Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Varenna

Varenna
 5 minute daily collage
5x7"
One problem with working so quickly is that I don't take time to measure, to make sure that all the edges are square where it's appropriate, as here. I used a variety of papers, some handmade paper from years back, a paint chip, a stamp, a sliver from a copy of a painting, and a bit from a catalog. It took little time but I had to weight it in order to get the thicker handmade paper to stick to the card.

5 comments:

  1. Hello Jo

    I like your 5 min collages, because they seem to exemplify the collage process in a way, the creation from bits and pieces with no end result in mind. I love the way that the bits lead you and the piece creates itself, the colours marry and what was bits of paper and ephemera become a cohesive unit. That to me is the exciting thing about collage...the unexpected.

    I spent a whole year doodling and one thing I did most days was to make postcard sized collages to which I added captions. I did end up with many postcards, some of them funny, some poignant and now I send them as cards to family.
    While on holiday with the family one year I made cards each day of the family's activities and the funny things that were said...the cards made a great record of our happy times together.

    Since talking to you last I have made a number of journals. One for a diary, another to keep my most loved haiku, and a third to take with me when I go away shortly.
    I watched a Teesha Moore video and made one book following her painted page and collage border style, another I made like yours, and the third with borders only so far and I will add to it each day as I make an entry.

    thank you for the inspiration Jo,

    now would you like to come over and clean my study....

    Have a happy trip


    PS
    we go to Kauai regularly, in fact that is where we are heading again soon. I see you were there a while back too. It is a beautiful place.

    Regards Delwyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Delwyn, you've made my day with your comments. I'm so glad that I've been a bit of an influence to encourage you to make journals. I hope you'll share them on your blog some day soon.
    You're right about collages leading one to the unexpected. While I have planned the compositon of a few over the years, most just happen, and as I make more I become more confident that whatever happens will be just right.
    Thanks for talking about your postcard collages. I used to do that, too. In fact, I organized and moderated an online postcard exchange for several years and that discipline, to make at least 5 original postcards (I usually made a dozen or more) and send them to strangers every month, helped immensely. I had not considered taking my daily collage-making on the road with me, but because of what you wrote I will pack up the basics and make travel cards every day.
    Teesha's video tutorials are excellent; I've made one of her 16 page journals, too, and maybe that needs to go with me. Nah, there's a limit to what my car will hold and what I can do artwise while we're away.
    Thank YOU for the inspiration.
    I could probably clean your study but it would mean taking all the extras back to my own messy studio.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Jo

    I am sure that, like me, when you are away from home you collect all sorts of printed matter...these become the stuff of my daily cards or pages and then I diarize on them or add poems, haiku or sayings that I have bumped into during the course of the day...

    there is always something...and as for a little travel pack you only need a glue stick and some tiny scissors (don't put them in your carry on tho') and you can always tear images which I rather like at times, and a few base cards, prepared perhaps or you can use luggage tags, or a little ring binder notebook...
    I really like the hard cover school ex books that you get in the US. They remain sturdy even if the pages are a little thin.

    I am having a wonderful creative time with all these ideas...

    Happy days

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think your collage looks great, can't really see how it does not measure up correctly, hehe. And oh, half the fun is in your conversation with Delwyn in the comments! Inspirational! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really love the idea of these 5 minute collages--it would be a challenge for me--something to think about.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate comments and questions.