Another face and some small abstracts

I wanted to see what other images I could combine with faces, so I used a Ferris Wheel from Navy Pier in Chicago, an image of the original Ferris Wheel that was made for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and the face of the inventor, George Washington Gale Ferris. (Ferris was born in my town of Galesburg, Illinois; he was named after the town's founder, George Washington Gale.) I turned the older wheel on its side for a more dramatic layout.

I have a growing pile of paper from "leftovers" after combining strips from three variations of images to build each artwork. So... I made some 6x6 and 8x8 abstracted landscapes using those leftover strips of paper. It was fun to work solely with color fields and design.

Art Trade

I admired a table runner my friend Penny had made and asked if I could commission one from her. We decided to do an art trade instead. She quilted a beautiful table runner with six matching napkins for me and I made her an abstract collage that looks a bit like a quilt. I used leftover pieces from previous collages and handmade art papers to build the composition.
Here's a link to Penny's quilting blog:
Studio Notes

Friends

Thinking today about the amazing group of people I have in my life and call my friends...

... I made the above 6x6x2 collage yesterday, in part because I wanted to try the grid/quilt experiment again after the 4x4 from last week, but also in response to reading my friend Penny's blog about improvisational quilting. She had posted about reading a "collection of essays by the composer Roger Sessions, Questions about Music.....The book includes two essays on composing; lots of analogies to the process of creating a work of art. For example, he talks about a composition being built on element of association and contrast. I tend to be drawn to fabrics closely associated with each other, and have to push myself to bring in the element of contrast of value and hue." I, too, had noticed the similarities in making music and art and wanted to make another piece that had a quilt feel, included music, and maybe a hint of a conversation about their associations. I'm calling the piece "44 notes."

... I set up my booth with over 20 small collages at the Seminary Street event last night. I received a lot of good feedback, but it seemed to be a crowd intent on trying the free food and drink samples, enjoying the music and looking at the art – not buying. I held one piece back for a potential buyer, and was feeling rather deflated by the whole experience. But, then good friends helped dismantle and pack up the booth and invited us over for a drink and snacks and lightened my mood (same dear friends who bought two collages from me last week!). My dear friend in Montana called this morning to give me a pep talk (same friend who asked me to send collages out for her to take to a couple Montana galleries on my behalf!).

... So, with inspiration, encouragement and support from my friends and husband, I'll keep making art and finding the right avenues to show and sell it so that I can continue following my bliss. Thank you.