Deer Women and Pink Tornados! Annual Member show at SVAC - Shenandoah Valley Arts Center

I didn't create these two pieces for the Annual SVAC show, but I will most happily submitting them. I especially like that they show two aspects, the moody Deer Woman and the mysterious tornado woman with flowers.

I found an intriguing mystery novel at the library, Mask of the Deer Woman, and through that book, met the Deer Woman mythos. One of her guises is as a protector of women.  I set my version in what I call an 'urban' background. She stands tall for you.

Urban Deer Woman Guardian collage

Not created as a 'companion' piece, although it became that, is Pink Tornado. I came across the idea of pink clouds somewhere, somewhen, and rediscovered it in my files.  In my mind the clouds morphed into a tornado, which adds a different energy than clouds.  Another large ball has found it's way into a piece, along with oversized flowers.

Pink Tornado collage

For the upcoming gallery show, I created embellished mats. I always enjoy adding a bit of assemblage to my images.

Urban Deer Woman Guardian
framed with embellished mat

Pink Tornado collage
framed with embellished mat

If you happen to be near Charlottesville, Virginia or the Blue Ridge Parkway, join us at the Shenandoah Valley Arts Center in Waynesboro, for the annual show.  It runs through June and July.

Till another time!

Crow Girl Tarot!

I was in a 'Crow' mood and decided to make a contemporary Crow girl.  I was drawn to heavy boots and a dark dress, a little bit Goth,  and after a bit our Crow girl here emerged.  The moody, somewhat mysterious background reminded me of a Tarot card and here we are.

Crow Girl Tarot collage

For our upcoming Member Show at the Shenandoah Valley Art Center - SVAC - I decided to  embellish the collage and mat. I was delighted to find among my bits and pieces the black crow pin which perfectly echoed the two crows in the collage and the perfect sparkly fabric to make the amplified skirt. 

Crow Girl Tarot collage embellished
11x14 frame

Till another time.

Assembled for Tea - Assemblage at SVAC - Shenandoah Valley Arts Center

 June is the annual Members show at the Shenandoah Valley Arts Center.  

The show runs from June through July and if you're in the area, do stop by and enjoy.

 

 

 

 Although these days I work mostly in collage, mixed-media assemblage was my first love.  I loved the collecting of the bits and pieces, finding the right 'container's' and discovering the alignments that would emerge.  I was inspired to do an assemblage for this show.

Some of the key pieces here were box assemblages I had made in the past.  It was great fun to pick and choose who would go in this piece.  There was much arranging/rearranging with various selections.  Once the core units settled, I was in search of a base.  I found the large tray and from that, the theme of a tea party emerged.  Shoes, tea cups and saucers are often featured in my collage work, but first appeared in my assemblage work. I had many such miniatures in my assemblage items collection. And dolls in various ways were always part of my 3-D work.  The piece is 19" long x 14"wide and 24" at it's highest point.

Assembled for Tea - Mixed-Media Assemblage

 

Assembled for Tea - Detail - TOP

Assembled for Tea - Detail - LEFT

Assembled for Tea - Detail -RIGHT

Assembled for Tea -BACK

At the Gallery...

Till next time.

 

 

Black and White and Noir

'Black and White' emerged from a theme prompt for our monthly Members' gallery shows at Shenandoah Valley Arts Center, SVAC.  It's fun to sometimes work with an external prompt. Typically my 'prompts' may come from a single image that attracts me or an emotion or situation which goes in search of images; so an outside prompt sends me down it's own path.

 

Black and White Collage

 

Here, the core image of a pensive Bette Davis led the way to this collage.  The prominent male figure is another 1940's era star, Leslie Howard. I colorized and altered both figures from the original black and white photos.  Retro film and images are always a vivid part of my mind's collective.

Dark Night Bette

Till next time.

Murals and Mid-Century Modern Meet-Up

Two of my favorite things ~ street art murals and mid-century design!  Always catches my attention and always inspiring.  It's quite fun discovering what images will accompany the main image or gather together at random [well, seemingly random as there is always a 'vibe' pulling things together.]

The mural, on what was once a ice plant and is now boarded up, is a Waynesboro, VA landmark.  She is Kaiya With Tulips by Nils Westergard, a Belgian-American artist and film maker based in Richmond, VA.  Kaiya is also quite well known in wider circles, as it was voted #1 on the Top 100 Urban Art 2019 list by Streetart360   My morning walk on the Greenway takes me past her everyday and I regard her with great affection.

Kaiya of Waynesboro collage

The Mid-century Modern house in the collage was not the inspiration of the collage.  My ongoing muse, Jess, posted a photo of herself in what I deemed as echoing mid-century sensibility and I was inspirted to place her and her dog in the mid-century setting.  

Mid-Century Jess collage

Happy Birthday! Happy Spring! White on White!

Our time away was great, but being home is as they say,  it's own kind of wonderful. Many things to attend to to get back in the groove, but happy to be here.

Each year I do my own birthday collage and one of my gifts to myself is that I compile an annual book of my collages and cards.  Both are fun to do and it's always interesting to see what is revealed in hindsight.

e birthday 2022 collage 

Octopi are often an element in my collage and I often use octopi hair on 'avatars' of myself.  This collage was almost finished, when my husband gave me for my birthday an amazing replica of an ancient Minoan pot - famous for their Octopi imagery-  produced by a museum in Greece.  It was the perfect finishing element of the collage.

Crows are another element I often use and I consider the Crow a menaingful totem in my life. But at an earlier time, when I was doing work with Wendy Ashley, an astrologer who anchored her work in mythology, she saw the Hare or Rabbit as a totem.  In some myths, the Hare is seen as the messenger between realms, moving by moonlight between the human world and the Otherworld.  Recently I was moved to add rabbits to some collages.  So I am welcoming Hare into the present.

