New work

Approaching Stillness

I've been hard at work on a new series of collage pieces on cradled boards. I've been using the panels from American Easel and find that this surface suits my way. I protected the edge with a layer of blue tape while building the collage on the surface, and when I was done I removed the tape and finished the cradle with a light sanding and a couple of layers of cold wax which I used on the surface as well.

Summer Day, a painting

by Jo Reimer

Summer Day
acrylic, ink, paper, 12 x 12 panel

I've been having a grand time taking half-done paintings and seeing how I can resurrect them. Like this one.  I loved the hot colors but simply couldn't seem to figure out how to make anything of it.  Finally I simply started playing, adding and subtracting elements. This is the result. It looks great in a simple black frame.

Available Paintings

Piecings, continued

by Jo Reimer

These are more of the Piecings series of collage paintings I've been working on this week. I'm quite happy with a couple of them but not so much with others. I keep telling myself that this is just a start, that more and better work will come as I continue seeing what I can do with my palette of papers.

Orange, study
12 x 12" on panel

One thing that frustrates me has to do with how I work with my paper collection.

Most of my painted papers are in a big drawer in my work table. The drawer isn't full but it's cluttered and I've spent lots of frustrating time pawing through the paper, seeking just the right one. Sometimes it's color I'm hunting; sometimes it's visual texture or pattern. I'm not sure if I have too many papers or not enough variety.

Elizabeth Nelson sorts her painted papers in 9 see-through drawers, by color family. See her in action here.

Marge Malwitz sorts hers into flat cardboard boxes which she pulls from a cabinet.

I'm sure either system would work better for me than having everything in one big drawer.  I just need to make time to do the sorting and set up a system to keep it all under control. I put smaller bits in plastic boxes which I've dubbed "Compost" bins. That works well for smaller pieces or when I'm traveling... not so much for larger works such as I am aiming to do.

Purples, study
12 x 12 on panel

Split Complements, study
12 x 12 on panel

The following piece was done on a canvas board. The white paper and gold paper with grids is some I made myself. I laid linen thread between two sheets of tissue paper and then coated it carefully with gloss medium to seal the thread between the layers. This is NOT a favorite because I think the green paper strip is too wide but by the time I realized it the glue was well on its way to dry. It's a study and I learned from doing it.

Grid Study

12 x 16

How do you sort your collage papers?

Cut and Come Again ... Collage

Cut and Come Again
16 x 20"
Fabric, Paper, Stitching on Canvas

Cut and Come Again, detail

I'm continuing my experiments with marrying the idea of piecing quilts with collage. In Cut and Come Again I composed the design using a mixture of paper and fabric to create the feeling of a summertime zinnia from my garden. The substrate is canvas. No glue was used except for a spot here and there to tack the elements in place until they were stitched.

I Have Reasons
11 x 15"
Collage on Paper
SOLD

I started with a collage of previously painted papers and then applied layers of acrylic paint to add depth and texture.

Elegans
Collage and Acrylic on Panel
12 x 12"

Working directly on Gessobord panel I painted on top of a collage of painted papers.

Winter Elk Sighting
Collage on Canvas Panel
11 x 14"

The various white papers that depict a snowy winter storm are gesso on magazine papers. The elk red-on-black images are from a commercial paper.