The other day I completed an Australian Shepherd collage, as part of my dog portrait series. I have a tendency of being drawn to animal portraits for my collages, so I feel a need to try to change things up this year by exploring landscapes/cityscapes and still life work. We’ll see what I end up piecing together next!
I made this collage back in October since I decided to be Hermione for Halloween. I wanted to make an animal collage related to my costume, and since the otter is Hermione’s Patronus, it only made sense to make an otter collage.
It’s been a while since I’ve made any new work. Life has been difficult for a number of reasons these days, and as a result, I’ve had to put my art on hold. Luckily my time has freed up a bit lately, and I felt a need to dive back into art-making. I figured what better way to get back into my creative routine than by making a collage of one of my favorite types of dog?
Anyway, stay tuned for more art. Previously I used to make something new just about every month. I’m thinking that I’ll alter this frequency a bit as I start exploring different creative outlets. After all, a big part of being an artist is exploring and experimenting with different ways of being creative. It’s good to change things up.
Life has been a little hectic and chaotic for me lately, so I haven’t had a chance to make that much new artwork. However, I still managed to find some time. This is a commission that I completed the other day for a friend from high school. I used a pretty limited color palette for this piece, which was challenging and fun in it’s own way. I tried to incorporate a decent amount of texture in the background as well as for the dog. This collage was also a challenge in the sense that the dog’s head is tilted at an unusual angle. Anyway, I enjoyed tackling this pet portrait of a dog from Peru.
A class of K-8 students from the St. Cyril School in Tucson, Arizona studied my collage art and made their own still life collages.
The students did a wonderful job of incorporating solid colors, textures, and text into their collages.
It was fun seeing how they tackled subjects like coffee cups, like the piece above.
It was fun seeing the different styles of the students. That’s one of the things I love about making art – every artist has his/her own unique voice. And it’s absolutely wonderful seeing the voice that artists have at all levels.
Overall, I was impressed with what this class came up with. I hope the students continue to make collages in the future.
Three of my original collages are currently on display at the i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa, Arizona. They are in an exhibit called “Junkyard Jungle,” which features the work of artists who use recycled materials. The show opened on February 8th, and runs until May 26th, 2019.
The curator of the exhibit was kind enough to send along photos of the installed artwork. Since I won’t have a chance to see the exhibit in-person, it was great getting to see so many photos of the exhibit. If you’re in the Mesa, Arizona area, you should definitely try to stop by to see the show. It’s a great mix of artwork and creative activities for children.
Above you can see my framed “The Curious Penguin.”
Above you can see my framed “The Otter Sisters” original collage.
There’s even a collage station where children can create their own paper collages.
Above is my “Lipstick Lizard” framed collage.
All my artwork in the show is available for sale.
February 8th – May 26th, 2019
i.d.e.a. Museum; Mesa, Arizona
I’m excited to announce that three of my original collages, “The Curious Penguin,” “The Otter Sisters,” and “Lipstick Lizard,” will be on display at the i.d.e.a. Museum’s Junkyard Jungle exhibit.
The show features artists from around the U.S. and U.K., who transform discarded materials into unique works of art. In conjunction with the exhibit, the museum has a number of planned activities for children of all ages.
The other day I heard from a teacher from the Year 5 Rowan Class at Beecroft Garden Primary school in London, where the class studied my collages and then went ahead and made their own collages.
The students are 9-10 years old, and they really did an amazing job at tackling the collage medium.
The class was also studying the “Men of the Docks” by George Bellows in a project with the National Gallery in London. The children spotted the 1912 New York skyline in the background of the picture and went from there with creating their compositions.
Above you can see that some of the children used mixed materials.
They used a great mix of textured magazine strips as well as solid colors.
It was wonderful hearing from another classroom. It always makes my day when teachers send student artwork that was inspired by my technique. I hope to continue to find ways to help bring collage into the classroom.
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I’m continuing to work on my dog series. This time, I thought I’d incorporate a lot more texture with the dog’s face. Usually I use more solid colors for the dog portraits, while saving all the texture for the background. It was fun changing things up for this piece.
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I’ve decided to revisit dog portraits, to tackle a series of different dog breeds. Over the years I’ve had a tendency of tackling the same sort of dog portraits, and I’d like to study a few different types this time around.
I enjoyed collaging this Husky collage. It was my first time collaging a Husky, and I enjoyed working with the shadows for the dog’s eyes and incorporating bits of texture.