For more adventures with our March Mixed-Media Challenge, I decided to start with another favorite vacation photo--and I know what you're thinking, but no, that's not me in the white nightie. :) I chose an image I snapped through the gate of a gorgeous antebellum home in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina--whenever I look at it, I think back to that perfect spring day, strolling the streets and taking in the sights.
I also jumped at the chance to use one of the vintage book covers I blogged about a few weeks back (Click! You can download one too!), and was happy to discover that my small collection of vintage ephemera contained an old card from inside a library book that tied in perfectly. I loved the red of the carpet on the book cover, so I used red paint to trace the intricate design of the gate in my photo, and the rest of the work developed from there.
Today marks the official launch of MyCraftivity.com. If you have been a member of our community through these weeks of testing and tweaking the site, thank you for you participation (and, of course, for your patience)! If you are a new member: Welcome, welcome, welcome. We sincerely hope that here in MyCraftivity you will find a community that enriches your craft. And if you like what you see, we hope you'll spread the word!
Starting today, we will have a new free (yes, really! free!) downloadable project every week here at the Mixed-Media + Collage blog. This week's curious download is from Altered Curiosities by Jane Wynn. For the free download--and to learn more about the project (and the book)--click here!
Don't miss out; the project will be free this week only. The good news, of course, is that next week another will take it's place.
Hi, it's me, Christine. I’m really a scrapbooker at heart, so using personal imagery in my art (the March Challenge as set forth the Mixed Media team earlier this month) wasn’t the hard part for me. The hard part was to not make a scrapbook page but a mixed-media masterpiece. OK, well, I didn’t do that, but I did stretch beyond my norm by first starting with a canvas covered board (12 x 16 inches) and an 8 x 10 photo.
I took Jessica’s advice from my previous blog post and painted the edges of the photo to incorporate it into the background. I then added layers of paper (Anna Griffin), more paint, more paper (BoBunny Designs), the rub-ons (Making Memories), more paint washes (to kick back the darkness of the rub-ons), some pencil scribbles, some pencil journaling which I then wrote over with ink (once the ink was dry, I tried to erase the pencil lines underneath, but the eraser also took away some of the ink, which I liked the look of very much) and a little more paint. Whew.
I guess that’s the difference between what I do when I’m scrapbooking and what I do when I’m mixed-media-ing. When I’m scrapbooking I’m content with just a few pieces of paper, my photos and a bit of journaling. With this, I just wanted to keep adding more—more layers, more playing, more stuff until I was happy with it. And on a lazy weekend with no set agenda, it was the perfect project for me.
I
always find it so inspiring to talk with Corey Moortgat—she’s kind and
introspective and very thoughtful about her art. Because March’s Mixed-Media
Monthly Challenge is inspired by her work
and her book, The Art of Personal Imagery, we thought you’d all enjoy
a bit of Q&A with this talented artist. Last Friday we learned a bit about
Corey’s artistic philosophy and creative process. This week, we’ll learn more about where
she sees personal imagery fitting into the mixed-media community—and we’ll have
a little fun, too.
Jessica: What signs have you seen of a movement in the mixed-media community toward work
that uses personal imagery more and more?
Corey: I think that the paper arts revolution that began several years ago is going
through some changes. As a community, we have all evolved and learned from each
other, and are realizing that there’s more to this style of artwork than sepia
tones and fairy wings and mimicking the same styles over and over. Many artists
are looking for ways to make their artwork unique, and looking for new imagery.
It’s only natural that we would start turning to more personal imagery, since
it does not look like all the other art that we see, and is a way to express
ourselves.
Jessica: Your artwork seems to have crossover appeal to scrapbookers... And it’s no
secret that some mixed-media/collage artists run the other way as soon as they
hear that word. Why do you think there is such a discrepancy between the two?
Can’t we all just get along?
Corey: I think that the barrier between the two communities is slowly breaking down.
There are so many crossover artists, like myself, that are making the line less
and less distinct. Those of us who began in the mixed-media community see the
amazing products and paper available to scrapbookers (not to mention a lot of
fabulous art), and traditional scrapbookers are becoming less strict about
layouts, etc., turning to mixed-media techniques. We all just need to be open
to the possibility that the other “side” has some fantastic ideas and
inspiration from which we can all benefit!
Jessica: When you go into your studio to work, what’s the first thing you do?
Corey: I usually have an idea in mind, or at least a starting image I want to use, so
I begin with pulling that out. Then I just go from there, with one thing
leading to the next! I don’t use many materials when I work, and I always clean
my space when I’m finished, so I don’t need a lot of prep time. This is handy,
since usually my only art time is during my kids’ naps, and my time is limited!
Jessica: If you were an acrylic paint, what color would you be?
Corey: I have a craft paint that’s called Caribbean Blue, which is a bright aqua. It
seems that this color, straight from the jar, always seems to be the perfect
accent in my artwork, so I think that would be my vote!
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Visit
Corey’s blog for more crafty goodness from this inspiring artist. Lucky for all of us, there are still more
than two full weeks left to try this month’s challenge! What better day to
start than today?
Hi, everyone--Jessica, here. You may have noticed I'm having some technical difficulties and I have to keep logging in as Tonia, so I'm wondering if it's less confusing to identify myself at the beginning of each post instead of just at the end. Or you can just go on thinking I'm Tonia, which is fine by me! I'm a Tonia fan.
For my first foray into the use of personal imagery, I thought I’d ease myself into the challenge by using a modern photo I had taken that had personal meaning, but a sense of timeless charm on its own. I decided on a photo I snapped of an amazing 300-year-old oak tree on a visit to Boone Hall Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina, last spring. Inspired by Corey Moortgat’s use of symbolism in her work, I decided to choose vintage ephemera that represented other aspects of Southern charm: A page torn from an old book (an ode to Southern literature, a favorite of mine), a recipe card (what would a Southern collage be without down home cooking?), the stamped image of a belle-like dress and an old-fashioned bottle cap I used to add pattern and texture.
By painting over portions of the modern photo, then incorporating those same paint colors elsewhere on the piece; adding texture with a paper towel; and layering acrylic craft paints over the entire piece, I managed to include a glossy modern image among other ephemera without making it look out of place. The result is not my favorite work, to be sure, but it's not a bad for a first attempt, if I do say so myself.
So, y’all, when considering this month’s challenge, remember
that you can use modern personal images in your mixed-media and collage work
without necessarily choosing photos of people. You may find, as I did, that
it’s a gentle way to infuse personal significance into your work, and that once
you begin, the transition is far less daunting than it may first seem.
