Notan and collage

 As I was having a go at Black and White as the collage theme, I realised that I have multiple sketch books (of varying sizes, A5 -A4) that I have done over the years. 

I thought some of them might inspire me. And some did!! I came across a few experiments with doodling/Zentangle that I had done in conjunction with some Notan ideas. 

So now I have played around some more! Here are a few attempts - I have yet to conquer a good way to stick the Notan pieces without making a mess - but it is a start. 

I am hoping to produce a few more that will inspire me more. 

Here is a link to a previous post I have done about this sort of thing. I don't seem to be as active on this site as I used to be, but I still find it very useful to look back at what I have been doing - as I say, it is my visual diary. 

More playing with alcohol inks.

 I have finished my tapestry and had time to have another play with the alcohol ink. I'm still not greatly enamoured of my results but enjoyed the time. 

I bought myself a hand blower, from Zart Art, and it was much better than trying to blow the ink around with a straw - despite having the window open, I was taking deep breaths to blow and could feel it affecting me. Not so with the blower. 

I found some very shiny paper this afternoon - I actually managed to do a bit of tidying up of my collage resources (not that you would notice, it isn't better looking in the room, it is just better organised).  I don't know what the paper is or where it came from but I thought it might work. It did although it tended to curl a bit with the liquid. I also tried Yupo paper again and it takes the inks well. 

I still don't know what I am trying to achieve but I had fun. There was a vague idea of getting some background for the collages but, so far, I have no inspirations from them. 

I try to take notes but get too involved in what I am doing and forget. On some of them I sprayed the alcohol, some I just dropped some on, on others I used a blender which I bought when I got the blower. I also tipped the paper in different directions to get the ink to run. It dries very quickly and doesn't always do what I am hoping for. Note to self: check that you are putting the correct lid on the bottle - I got some mixed colours when I accidentally swapped the yellow and green lids - but I did have the chance to print some circles onto the paper, using the lids. I don't think they are particularly noticeable as the inks ran over them.

So here are some pictures. 

    

This is the shiny paper that I found. 

I am not sure if it is making the inks darker or I just used different colours. 

Hmm, might have gone too far.

 I played around with the printed papers again today - not sure why I did what I did but it doesn't matter, it was me experimenting, not for any other purpose. 

Last night I added alcohol dyes to the printed papers. 

Today I tore them up and then pasted them onto a larger sheet. I didn't like the white paper showing through, so I found some discarded notes from a course, or similar, tore them up and made them the background - most of which is not visible. 

Then I glued the torn up strips onto this larger sheet.

Not sure what I might do with it now, if anything. But it is good to be feeling like experimenting again. Maybe it is the lovely early summer weather we are having, making me feel brighter. 

Almost creative!

 I am feeling a bit chuffed because I am having some creative thoughts!! 

I belong to a group of people who meet fortnightly to do paper collage. I got into it sort of accidentally because I had met the person who runs it - Anne Warren- several years ago at the Alphington Open Studios. 

Years later, we had some books to throw out and, being unable to just put them in the rubbish, I contacted her to see if she thought she could use them. The answer was yes!! 

She was just starting up a social get-together of interested people and invited me to attend. I went along, thinking I would only go the once but it has been a great social and creative meeting. We are very fortunate that the cafe that we meet at allows us to take over quite a few tables and do our thing. 

Anne has mentioned that we come from different backgrounds (artistically) and whether we could share some new ideas. I have been thinking about it and would like to contribute. Then I remembered a workshop I did with Kim Thittichai, years ago, and have been going through the notes from the class and the book that is related to what we did. (experimental textiles by Kim Thittichai). 

So this evening I have been trying some basic stuff. So far, I have used a stamp I made at the workshop and have printed with it, using acrylic paint, onto cartridge paper. 

I have then found some ink dye and gone over the background. Not great art but something to play with. I will probably tear it up into strips to make a new piece of paper. 

And I have done another piece of cartridge paper, also with acrylic paint and may try some Procyon dye on it tomorrow, when it has dried out enough. Don't want to push too hard tonight! 

I used the remains of the paint on the stamp, on the left, and it is much fainter. But I don't think it matters as I will be tearing or cutting the paper later. I think. 

Paper collage group

 I am still going along to the informal meetings of the collage group. It is fun but very different from what I usually do!!

The latest theme was Red. 

I came up with two ideas: I haven't yet committed to one or the other. I had to leave early, so got away with not sticking my pieces down. 

                        This one is about how feeling can be interpreted differently.

This one is more about one interpretation.

                        

It is interesting to see them on the computer, as photos, rather than as my unstuck ideas. It changes how I think about them. But I won't commit to it tonight, I need to take some time to decide. 

Collage art

 We had a set of books that we thought we should get rid of. They were too gorgeous to just throw away and one family member had asked a second-hand bookshop if they wanted them - no. Then I thought of Anne Warren, a collage artist who lives in my local area. 

I had heard of her several years ago when she was involved in an Open Studios thing and which I attended. I had her email address. I asked her if she would like them and she said yes. Not sure she was expecting 24 books!

From that, I was invited to attend some casual sessions at a local cafe, where a group of people meet to do paper collage. (Station 9, Fairfield - so generous of them to allow this! And they have really NICE hot chocolate.)

I have been twice and have two small collages to show for it. They are not in my usual style - at all! But it has been a great learning experience so far (and social) and I am hoping to attend more in the near future. 

Thanks Anne. 

This was done on a small paint sample. 

This is bigger (believe it or not) and is about A5 size, using images from a diary from the 1980s and an NGV magazine. 

Another good date - and lots of sorting

 Well, I know what I might be doing for the next year, or until the Covid19 virus lockdowns ease. 

I will be sorting!!

I started with the threads and yarns, then I moved on to the threads that are specifically for hand embroidery. All beautifully colour co-ordinated. I seem to have a lot of autumn colours, especially green!! Considering that I don't do that much hand embroidery, I do have a lot of thread. Some of is years and years old!! 

Now I am moving on to the shelves that have old books, street directories, bits of painted and coloured paper. I have them for those brief moments that collage takes my fancy. It isn't that often but it is another way of coming up with designs. So I will move them out of my room, into a box, then go through them at another time. By then, I might know if I will ever use them again. 

Mind you, that 'other room' is starting to look a bit daunting. 

I could sit down and go through some of them now but that would distract me from the job I am currently working on, which is just to move things and see what is there. I might even (gasp) throw some stuff out. 

I am working on the 2 minute rule - I think I 'should' do some cleaning up so I will give it 2 minutes. Then, if I feel like it, I might go a little longer. Sometimes I just do the two minutes, sometimes 2 hours. Or more. 

This is not a quick fix, it is a way of making it doable. And the other advantage is that I get to see things that I found interesting in the past and, maybe, get inspired to try again. That has been especially true of the yarns, threads and ribbons. 

I have a box of dried leaves and plants that I picked up earlier in the year, when I was enthusiastically embracing the Tara Axford workshop (online). I am getting some glimmerings of interest again and am glad that I have kept them. The ones that don't crumble when I pick them up could be new inspiration. But I do have to find a better way and place to keep them. 

The other good thing about today? I know what day it is! I totally thought it was Tuesday yesterday. But today is Thursday - 15/10/20.