Variations on A Theme- Galiano Rockface Series- mixed media collage

I took a lot of photos on Galiano Island but this one really has fascinated me with it's combination of lines and textures. I've used sections of the image in larger pieces now and the entire image was usedi on all three of these versions. The next step will be to do a larger canvas. I'll have to do two printouts on 8 1/2x 11" waterslide or silk - each one with one half of a double sized version so I can "jigsaw" together an image that's at least 16x22"

Community- mixed media sculptural collage

I did this 4x4 canvas last month and it was on the wall looking just wrong somehow. This morning I added the community of little people and now the whole thing makes sense.

It's a busy time! I've been getting calls from various galleries asking for new work, I am planning to enter the Oak Bay Artists' Studio Tour in November so I am getting current photos set for my application and then I'll need work to display! In the middle of all this my husband and I are planning a short but amazing trip to Paris and Dublin at the end of October- It's a business trip for him but we've added a few days and we're incredibly excited about it!

A little discovery on the way...

I was noodling around with some photo-silk and some of the wonderful little clam shells I used for my Shoreline Muse Series and came eup with this dimensional twist- a concaved face using a photo-shopped image of a face of one of my sculptures. The shell interiors have amazing shades of indigo and there's a serendipitous colour effect. This has some interesting possibilities- doesn't it?

Thanks for all the input!!

I was overwhelmed by everyone who took the time to send a comment or email helping me to choose the third piece. THANKS EVERYONE!! Input is still welcome but it looks as if Among Friends will be packed up for adjudication. I didn't go into details on the other two pieces I'm submitting as I'm very superstitious when it comes to juried shows.

Please Help Me Choose!

I am submitting three pieces for adjudication in an upcoming exhibition. The first two pieces were easy choices for me but I'm stuck on deciding which should be the third submission. Which of these three should I submit? Please leave a comment with your vote and I'll go with the Bloggers' Choice!

Moontide

Among Friends

She Could Only Choose One

Spiral in Stone

This little 4x4 Mixed Media Canvas is titled "Spiral in Stone". I have begun using beaten copper wire in some of these projects and I am brewing some ideas to go further with this with dimension, texture and attachment applications....

Maple on Vesuvius

I took a photo of a little red maple leaf on the shore at Vesuvius on Saltspring Island last October. This week I did a little digital tinkering and snipping with scissors to come up with this little 4x4 canvas. It's heading out to Artemsia Gallery in Westport Ontario to show a little of the west coast's fall colours.

If you're in the mood for mixed media inspiration-check out Lorrie Grainger Abdo's blog to see her progress & process with a wonderful new mixed media piece. It's heading to an exhibition and she's on a deadline so there's an element of suspense! She's very brave and incredibly generous to document the process on her blog and she wins extra points for courage by using tar as an ingredient..... I think I'll do something similar with the next piece I start, (not with tar, with documentation)- thanks for the inspiration Lorrie!

Arbutus- mixed media sculpture

Today I finished Arbutus- here's a detail!

New Clayamies Blog!

Clayamies is the National Online Canadian Polymer Clay Artists Group. The group has been active in Yahoo for ten years - this week we are celebrating the launch of our new Clayamies Blog! Members are beginning to post what they've been doing with clay through the summer. There's some fabulous eye candy for all to enjoy! Everyone is invited to visit and we encourage you to follow for some on-going inspiration from our community of Creative "Claynucks". If you are living in Canada you are cordially invited to join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clayamies.

Work in Progress

I've been working on the larger "rockface" style collage over the last week or so. Here's a little peek at one section of the piece. I think this will be completed by the end of the week, then I'll be exploring my photo files again!

Mixed Media Texture Plate

I found this wonderful piece of bark on a Galiano Island beach. The inside has been carved by some sort of inspired insect to create a priceless one of a kind texture plate. It also has given me a really interesting photo that I'll be transferring to a collage or two.

Excavation.. mixed media collage

My kids suggested the name for this piece. Brendan saw it as a narrative about an archaelogical dig revealing a lost spirit. For me it began as an exercise in texture and dimension and using a photoshopped photo of the face from a previous piece so Brendan's interpretation was a delight! I'm really happy with this one and now I'm working full time on a much larger canvas.

I've had many emails asking about firing the canvases- the whole piece goes in the oven. Always remember, 275F is far below the temperature required to burn wood or cloth.

Continuing to experiment with the new process...

I have an order of 4x4 canvases on backorder so this is the last little piece for the time being. Luckily I have plenty of 5x7 canvases to work with! Here's what I did over the last 2 days.

Staying on the shore...

Last post I said I'd switch to a garden theme for a photo clay collage but I started playing with my photo files and rummaging through my boxes of found objects from the west coast shores and I've decided to stay with this theme for the time being. Here are some of the photos I'm working with... all taken on Galiano Island....and look at my beachcombed treasures!