to some of these (see previous posts). You can see MANY cards resulting from these interesting collaborations at http://lizole.deviantart.com/gallery/