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.

 

 

More Cedar Key-ing

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed I don't post frequently - except during these travel times.  It's interesting working with a focused frame, as it were, using photos from my travels as the anchor of each collage. I call these my 'regional collages'.  Mid-afternoons have become the 'back at the ranch' time from our meanderings and when I collage.  

My friend Perry Fitzhugh once said to me that he thought he would enjoy working for Sesame Street, where you have to be creative with simple themes, like numbers, letters and concepts like up and down and have to stay within that focus. I find there is a different creative feeling to work within the frame of the trip. And at home, I don't have the openness to spend every afternoon at the collage pallet.  Travel bonus!

The background building in this collage is indeed vintage and is all gray weathered wood. It has been abandoned for many years and the only unused building on 2nd Street, the main street here. At one point, many little found-art assemblages were nailed to the walls, but this year they are mostly gone with a few new drawings on the walls. 

            

Here vintage people, with vintage-inspired Mr. Pearl, appreciate Old Florida Cedar Key.

Vintage Cedar Key collage - Cedar Key

I've always liked this funky cottage, with a yard full of Flamingos and the doll who lives on the porch. 

Dolly House Cottage  collage - Cedar Key

 

And truly, how could one pass up using this chicken shorts gal in a collage. Not me, for sure.

Till next time.

Halloween, Hallows, Day of the Dead

 Hidden Realms,  the Veil Between Worlds, Magick and Mystery, Celebrating Loved Ones Gone. Embrace the Moon. Listen to the Earth. Invite the Others.  This is that time of the year.

 

Michael @ Hallows collage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day of the Dead - Mi Dio de los Muretos collage

 

For Anthony & Rose, Elizabeth, Julia C, Peter, Helen, Martha, 

Oscar, Christian, Dave, Pat, Jerry, Julia H and Jim

 

Hallows Past...

Frida at Hallows collage

 

 

Bad Dolly Trick or Treat collage

 

I Still Repeat the Things You Said collage

All Halloweend collage

 

Happy Halloween!

Oh that time of year for oooky pooky.. 

Bad Dolly Trick or Treat

And here are some previous All Hallows inspired collage

All Saints Frida

All Hallowed Ween

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ascension

Ascension was not created for Halloween, inspired by the actual Ascension sign in Savannah, it certainly fits the bill.

Some of these images were acquired from Mischief Circus, a fantastic source of images and inspiration.  Like hey, it's called Mischief Circus after all.