"Deja Boo!" New line of Halloween cards

These are not only new, they're also my first line of Halloween cards. They are adapted from antique postcards and anatomical illustrations, vintage bridge tally cards, and vintage decorations in my collection/archive/stash.

They're available, to varying degrees, at the Cincinnati-area shops listed below - and all styles are at my studio at Brazee Street Studios in Oakley, and can be ordered by getting in touch with me:

• Bonbonerie (O'Bryonville, in the bakery)
• Dandy Haberdashery (Pleasant Ridge)
• The Framery (Hyde Park) 
• Indigenous: a handcrafted gallery (O'Bryonville)
• MICA 12/v (Over-the-Rhine)
• NVISION (Northside)
• Redtree Art Gallery and Coffeeshop (Oakley)

Animal kingdom

During a lunch last month, my friend Cecie Chewning casually handed me a small packet of engravings that she had been given by her uncle. I didn't look at them until a few days later, and when I did, whoa! What a treasure.

They've been scanned them into the archive now, so it seemed time to share them. The pages are relatively small - 8.5" x 4.5" - and there are headings and table numbers on each, but no bibliographic information. Not even the engraver, whose name usually is at the bottom of a plate.

They are hand-painted, and exquisite, if a bit worn/foxed. I'm guessing circa early 1800s, and betting there were more in whatever book they're from, since fish, insects, etc. are absent from mine. Here's a look at what I have … they'll be turning up in collages.

The 2015 calendars are here

Well, I wrapped up the 2015 calendars, and as in years past:

• each features reproductions of my collages
• there are three different themes
• and one size (4.25" x 8.5")

They are printed by me using archival ink on heavyweight card stock. They are wire-bound - also by yours truly - and packaged in a clear plastic box.

The price is 14.99. They can be picked up at my studio, and will be available at area shops (which will be listed on the blog as soon as they are stocked).

Want it shipped? No problem, it's an additional 4.99 (one more calendar can be included for that price, but if you want even more, please e-mail me, and I'll figure out the total). I don't make money on shipping; I charge what is costs.

Here's a look at the covers of the three, and the back covers, which feature details of each month's image.

Meow. A few more kitties to fill out the 2015 calendar

Dove back into the Sweet Petite cat collages this week. Was off for a week. Before leaving, I started another collage, then, left it on the work table. That gave me something to dive right into when I returned. A trick I read about years ago. This way, I didn't have to face the dreaded "blank page."

© Art Patron

 © Fat Cat II

© Studio Cat

The Sweet Petites are purring ...

I've been distracted by issues with a remake of a large collage, so it seemed time to take a break from it.  I turned my attention to having fun. For me, that usually means working on small collages, so that's what I did.

The new Sweet Petites - matted to fit a 5" x 7" frame - began with four 1917 fashion plates, then a group of cats. Last year's cat collages were so popular, that they ended up on their own calendar. Another one is in the works for 2015, and after this week I am well on the way. Take a look … (oh, I will be posting these on the official Sweet Petite page, too).

Sybil Ignores the Man
Behind the Curtain

Claudine Gawks Right Back
at the Gawkers

Isadora Brought Males of Every Age
to Their Knees

Marie Walked As Tall As Any Man

Easily Distracted

Not Intimidated

Fascinated

Fat Cat

Hitchhiker

Idol Worship

Irresistible

Mischief

Cunning cat

© Exit strategy: outnumbered, but not outsmarted
mixed-media collage by Sara Pearce
3.25" x 4.5," matted to fit a standard 5" x 7" frame
$35 plus shipping 

While designing next year's calendars, I noticed that thanks to my Sweet Petites binge there were almost enough cat collages for a cat calendar. Just needed one more, and here it is.

The main image is from a paper company ad found in a stack of vintage design magazines - Communication Arts, Print, etc. They were given to me by Elizabeth Mariner, a Cincinnati graphic designer and co-publisher of Express Cincinnati (a free monthly that covers nonprofit, philanthropic and arts organizations in Greater Cincinnati).

When I saw the dogs and cat, the title popped right into my head, and set the direction for the collage. Happily, my deep and highly-organized stash made it easy to find exactly what I wanted. The background is an antique engineering engraving from a 19th century book bought at a library book sale four years ago. The brain was one of two cut from an ad that I used in another collage, below, in 2011. I knew it would come in handy some day ...

Animal attraction

Village Dandies

Footloose
(sold)

Last week, I mentioned a new line of "petite" collages I'm creating. They really ARE petite, that is:  2.5"x4.5" and 3.25"x4.6" - and matted in 5"x7" acid-free mats to fit ready-made frames. 

Well, this week, I hit my stride with a series of animal collages - a first for me, except for birds, that is - for a fundraiser to aid a new Cincinnati non-profit: Pets In Need. It provides vet care for animals owned by low-income people, which could be anyone from a person who's been laid off from their job to someone with a serious illness whose income has been depleted by medical bills.

Pets are a passion of a good friend of mine, Carol Sanger, who chairs the board. So, when she asked me if I wanted to participate in their Summer Solstice Celebration, I jumped at the chance. Since the group is not charging any "set-up" fee or taking a commission on sales, I decided to donate part of my proceeds to them.

Well, enough of the back story, here are more of the petites ...

Cat o' Nine Tales
(sold)

Waited on, hand and foot

Melancholic
(sold)

Groovin'
(sold)

You Talkin' to Me?
(sold)

Snail Mail

The Proposal

From the scrap pile: Victorian wackiness

I visited my friend, Shirley Tenhover, last week in North Carolina. And we did a trade. Shhh, don't tell my husband. She got a Social Butterfly box collage. I got a box of fantastic Victorian scraps. They range from teeny-tiny people to oversized holiday greetings. Here are a few of the more, um, interesting pieces. Now thinking about how to use them in collages ...