Seeds

steps like seeds

A new start

There’s a joke going around: Why is 2020 is a unique leap year? Because February had 29 days, and March had 500.

We are in April now. Spring at last. In the morning light, these seed pods look like modern sculpture.

COVID-19 has handed me a sort of surprise retirement. Into that space old knowledge/longing reappeared: Time to plant. This weekend I dragged pots to the porch, found the last bit of potting soil. Parsley, dill, zinnias, morning glories, some seeds like sand that will be a surprise. Ordered marigolds and nasturtiums. Hope grows in the garden.

I began a collage series by painting over stacks of class handouts, stuff I won’t need now. It felt great to sweep color across page after page. But the color's I’d mixed were disappointing. The papers looked dull when they dried. Gave it one more go with stencils.

Leftover paints softened the ground papers, 4” cards from scrap Bristol. Tear, rip, rearrange, repeat.

The small acts of creation provided a way back in after weeks of paralysis.

Painted papers mingled with materials found around the house. Color crept in. Gold, green, red. A reflection of returning energy. Sap moving up the tree. There should be leaves soon.

We are all like seeds, waiting for the signal to grow. From what I read, our growth will be slow and unlike what we have known before. So what pieces can we use now, at home? Make do. Be patient. Create with the supplies at hand.

Mail Art - Introduction to Collage

Happiness

friends and art supplies

This weekend I taught Mail Art at my studio in Lowell. It’s a playful day of paper collage, designed for beginners or anyone interested in a carefree afternoon of art.

This groups’ talent and bravery was inspiring.

We started by tearing out magazine pages, to create a mini-stash of images and text. Next we painted junk papers with acrylic. This step was a real surprise to my students, so lots of discoveries and questions.

After a lunch, we reviewed collage basics and they began their personal work. We were working small, but they amazed me and themselves with the complexity of imagery created.

Several pieces were good enough that framing was in order. An alternative to shipping it off as a card. So added a talk on how to save and reproduce your work to share it. So much easier now than when I started a million years ago.

The goal: a foundation for creative work at home. They succeeded.

Unexpected Journey

Future Past

Artistic company can work like critical mass. Thank you to my students in this spring’s Expressive Collage at Arlington Center for the Arts. Together we created a room that embraced creation. Music in the background. Supplies spread out. Ideas shared. On my table: papers the colors of sky and fire, plus text and pages from an old book. The rhythm of time together each week meant progress for all our work.

Do you like to work alongside others? Do you prefer privacy when you create?