Parasol

I was inspired this morning by IMT to take a picture of a pretty parasol that I own. I thought this was a fun view with the light coming through. I added some decorative paper as a background in Photoshop.

Clay Horse

This is a wood-block stamped clay horse I made a while back and gave it new life with a background composed of details from its wall frame digitally edited and background papers. Going for the "Orange" effect for Wednesday Stamper.

On The Beach

This was an interesting collage to make. Starting with a background image I added photos of collected beach items I had around the house and imported them . I also have a neat sand castle (candle holder) that I took a photo of and then digitally cropped and altered before importing it. I played around with colors and effects and came up with a kind of watercolor finish to it. Learned a lot! I made this for the Mixed Media Monday challenge.

Lady Butterfly

This is a digital collage I made for the theme "Butterfly" on Sunday Postcard Art. I imported a picture from a stained glass piece that I made and played around on Photoshop with mixed images and color hues. I am really enjoying (after a long dry spell- as far as inspiration goes) the different themes that are presented each week on the challenge sites, as I am re-discovering the many components of collage that I have collected and made over the years. Much needed inspiration and direction to get me going again!

Push

When I first saw the prompt for Inspire Me Thursday "Push" I went blank. But then it dawned on me as I sat staring at my coffee table (and all of my remotes) just how our life depends on the (push) of a button. Life decisions are made , money is withdrawn, bills paid, what type of junk food we want, what floor in a high rise we want to go to and countless other transactions- all made with the push of a button. God forbid you push the wrong one. For me my favorite is the "Help" button.

Earth Day

I got on myself really hard the other day. I went to the grocery store and forgot to use my new reusable bags. I'm trying- I really am. I sometimes go crazy trying to remember to shut this off, turn this down. I know a lot of people don't even think about it, but we all really need to be more aware of our impact on this planet. Small things we can do add up to lowering the stress level on our planet. Just being aware is a big step. As the Native Americans say "Walk Lightly" upon the Mother, but don't beat yourself up- just keep trying! WednesdayStamper

The Sea Maiden

Violet-blue and indigo

fluid , ever-moving

the green world above beckons;

stillness and foundation.

My sisters know the signs,

their salt tears pull me back

to my world of beginnings

the realm of shifting dreams.

A paper collage from one of my journals for Mixed Media Monday

Pierrot

Another interesting theme for Sunday Postcard Art, something I knew little about and found quite fun to make. Digital collage made from importing vintage images, decorative paper and layers.

Green Journey- Inspire Me Thursday

"Green" for me is the color of life. Taking a walk through the woods and immersing myself in nature is my re-connection with the basis of life. Green is calming yet it represents active growth, prosperity and hope. Green is earth ; rich, verdant, overflowing- may we strive to keep her that way! This is a paper and mixed ephemera collage from one of my journals.

Spice Mistress- Inspire Me Thursday

I had fun arranging this collage for the theme "Spice" for IMT. I laid out spices and photographed them , then added different images and effects. I'm finding that the weekly challenge (themes) are good for me and they make me think about things I might not have- gets me out of an artistic rut so to speak.

Flights of Fancy

I have been working on a series of bird collages using mixed media, scanned images and mixed layers. These are the first three.

Happy Easter, or Ostara, or Spring Equinox! This season has many names and many traditions. We sort of celebrate them all. I was raised with Easter, my husband with Passover. Our son learned to respect both celebrations. This year we will be particpating in both on the same day with family. I personally enjoy the symbol of the egg as fertilitly, new growth, new life. Honoring the past , acknowledging the present, building the future.

Sunday Postcard Art

Thought I might take part in this week's Sunday Postcard Art challenge- lots of fun! Digital collage with assorted images and stamped clay images I made a while back.

Journaling

When I began this paper assemblage journey a few years ago, I discovered a craft that was not only fun but meaningful in a way that changed the way I put my life together. It created a more sensitive , collaborative approach to my work and my home life. Journaling rubbed off onto everything I did . The words I used on my early journal pages were mostly others'. Now with a blog I finally am learning to add my own- which is still hard for me. (The text part of my posts are still laborious). Writing for me is a bit like exercise- don't really like to do it but feel a real sense of accomplishment when its done! Journal on...

By Definition

When I first saw the theme for this weeks Inspire Me Thursday (Key) the obvious came to me to do a collage with an old key that I scanned in and build from there. I knew that there were a number of different meanings for the word "key" but when I looked it up in the dictionary I was shocked at how many! Its fascinating how a language can take a small word and assign so many different associations to it. I tend to think of a key as the answer to a mystery- the classic unlocking to things unknown/ the power of knowing; but that's in a lyrical sense . I'm a landlord and sometimes the mystery behind the door is not a pretty one! To a musician a key is how they perceive the world- the note that their world is finely tuned to . To an historian a key is the method to decipher a code or series of symbols. It will be interesting to see the many artistic interpretations given to this theme!

Had some fun yesterday decoupaging some Easter eggs( needing a break from taxes and bookwork)! I enjoy using patterned napkins for different layers ending in cool results. The hummingbird was done on an old piece of brick from my yard ; painted, stamped and decoupaged. The eggs were blown out (I made a fritatta with them so they don't go to waste), then washed out , left to dry and then the fun begins. I like to use "Golden Medium Gel" for the adhesive as it melts or shrinks the paper into really interesting designs.

Living In Color

A few years ago I went wild and decided to paint focal walls in our house for highlight and mood. My husband designed and built three custom homes for us over the past 35 years so I am lucky to work with really "good bones" so to speak in terms of architecture. It's hard to gauge (how dark- how light) to go on a large surface but we are really happy with the results. During the day the light changes and you get alot of variable moods (it also makes it hard to photograph and get the colors accurately)! I am also thrilled at how the colored walls set a dramatic background for artwork. My kitchen and breakfast room are bold warm colors that start my day off with energy, while bedrooms are painted with cool, softer colors. I realized this winter how important to me color in the home really is- it does affect your mood and creativity - and if your are able to do it- I say go for it!