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 ...

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.