Flat file: Pt. 2

Bet you didn't think there would be a sequel to something as mundane as the flat file post. But, of course, there is. After purchasing giant furniture sliders, I've been moving - pushing might be a better word - the flat file around the studio. In the earlier post, it was in my "gallery" area. Not a good thing.

I knew it was big but, well, not this BIG! I like it between the bookcases, because it creates a kind of library space. That said, I'm not sure whether it's the perfect spot, because it has cut seriously into my "lounge" area.

The best thing about this is that it's making me sort through my stash again. And, yes, ditching some of it. In order to get papers in the file, they have to be flattened first. The pile - above, and below - is getting bigger by the moment. Will the file hold it all? Stay tuned.

Flat out cool

Be still my heart. A flat file. Finally. In my studio. It's a used one, actually, but you'd never know it. Previous owners include a downtown gallery and a mixed-media artist. It's a whopping 54" wide x 43" deep.

All you paper geeks out there will appreciate my excitement over this. Now, paper that is rolled and has to be flattened, paper that is stored in hard-to-reach spots beneath work tables, paper that is getting dusty sitting on shelves out in the open, all can be stored in one spot. Any guesses on how long it'll take to fill this beauty?!

Shooting the moon

© Marvelous Night for a Moon Dance.

So, back in the spring, I created this collage for an art auction of small works to benefit a cancer nonprofit. It didn't sell - yeah, it happens - and was returned to me. The more I looked at it, the less I liked it. I was so smitten by the Victorian scrap of the woman in the moon that I was determined to use it no matter what. Reality check: it was too big, and overshadowed the rest of the collage.

Well, you know what happened next. Time to revise. I tried to salvage the scrap, but damaged it in the process. Sigh. In any case, more planets seemed like the best option ...  

1st try: Not bad, but the planet
overlapping the blue one is too dark. 

2nd try: The planet's replacement
- luckily I had another one - is too light.

3rd - and final - try: colored pencil softens
the planet and helps it blend in. The
blue planet gets a light glaze
to make the color less intense.
This image was scanned, and the
colors are more true to the original. 

All tied up, and then some

Hickory

In a post the other day, I wrote about taking apart a few collages to salvage backgrounds created at a workshop a few years ago. Well, in the quest for more intriguing backgrounds, I spent last weekend at a workshop on using natural materials - plants, fruits, nuts, rusted nails, tea leaves and more - to dye paper and fabric. 

Of course, my focus was on paper. The classes were led by fiber artist Judy Dominic at her home in the Ohio countryside. Perfect setting. Perfect weather. Perfect teacher. Here's a peek at what we did ...

Almost everything was tied into bundles
with the paper/cloth wound around sticks
or folded between boards, with plant materials
inside. Some pieces were "tied" in spots with
rubber bands. Results are erratic, which is
party of the beauty of this method.

One of my bundles, and the resulting paper. The dark
areas were where nails were placed. It was also
dipped into a vat of walnut ink, and cooked in a pot
of rusty water.

Another bundle, and the result - showing both
sides of the paper. This was a large piece,
so it was turned around in the pot a few times.
The pot contained copper, which added
brightness to the paper.  

Deconstructing to build another day

Last summer, I was hell bent on creating a series of "bombs." Some of the collages turned out well. Others? Not so much. While working in the studio, I've been staring at two - "Water Bomb" and "Smoke Bomb"- that never really appealed to me. Bingo! Why not pop them out of their frames, and strip them down to the original backgrounds.

Why? I wanted to keep the backgrounds for another use. They are complex pieces created during a workshop a few years lead by mixed-media artist Jacqueline Sullivan. She had plenty of tricks up her sleeves. I learned a lot, but never seem to set aside the time to work on a new series of backgrounds. So, reclamation work seemed in order.

Luckily, two things made this easy: 1) the backgrounds were sealed before the paper was glued on; 2) PVA was the adhesive, and it is water soluble. Here's how things went on the smokey one ...