Library catalogue card number 1157. Smooches anyone?😜 . #vintagewallpaper #vintagepaper #vintageephemera #fish #paintedpaper #oldpaper #oldbooks #analogcollage #the100dayproject #foundwords #arteveryday #cutandpaste #cutandpastecollage #analogcollage #dailycollage #dailypractice #handcutcollage #gluepaperscissors #scissorsandglue #collage #collagework #collageeveryday #collageaday #collagestash #collageartist #collagefodder #collageartwork #collageandpaint #collageoftheday #collage_creatives #collagemaker

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Why, oh why do I not sit down to create more? It feels so good!!!😍 This was yesterday's exploration. The first picture is where it sits now and the others are progress and detail shots. I'm really really really ready to work on something BIGGER! . #analogcollage #mixedmedia #markmaking #mixedmediaartist #mixedmediaart #collage_creatives #collageart #collagemaker #collagescraps #arteveryday #artexploration #oldbooks #oldpaper #vintagepaper #vintagecollage #collage #collageartwork #collageandpaint #paintandpaper #ephemera #vintageephemera #gluepaperscissors #scissorsandglue #collagework #collageeveryday #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #abstractcollage #collagefodder #collageartist

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Library catalogue card number 1156. Life is pleasant 😍 . #seashell #poppies #birdsandblooms #bird #birdcollage #arteveryday #analogcollage #oldpaper #oldbooks #vintagepaper #vintagecollage #foundwords #the100dayproject #cutandpastecollage #cutandpaste #handcutcollage #collage_creatives #paperandglue #gluepaperscissors #scissorsandglue #dailycollage #collageaday #collageeveryday #collageart #collagefodder #collagestash #collagemaker #collage #collageartist #collageoftheday

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Raise your hands if you have more than five online classes that you have purchased and never actually watched....🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️ You don't want to know what my number is... My current goal is to actually DO them...novel concept, huh?🤪😜 These pictures are from chapter one of @mark.eanes.studio Language of Design. I'm having so much fun actually DOING! . #linework #artfirst #artexperiment #artexploration #onlineworkshop #gesturalabstraction #markmaking #abstractart #abstract_art #workshop #worksonpaper #cutitup #line #design #exploring #ink #charcoaldrawing #artwork #lifelonglearning #alwayslearning #arteveryday #creatingforhappiness #createeveryday #goals #teachme #inspired #mixedmedia #mixedmediaartist #collagefodder #collagestash

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Library catalogue card number 1155. Dyspepsia was her stage name...😜🤪 . #dyspepsia #floral #inspiredbynature #dressedup #dontforget #analogcollage #surrealcollage #foundwords #the100dayproject #oldbooks #oldpaper #vintageephemera #vintagepaper #vintagecollage #partydress #collage_creatives #collagemaker #collageart #collageaday #collageeveryday #cutandpastecollage #cutandpaste #cutitout #dailycollage #dailypractice #handcutcollage #papercollage #collagework #collageartist #collageartwork

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Evolution of a Painting-Seuss Tornado

I am just finishing up an intensive 12 week course with Nicholas Wilton. The class has been a roller-coaster between "I'm Awesome!" and "I suck. Why am I doing this?". Nick is a wonderful teacher, super-supportive and sharing. I was very hesitant to sign up back in February...It was NOT cheap...but I am so glad I did!

This painting has gone through so many iterations and may or may not be done. I thought I would share the journey...

The "Seuss Tornado" started out as thick swathes of paint on a 12x12 board.

The first layer had a ton of color. the second layer was an off-white.

I scratched back into the white layer and added tons of little details.

The white layer got a nice glaze to unify it and bring out the scratchy parts.

Now with such a beautiful background in place, I needed to define my shapes. 

I liked it at this point and thought it might be done, but the darks weren't defined enough and it was looking like timid paint application throughout. I glazed over the dark parts with blue to deepen them a bit and defined some opaque areas.

It was still to vague and I was missing areas of light light and dark dark so I went on a wild ride changing it up completely! Now it is "Seuss with a dark side". I didn't plan the monster...He just showed up... :)

 

Celebrating 10 Years of Fish Mailart

I can't believe that I've been making mailart for 10 years! Since fish have always figured prominently in my mailart I thought it would be fun to feature one fishy postcard from each of the past ten years. The one fan of my blog already knows this, but I went to school for Marine Biology and somehow ended up in an office instead of on the water. At least I can see the ocean from my office....

One of my very first postcards ever was this alluring gem from 2007

I loved sushi back in 2008 and I still love it now!

By 2009 I was playing with more painted backgrounds. This one has some paper napkin too.

 

In 2010, I did a little more dabbling with paint. I should probably try to paint some of these fish now that I've been painting longer and honed my skills. I remember being REALLY impressed with myself back when I made this.

 

I chose "Fish by the numbers" to represent 2011. Boy do I have a lot of ephemera...

Now I'm thinking that I really should use some more of my hoard of ephemera and make some more collaged cards like this beauty from 2012.

I did a bunch of teaching in 2013 and this postcard came about during an image transfer class.

In 2014, I was collecting wool sweaters in earnest and felting them. One of my many projects was this argyle flounder. he survived the mail just as you see him in the picture.

A nice simple altered vintage postcard for 2015. That reminds me, I have a pile of unused vintage postcards hanging around here somewhere.....

This postcard for 2016 is one of my favorites. I love taking lots of disparate pieces and melding them together. this one has an old plot plan, a cookbook bit, junk mail, scrapbook paper, and of course...fish!

I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane... Here's to 10 more years of Mailart!!