Bad Girl, Crow-ed Shoes, 75 and more - collage!

In the background, between this and that, I am doing digital collage. It's the 'noodle-around' art that always calls me.  Sometimes I'm inspired by an image I come across - as in Bad Girl.  Other times I wander through my own image collection.  Still other times I create a collage for a card - a birthday, good vibes, something on a friend's mind.  These latter projects are often especially interesting to me, because I will use subjects, images and colors that are not my own sensibility but rather for the person I am making the card for.  So in creating with another in mind I follow a different route in some ways.

In fact, recently I submitted some of my collages printed on canvas and some products, bags and small purses, to a local shop.  I found it interesting that they didn't like any of my own designs - 'too edgy' - but did like the pieces I had done for others - which include angels, butterflies and mermaids.  lol  In the end, though, they weren't 'accepting new artists at the time.'  lol

I found the key image in Bad Girl googling for who knows what.  I believe the original is a photo of 'cosplay' - costume play from Vera Chimera.  But I found an altered image of a photo and I altered it even more.  In any event, Bad Girl tickled me.  You can analyze why.  I just know I loved it.  And I can see Bad Girl showing up in future pieces.

Bad Girl

My friend Leslie and I share a love of Crows and we often exchange crow inspired art for birthdays and the like.  This collage is an extrapolation from Leslie's recent birthday card.

Crow-ed Shoes

75 - Collector of Images

Reaching Out To My Early Self

Travel Well for Mimi

The Women Artists Altar Room - Altar ara las artistas mujeres - a collaborative project

As you know, I'm a member of the Shenandoah Valley Art Center [SVAC].  Last month they had a show in which a small unpainted wooden room was constructed as part of the installation.  It is about 8' high and 6' wide and 7' long and was going to be dismantled after the show.  I was having a conversation with Piper Groves, our delightful director, about my miniature altered house and my long-time fantasy about doing a real altered house. Somehow at about the same time, we both thought of the room in the gallery. The annual juried gallery Member Show was coming up in June, so it was perfect timing for us to do a collaborative piece.

Piper has an affection for Mexican art, collects Day of the Dead skulls and was recently looking at images of Mexican altars.  I myself have a big collection of Mexican ceramics and tin and did a lot of work with Mexican Madonna images and Frida Kahlo.  So we quickly got to the idea of doing an altar room.  I also happen to have a large Frida Kahlo poster that I bought in Mexico City.  We decided to use that as the anchor of the main altar and from that quickly emerged the idea of, naturally, doing an altar to women artists. We were off and running.

I sent Piper pix of the many Mexican things I had on hand.  Next time I saw her she had also made wonderful wood pieces of four of her favorite artists - Judy Chicago, Yoko Ono, The Guerrilla Girls and Yaoi Kusama.  Inspired, I created pieces for four of my favorite artists - Geogia O'Keeffe, Louise Nevelson, Sonia Delunay and Jenny Holzer.

We took one afternoon to paint the room and then began the installation the next day.  Piper had a wonderful collection of lace pieces from her mother, which we used to drape from the open top of the room. She also made a really neat garland of paper Day of the Dead skulls, which was nicely hung throughout.

Piper

  

                               

My dear friend Helen and I collected many items  in Oaxaca, Mexico and Mexico City, including our 'Herd of Madonnas.'  She also had given me heaps of fabric flowers.  Piper and I added mirrors and Mexican Tin pieces throughout; battery candles, a nice crow and whatever took our fancy.  Piper altered a painting on wood she had  in her studio with Mexican Tin and a friend of hers, added a vagina pottery piece. Yay, Judy Chicago.

It was a wonderful couple hours of assembling.  And how nicely, at the opening people seemed to appreciate it very much.  All that and we got an Honorable Mention too.

Should you be in the Waynesboro, VA area, the show will be up through the end of July.  Stop on by!   SVAC

Main Altar 

Altar Detail

Altar Detail

Piper's Artist Plaques

At the Opening - Mimi peeks out

 


















My artist pieces

Louise Nevelson assemblage - my favorite! 18"x5.5

Sonia Delunay plaque  9" diameter

George O'Keeffe 8x8 wooden plaque

Jenny Holzer plaque

The Madonna and Frida pieces

Forgiving Rose   15"x6"

Mexican Integration   12"x10" box

Madonna Kali 18"x10"

If you're curious,  here are links to the work of our favorite artists:

Georgia O'Keefe     

Jenny Holzer      

 Judy Chicago         

   The Guerrilla Girls 

Louise Nevelson   

Sonia Delunay

Yayoi Kusama

Yoko Ono

Wow! Now THIS is an altered, arted house

 My little piece of whimsy altered-art birdhouse could possibly be in a tiny back corner of this amazing place, but I doubt it.  This is truly an amazing wonder of a building, which is the Museum of Modern Renaisance, in Somerville, MA.   Pictures are from Messynesschic.com


Great story of discovery here at Messynesschic's blog and these photos are from there as well.

Wow!

A bit of whimsy

You know I have a fascination with all things altered - especially altered houses and cars and such.  My trip to Florida this winter was a feast of altered buildings - The Bowling Ball house in Safety Harbor and the Low Key Hideaway motel in Cedar Key.  Alas, altering my house isn't an option [yet! lol] but I did have some fun altering a model house.  

This little house was sold as an unfinished bird house at Michael's craft stores.  And I've been saving the bathing beauty [who once was a souvenier pen topper!] for years.  I just had a bit of fun with this.  I also bought a small dollhouse kit for a future altered house.  I love all these Florida colors but think a 'dark' house will be fun too.  After all, I do have heaps of doll heads and such which might be nice on the side of a house. 

Safety Harbor altered house 10"x9"x6"

I also noticed that the same colors seem to speak to me when Florida is in the background of a piece. Without plan the Safety Harbor house ended up to an older piece, Numeral Girls in St Petersburg.  Yay sea blue, pink and orange.

Of course, if I lived in Florida I might be moved to change my styles, since altered everything and anything is quite abundant there.  Not to worry in any event as what evolves will do just that, evolve.