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Above is the finished “Barn Owl” collage. The client gave this piece to her sister (who is expecting) to go in the baby’s room. The color scheme I worked with matches the colors used to decorate the room.
Barn Owl
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The Curious Penguin
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It’s been a while since the last time I made a penguin collage. This guy was inspired by the Natural History Museum in D.C. I wasn’t able to find inspiration from the National Zoo (like I usually do) since we don’t have any penguins there. The Natural History Museum has quite a selection of rocks and minerals and of course, taxidermy. And their animal collection has definitely helped me out with quite a few collages. I usually need some sort of point of reference in order to make a work of art. When it comes to exotic animals or even just ordinary animals, their collection helps me out a lot.
Karma Chameleon
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Here’s my first attempt at collaging a chameleon. Next time round I’d like to play even more with the texture of the lizard, and perhaps have some fun with focusing on what chameleons are known for – changing colors. There are all kinds of possibilities…just think of how many unique backgrounds or settings could be used for the chameleon as it tries to blend in.
In other news, last week my solo show in Manassas ended. It was wonderful getting the opportunity to share my work at the Candy Factory, it’s just a shame that the time flew by so quickly. I was pleased to see that several collages now have new homes. As great as it is to sell your artwork, sometimes I find myself thinking “Oh no – I hope I can make something just as good to replace the sold work.” There’s always the worry of having enough consistent and cohesive work to exhibit in upcoming solo shows.
I’m going to be pretty busy working away on artwork for future exhibits this year and next year. After that, I think I’ll take a break from exhibiting my work so often so I can focus more time and energy on other projects like short animations or another children’s book.
The Otter Sisters
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I have to admit that one of my favorite things about collage is how it’s always a surprise how a collage will turn out. Sometimes you can find some pretty interesting textures and patterns in magazines, and when they are cut a certain way – voilà, it all comes together. Other times you can end up with some pretty unsatisfactory results, but all in all, it’s an exciting process. I was pleasantly surprised with “The Otter Sisters” – at first I wasn’t too sure what to think of it. But after setting it aside for a while, then returning to work on it briefly, I was happy with the mix of texture on the otters and in the background.
Hippo’s Day Out
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This piece was inspired by Happy the Hippo who used to live at the National Zoo. Aside from the meerkats, Happy was one of my favorite animals to visit there. Unfortunately they moved him to Milwaukee Zoo in 2009, although he must be happier there since he’s around other hippos. Anyway, the above collage is inspired by the many times I stopped by the zoo and Happy was outside in his pool. He’d hold his breath underwater for several minutes, as impatient tourists would stand by with cameras ready when he’d resurface. Whenever he did resurface, it was only for a few seconds before plunging back down into the water.
I’m currently working away on several new animal collages. And I’ve also started thinking about taking a break from exhibiting my work in galleries. I’d kinda like to focus on other projects instead of taking on the workload of promoting exhibits…we shall see what I end up doing…
Polar Bear
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This is one of the few collages I’ve done on panel. “Polar Bear” was actually created specifically for a fundraiser art show – “March ARTreach” – which will be up at the Target Gallery from March 3rd – 18th, 2012. I wanted to make something that was somewhat simple and featured an animal. What can I say? I’m in an animal phase.
Anyway, the exhibit features several works of art made on 10″x10″ wood panels that the gallery provided. Every work of art on display is for sale for $150 ($100 during the Art Party on March 16th). All proceeds from sales will benefit the Target Gallery’s 2012 outreach programming and the March of Dimes.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the other artists did with their 10″x10″ panels!
And I hope everyone had a happy Leap Day!
Fine Dining for Pandas
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This was inspired by the two giant pandas at the National Zoo. It seems like every time I pay a visit, they’re always busy chowing down. I suppose it takes a lot of work to maintain their panda figures.
Cuddling Meerkats
“Cuddling Meerkats.” Collage on paper. 18″x24″
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Here’s the finished collage – I decided to make the background dark to make the meerkats look a little more dramatic or at least stand out more. They turned into quite the characters – perhaps my next children’s book should star a meerkat…
Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely week. It’s beginning to finally feel like winter around here.
Tree Baby (Firefox)
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And here’s the finished red panda cub. These little critters are so cute in person!
I’m currently working on several large animal collages – around 18″x24″ – that will be used in an upcoming exhibition. I’m also doing a bit of preliminary work for a 2d animation that I hope to put together at some point. Busy, busy!
What Are You Looking At? (Orangutan)
Collage on paper. 16″x12″
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Here’s the finished orangutan. I’m currently working on several animal collages since I’ll have two overlapping solo shows this summer. The shows will only feature my animal collage work, thus I’ll need quite a bit of work available to display. So I’m off – gotta keep busy!