The idea of this collage came to me in a dream - a Crow-Hare icon.  As she emerged, I felt she was in the fae or fairy realm and her name, Nix,  popped up as I completed the collage.  She anchors Hare, who is the stronger and more wild rabbit and Crow.  Ironically, I completed her on Easter, which I see as linked to the ancient goddess of Spring, Eostre.  

The eggs are Ukranian 'Pysanka' eggs, a tradition going back prior to Christianity.  The eggs are meant as memories or good wishes, prayers. 'Pysanka' means to write upon, and the designs are drawn or painted with wax and then dyed.  I was really drawn to the one on the upper left with the golden symbol. I looked it up and it represented Freedom, so appropos at this time.

Spring - Nix the Crow-Hare Fairy collage

Sometimes themes appear from circumstance.  'White on White' was inspired by the members gallery theme for May at SVAC - the Shenandoah Valley Arts Center.   The background image, the Heritage On Main  restaurant, had apparently recently been painted white and I noticed it just as I was thinking about a white-themed collage.  It's always nice when the Multiverse collaborates with you.  There are some puns on white in this little grouping and some surprise players.  The happy couple are Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter on their wedding day in 1946.

Till next time. 

Bastet - Jacqui Rose

For decades, my sister, Jacqui Rose, felt deeply aligned to the ancient Egyptian goddess, Bastet. The essence of Bastet was symbolic in Jacqui's spiritual practices.

Bastet, also called Bast, is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and is associated with the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (a female deity who leaves Ra and returns to bring transformation).  Bastet's cult was carried to Italy by the Romans, and traces have been found in Rome, Ostia, Nemi, and Pompeii.  Our own family has Italian heritage.

I began this collage about a month after Jacqui's passing. I wanted to capture Jacqui in her strength and power; her fullness.  The orange tabby alludes to her own cat, Keppie, and I was pleased to find an orange tabby goddess figure. The gray cat alludes to a cat I once had. I think of them as sisters' cats. 

And once again, she is in the stars.

I submitted her in the upcoming 'Artist's Choice' exhibit at SVAC, Shenandoah Valley Art Center.

When Nothing is Certain, Everything is Possible

Art gives us another window to look through. Creating captures your focus and you enter another stream for awhile.  For myself, 'pushing images' around in digital collage or adding bits and pieces together in mixed-media, lets me move away from the often overwhelming-ness of the world and find a 'breather' in an 'other' world.

Before Covid19, I was working on making embellished versions of some of my collages. I extracted key images and mounted them on foam-core to add dimension and then added a high-glaze finish to each piece.  But when everything changed in March, I just put all creating aside for awhile.  Recently, I re-elooked at the collage and realized it's a perfect message for now.

This is the original collage.

When Nothing is Certain - Everything is possible

and the dimensional version with  embellished frame

Friends of mine are creating these days as well.  I love this reminder from SVAC - Shenandoah Valley Art Center, of which I am a member.

Check out our current Members Exhibit.

I contributed my Covid 19 pieces and this, Frida Kali Kwan Yin

Frida Kali Kwan Yin

My dear friend Deb Booth at Different Light Studio found roosters calling to be quilled. Check out the detailed shots of the quilling.

Cock of the Walk by Deb Booth - Quilling

Black Rooster by Deb Booth - Quilling

Quilling detail

Quilling Detail

 

 

 

My HeartDaughter Mimi is an amazing craftsperson.  Knitting, quilts, lace, crochet and whatever else catches her fancy.

These magical birds were my birthday gift. The pattern echoes Mexican designs.

And a too cute Snow Bird for her friend Margaret.

Quilt in progress

So create! Make Art. Wash your hands. 

Take care. Stay safe. Be safe for others.

Merry Merry Happy Happy

Holiday time has ups and downs.  But still time for a bit of fun.

I was inspired by my Red Retro Collage to make a Retro Christmas.  It has retro touches, the ceramic christmas tree so popular back in the day, a Slinky and of course, the forever 'retro', fruitcake.

Red Retro Christmas

I love to do custom cards for friends, but a friend suggested I do some cards for our gallery.  So this year I did a series of Joy cards. Here's a few.  Enjoy!

Joy

More Joy

Cats Joy

Stars Joy

And thinking of my SVAC Art Gals.  You know who you are.

Wishing you all, all good things in all ways.  

In the Gift Shop...

I'm a happy Art Girl.  My Waynesboro collages are on display in the gift shop-docent room for the month of November at the gallery I belong to - Shenandoah Valley Art Center -SVAC .  I  really like seeing the collages at this size, 16x20.  The details pop.  Go big and take one home!  If not, got some 8x10 prints and note cards of them on offer too.

My Art Buddy Deb Booth went with me to get things on the walls.  We had a bit of a search for a hammer & nails, and  Mz Deb managed the tall ladder for the piece hung from up high, but actually, all went smoothly.  We began the day with our usual weekly breakfast at Weasie's Kitchen and yes, there is definitely a Weasie's Kitchen collage in the Waynesboro series.

If you're in town, there is an opening this Saturday of lovely paintings by Joy E Tartter in the main gallery.  Check out Joy and the gallery, with me in the docent room here.

At the Gift Shop - Art Buddies

I featured Deb many a time here, but now she is exploring a new medium - Quilling!  Elements and embellishments made from curled paper to form and enhance images. The 3-dimensional enhancement really catches your eye.   It's just cool. Here are three from her Tiny Dancer series   Check it out  at DifferentLightStudio.com and Deb Booth on Facebook.  And soon, you'll be able to find them at CvilleArts, a great gallery right on the downtown walking mall in Charlottesville, VA.

Prima

Flow

Arabella