Paper Play, Found Treasures, and Genes...
This icy, wet, dreary day seemed a good time to update on what I've been doing during the past week. In a previous post, I showed my first handmade papers. On the Quiltart list, there had been mention of fabric paper- gluing papers to a base of fabric to use in creations. That got my interest, and was just what I needed..... more ideas for an already filled, scattered brain. Wasn't my main goal for this year to gain more Focus? I had also been checking out many of the collages that are being made for Virginia Spiegel's Collage Mania, for Fiber Art for a Cause to benefit cancer Research. The link will take you to her blog entry, and there are links there to explore more about this. Some of the work I found got me thinking about doing some collages of my own. Here are some photos of my fabric paper play, and collages, as well as some treasures I found.
This is the piece done on the green fabric after pressing. As with all things shiny, it is hard to get good photos without lots of glare. While playing with the paper, fabric and glue got me thinking of some beautiful papers I have seen.
I have thought I would like to play with different Japanese papers like what my great aunts used, to make notecards with. Many years ago, one of those aunts gave me an envelope of papers she used for those cards with an instruction sheet. At the time, something else was using up my time, so that envelope was packed away, and almost forgotten. During the past month, I began trying to remember where that envelope was. Well.... yesterday, I FOUND IT!!
Sometimes we have great treasures right in our homes that have been lost and forgotten. My studio has shelves reaching to the ceiling which is really high on one side, with many things collected over the years, stored there. While getting ready to pull down my corsage supply box (I needed to make a prom corsage for a friend), a fat envelope got my attention. I pulled it down, and YESSSS! I found the wonderful treasures inside- in the above photo. A pad of sketch paper, one large sheet of a heavier Japanese paper and 75+ ~8x10" sheets of the thinnest Japanese tissue paper I have ever handled, which is used to cover pressed flowers, holding them in place while still showing them (one sheet over the scissors). It is an amazingly strong paper for it's thinness. I may be trying out some painting, dying or whatever with some of this. There are even two little arrangements of pressed flowers my aunt must have done. The instruction sheet looks to have been originally published in the July 1962 issue of "House Beautiful" magazine (I wasn't quite 1 yr old yet). The envelope it all was in is of a wonderfully fibrous paper, too.
I had already dug out and sorted a big batch of rubber stamps I bought to try on fabric, but never really got to using. After punching the stamps out of the sheets, there is a lot of "waste". I think there more of a treasure lurking in these. I have already cut out a stamp for an Iris flower. I guess I'll just have to study these "negative spaces" for ideas for more stamps.
I definitely have decided that my artistic bent and desire to play with more than one medium is a result of the genes I have received. I have always needed to create something. My favorite books growing up were those that had any kind of craft project in them. My grandmother did beautiful detailed painting along with collecting and using really neat fabrics (I think she even mad hats at one time). My grandfather made beautiful ceramic pieces in winter, making his own molds and his own glazes (with Grandma painting the wonderful underglazed details), and both gardened in summer. (unfortunately most all of the good pieces were sold, the mistakes were kept) My great aunts would make and send the beautiful handmade note cards with pressed flowers and the Japanese papers, and one had a huge collection of doll houses all made to scale, and wonderfully furnished. My mom grew up with her parent's ceramic studio, made most of our cloths as kids, and can knit or crochet anything. No wonder I have collected fabric and art supplies since high school, and want to play with so many different things! It's all genetic!!
This is one of the first collages I made. The Echinacea flower photo was taken from a duplicate book of perennials that was damaged, but most photos are OK. It was looking through this book that I got the idea to use an alphabet of flowers as the main focus of this series of collages. The flower photo is layered over a piece of my handmade paper, placed over a piece of my above fabric paper, pink card stock, and cotton fabric. The flower name was printed on paper, then colored with water soluble wax pastel. The butterfly and white leaves are fused, from a printed sheer fabric. The border has a funky yarn stitched to it. This one has been mounted to an 8"x10" backing board with a pale lavender vellum paper fused to it. The vellum was an accident- I thought I had bought a roll of tissue paper, but when I got it home- not tissue. I did end up with a few crinkles in the vellum, so this piece will probably remain in my own collection (guess that's genetic, too- the perfect get sold, the mistakes stay).
The following 3 collages have been accepted for Virginia Spiegel's Collage Mania II to benefit cancer research. They will be available for purchase on May 5 and 6. First is "D is for Digitalis" The flowers in the photo seemed to call out for the orange sunprints, peach fabric paper, yellow cardstock, and yellow to orange eylash yarn. The botanical name- Digitalis is hand written on the left side with dye pen. This collage is being donated with a dedication to my mother, who is a 7+ year breast cancer survivor. The collage is 5x7" mounted on white bristol. Some of the collages will use the common names as well as botanical ones. I tend to think of most perennials only by their botanical names- some can have many common names, but (usually) only one Latin one. I am looking at this project to help me feel like my brain is actually working. Some days it is so fuzzy that I can't remember my own name.
Here is "R is for Rosa", The yellow roses in the photo were really set off by the blue flowers in the background, so I used blues in the fabrics and papers as well as the ribbon around the edge of the collage. It is about 5x7" and attached to 8"x10" white bristol using blue eyelets in the corners. The leaves are stitched on, using a piece of yarn for the stem, and the ribbon just asked to be tied into a bow at the side. The detail shot shows one of the butterflies stamped over the top with gold metallic paint. This collage is donated in memory of my aunt, who died from colon cancer at only 46 years old.
"Asters in Lavender" is a scan of an arrangement of aster flowers that I softened in the computer before printing onto paper. This photo is bordered with one of my pink papers. Fabrics in lavender and deep purple along with gold lame and paper from a greeting card form the background. I did more stitching on this one, using gold metallic thread for some fancy stitches, and "Aster" also stitched in the gold. This also has stamped gold butterflies. Black and gold yarn edge this 5x7" collage that is mounted on 8x10" ivory linen textured paper, mounted to mat board. This donation is dedicated to my grandmother who is a 10 year+ breast cancer survivor, she is now 94 years old and going strong.
Mark May 5 & 6 on your calendars to purchase one of these 3 above collages, or a great selection from other artists. Here is the link again- Collage Mania II. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society through Virginia Spiegel's Fiberart For A Cause.
"I is for Iris" A catalog photo of an Iris is backed with an ivory paper I formed over a leaf textured fabric that gave it an embossed look. The computer printed name has threads trapped under pale green tissue paper over it. The base of this is a black and one of my dyed green fabrics, that I stitched in gold metallic thread. "Iris" is also stitched out in gold near the bee that has been glued on. The purple Iris is another plastic button with the shank cut off and glued on. More of the printed sheer fabric has been used here, with dye pens used to add color. The funky green yarn on the edges was stitched on using a decorative stitch. 5x7" mounted on 8x10" heavy ivory linen texture paper. This collage will be available for purchase at my Etsy Store.
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