"Varied Heights"

($50.00......6" x6"......Mixed Media on 300 lb. HP.....mounted on Gessobord)

"Raise the standard with varied heights." This quote is simply a play on words since I used varying heights of collage pieces to create this piece.

This is a variation on the theme of old book pages, rice paper, and mono printed rice papers put together to create a collage. By using some of the deleted portions from other pieces, I was able to adhere these disparate parts to a gessobord and then continue adding other elements.

If you look closely, you will see some other pieces mounted on top of the first layer of collage pieces. All of these mono printed papers were mounted on 300lb HP Watercolor Paper which gives them a depth very similar to the hard board used in bookbinding. So I ended up with (5) smaller pieces of these scraps adhered to the first layer and then added a portion of a book cover with a cut out and a piece of fused glass.

So this is just another way my mixed media followers can use as inspiration for shifting the emphasis to the mono printed papers and even getting more dimension with a second layer of several segments. Notice that to keep the design strong and cohesive, there are a lot of "echoes" of color, shapes, and gesture marks that make everything look like it belongs. There are also a combination of straight and torn edges....soft and hard edges. So if you have some text pages leftover from other pieces, this is a good way to come up with new combinations. In the first layer, there were three different sections adhered to the gessobord, just to give you an idea.

Just for further consideration and inspiration, you might want to check out the work of Lance Letscher who is an Austin artist who is renown for his works using old books in collages. Also, our very own Mandy Gregory (on the art team at Hill Country Bible Church NW) who uses her old watercolors and cuts them up to make elaborate collages. So be inspired, but it is best not to copy someone else's style precisely, but it really isn't necessary since there are a myriad of ways to work with these materials. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Prayer"

($60.00.......6" x 6"......mounted on a 1.50" depth clayboard)

"Prayer changes everything." Many quotes have been written on prayer. The closest wording to this one says..."Prayer changes things." I like this one because the word "everything" is all inclusive. What a comforting thought.

In searching through my old books for collage elements for this piece, I had a nice surprise by finding a four leaf clover tucked between the pages. It was quite fragile, but by carefully adhering and coating it with gel matte medium, it is be preserved.

I was very interested in the forward to this book which is entitled Two Searches. The two searches reference God's search for man and man's search for God. By covering up a portion of the text, the mystery of the meaning is made more difficult to read and adding flourished overlays simply adds to that mystery. The important decisions with the placement of collage elements was an effort to create more shapes and still leave enough of the background in tact for visual relief. It is also a good idea to place a vertical element like the book spine in a left or right of center position to create lost and found edges in the pouring medium. This is an important design tip that creates depth.

The text collage is also framed out by adding the ornate "P" going from the edge of the space to the edge of the spine and likewise with the placement of the quote at the bottom. The clover is important because it is a contrast to any of the shapes in the piece yet it echoes the color of the book spine. I hope none of this is boring, but I've always liked for artists to explain why they do the things they do because it helps me process my own design decisions. For that reason, I hope you've been helped if you are into creating collage pieces. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.