"Lesson Learned?"

($150.00......6" x 6".....floated on a linen mat in an 8" x 8" wood frame)


"History repeats itself until the lesson is learned." This is true in personal experiences and in the history of nations and cultures. It is a wise person who reviews their life from time to time and notices what particular habits are continually repeated as well as though that produce success. It's a great time saver to stop doing things that don't work.

A band of color(s) running diagonally across a page can be boring all by itself or not have very interesting texture. However, the composing of opaque and transparent collage over that band of color can create a lot of drama.

The segment of an old book page became the focal point with the added texture of an embossed emblem. It was then easy to "frame" that one segment with the burnt sienna color of the background and the aged book spine. Those two collage items were then "framed" with transparent scroll work plus the more ornate scrollwork acting as another part of the "frame". I also printed out the copyright date (1800's) and placed it in the lower left hand corner. And the final touch was the fragment of silver leaf adhered to the book spine. The placement was decided by a desire to have it quite near to the center of interest and also becoming a part of the "frame" around the cream colored book page.

Collage can often be overdone, but it helps to think of all of your collage pieces as a unit. Take note that there is at least one third of this design space with nothing except for the quote. This negative space helps relieve the eye. By keeping the detail in one area, you are telling the viewer exactly where you want them to look. A good analogy is a logo or lettering on a tall pillar in a large building. Your eye will immediately go to the one area on the pillar where there is detail of an image or lettering. And that's the power of negative space. It helps direct the eye. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"A Vessel" ($30.00)

(adjusted price.....$30.00)

The quote today is like an "over the top" statement of the obvious. However, knowing that we all have different qualities does not make us happy. What gives us peace and contentment about who we are is accepting that we each have a set of God given qualities that make us unique. By keeping your eyes focused on your own "running lane"...you can have joy in knowing your vessel is unique to you and only you can be all that you were created to be. You're unique!

This piece is a strong graphic. The contrasts are strong and all the edges are hard. It's in your face! If you are making a poster or trying to communicate a message that needs to be noticed and read...this is the technique for such an occasion. Black and white ( or almost white) plus one or two other colors works every time it's tried.

In other cases, you might want the lettering to be a lot more subtle. I often do. It all depends on what you want the viewer to notice first and how close you want them to be to your piece before reading it. In some cases, you might not want it to be read at all!

The technique of painting these pots was simple. The texture was initially over the entire space. All I needed to do was paint the negative space around each one and add shading around the opening. It's fun to try and most silhouette shapes will work. Just something to think about and perhaps try.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.