swallows

A busy week in Artlandia!

With the holiday season upon us, I made and ordered this year's gift edition of 50, 5x5" digital collages.

Maybe because I'd been working with it on the computer, I also used the swallow in the next collage for this year's Zea Mays flat file submission. One funny thing, to me, is that even though I used the same file to create the polyester plates for this and the other 2 kestrel collages (one of which, it turns out, actually features a peregrine falcon), the sizes and positioning of the plate is different in each piece. This one is 20 x 16."

I also got some good nature shots this week.

The atmosphere and trees in this one look like one of my collages to me.

Cute creature shot of the week - Momiji showing off his cute little paw pad dot.

other kestrel, family visit, and snow

A busy week in Artlandia! The other kestrel made it into a new 24 x 18" collage.

Also I had a nice visit with family

There was lots of snow this week and my creatures had very different reactions to it (I vote with the feline contingent on this one :) ):

And on that topic, the landscape shot of the week is the back yard covered in snow.

kestrel and love birds

A very busy week in Artlandia!

I finished the kestrel collage, 24 x 20" - parts all glued down and color added.

I also made a new 18 x 14" collage using the love birds as a very special wedding present.

 

In creature news - since Mini was the featured-feline last week, this week I took a sweet picture of the boys (luckily there was no shortage of instances of them being adorable!)

Honey went on outdoor adventures - we're trying to enjoy the outdoors now before it gets cold and the snow comes.

Landscape shots of the week:

  

kestrel and mouse

A busy week in Artlandia!

The mission this week - move toward a kestrel collage.

This required A) finishing and printing the kestrel block (check!)

marbled paper with image for background, based on scans of
my blocks and Feline Assistant, Sr. helping with scale.

 B) tearing down and marbling the correct size paper (check)

C) creating a background image, getting it on a polyester lithography plate and printing it (check)

One issue that came up with the polyester lithography plate is that I made a single plate on the largest size available to me (10 x 15"); however, the collages I'm aiming for are 16 x 20" and 18 x 24." I could have tiled 2 plates on the press bed, but I decided to try something new and faded the image on the plate toward the edges. Then I printed a landscape block over the whole thing and used drawing materials to fill in the edges (below - polyester plate with relief over it on top, and polyester plate with relief and drawing/ painting materials below.) I think it's going to be fine...but I'm still thinking about the best technique for next time. 

Using the polyester plate is a way of combining parts onto a single plate to cut down on the number of collage parts, but I'm still adding individual elements (for example, the little trees in the lower piece.)  In theory, I think I could run the paper through the press again with the tree on a separate polyester plate, but I think I still prefer the collage pieces because I can change my mind and move them around.

Then I drew/ painted more and cut out the kestrel and a mouse and other parts (and that's as far as I got - I haven't glued anything down yet). I haven't decided yet whether/ how much more color I want to use.

I also went to figure drawing for the first time in a while and I think it went ok for been away.

I got some beautiful landscape photos from a visit to Clermont.

Also, I have tree-envy for this beautiful Japanese maple in my neighborhood.

 In creature news, Honey loves fall walks!

And I caught this adorable picture of Mini in her basket.