Zig-Zag papers, a guitar and ...

Papers, Scissors, Soft Rock (2012)
antique trade card (Columbus, Ohio, guitar company, 1892) and illustration
(The Delineator); vintage record sleeve (Columbia), illustrations
(Lothar Meggendorfer's International Circus, Kestrel Books, 1979; 
Victorian Fashion Paper Dolls, 1977)  and sheet music (Chappell & Co., 1936); 
found paper;  ink, watercolor, marker; 5.5" x 11.5" on acid-free mat board.
Price: $125 (matted, unframed, available in November)  

A while back, I said the "Scissors, Paper, Rock" series would continue, and it has. "Papers, Scissors, Soft Rock" - cue the groan - takes the work in a new direction. I'm having fun with it, so look for three to four additional collages.

This one happened purely by accident when I remembered a package of Zig-Zag papers I found one morning while walking to the studio. Honestly. Then I recalled a Victorian trade card with a guitar, and, things took off from there.

I wanted Daphne onstage and found the curtains in a vintage pop-up book that my friend Shirley Tenhover sent to me. As it turned out, I  had a copy of the book in my collection but wasn't ready to sacrifice it ... yet.

The background - a vintage record sleeve - came via our basement, where I'm rummaging through the vinyl for more material for the rest of the collages.  

Paper, Rock, Scissors - No. 4

Paper, Rock, Scissors (2012)
mixed-media collage: antique illustrations (Delineator, March 1893;
Ladies World, Oct. 1895), vintage paper doll (Victorian Fashion Dolls, Dover, 1977)
and illustration (Encyclopedia of Source Illustrations: Vol. 1, Morgan & Morgan, 1972),
recycled Champion paper sample kit (1989), recycled book cover (circa 1960s) and ad,
ink, marker, watercolor. 5.5" x 11.5" on archival mat board.
Price: $125 (matted, unframed), available in November.

I thought Caroline would be the culmination of the Scissors, Rock, Paper series. But, there's one more dancing around in my head.

In any case, unlike the others, the background here depicts each word in the title rather than one. I played with her carrying the scissors in many ways, then, thought about putting them in the hands of one of her dresses. Next thing I knew, I was adding the wedding dress, too. Now,  each figure carries an object representative of the title.

There are more layers - soooooo carefully cut and positioned - but they're obscured by the dresses now. What did survive is a bit of the strip from a paper book cover with instructions for using it. The cover was a freebie from White Castle back in the '60s and has a wild op-art pattern that's sure to pop up in some other piece.

As for No. 5 in the series, well, I'm waiting for a cache of paper dolls a friend has promised me. Then, we'll see ...

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Well, I am posting the 3rd collage in the new series even though I'm not sure it's done. I can't  put my finger on it, but something about it is bugging me. So, I am going to let it sit for a bit. It may be how busy the background is. Then again, it may be the addition of the second paper doll. I do like that rock, though!

Paper, Scissors, Rock

Paper, Scissors, Rock (2012)
mixed-media collage: antique illustration (The Ladies World, Oct. 1895),
vintage paper doll (Victorian Fashion Paper Dolls, Dover, 1977) and chart
(Stratigraphic Studies of the Silurian Rocks of Pennsylvania: Part 1,
Pa. Geological Survey,1961), recycled travel guide and jewelry catalog,
ink, marker. 5.5" x 11.5" on archival mat board.
Price: $125 (matted, unframed) - available in November.

As promised, here's the second collage in the new series. That's one amazing rock she's wearing. It's from Tiffany's - where else? - and is part of a necklace. At first, it was going to dangle from the top of the page. But the more I moved it around, the less I liked that idea. The cluster of diamonds at the top reminded me of a bow and led to her wearing the piece.

Abigail is from a second set of vintage paper dolls whose clothes are reproductions of fashions published from 1867-1898 in Harper's Bazar (by the way, that is the correct spelling of Bazar; I double-checked). I thought of constructing my own paper dolls from the images in the magazines in my archive  - and may do it at some point - but I liked the idea of using commercially-produced dolls.

Oh, the rock chart/map in the background is from a trio of over-sized booklets I spotted a few weeks ago and passed up, because of a vow to cut back on buying maps. But once this series idea arose, well, I knew exactly where to get more "rocks."

Next up: Rock, Paper, Scissors ...

Scissors, rock, paper

Scissors, Rock, Paper (2012)
mixed-media collage: antique illustration (Delineator, April 1894),
vintage paper doll (Fashion Paper Dolls From Godey's Lady's Book, Dover, 1977),
recycled Champion paper sample kit (1989), title page from a discarded library book,
recycled invitation, handmade paper, ink, marker. 5.5" x 11.5" on archival mat board.
Price: $125 (matted, unframed).

Okay, here's the first piece in the new series Scissors, Rock, Paper. Yeah, you probably guessed that was what I was up to if you looked at last week's photos closely. Right now, there are four collages, but I'm considering a few more.

I've been possessed for weeks by the idea of Scissors, Rock, Paper collages, but envisioned something much different and a bit more abstract. Rocky landscapes. No people. Then, I hit on the idea of using vintage paper dolls as the "paper" and they began to fall into place.

Each of the first three has a background that speaks to the winner of that round, in this case, paper. Alice stands atop the scissors and rock in triumph. I wanted the layering to reference how players layer their hands during the game.

Just when I thought I was done, I came across the piece of paper on the bottom. It's from a discarded library book and the library stamp seemed like a great way to add another reference to paper. Still not satisfied, I went back to the paper doll book and found her hats. This one, with its black center really helps draw the viewer up the page.

Stay tuned for the others ...