Postcards: A Reply for Pam

Pam sent me a very nice card that she colored, encouraging me to transform anger into energy.  You know me; I found the wording to be dangerously unspecific.  Pam and I work together though, so I interpreted her card to be a call to turn my anger into productive and constructive energy. And so on to my reply card! 

I taped it up, and started throwing down ink washes.

Then I used my fish and lobster stamps.  The fish I used with a bronze ink.

Once again, I wanted to find a way to use this postage stamp.  I think it adds an interesting little bit of implied history.  Carley does not agree, and so the postage stamp was abandoned.

Postcards: And Then There Was Westen

Sometimes I just sit on a collage element, waiting for an opportunity to use it.  I have a dachshund that I have tried to fit in sooo many postcards, but it just has not fit.  Likewise, I spent quite a while hoping for a design appropriate for this bird. 

I have been thinking for some time about how to combine collage elements with handwritten or painted elements, and so I wanted to have a go at that.  I made the background brown again using the walnut ink, and glued down the bird.  I then cut down the chocolate wrapper as a framing border.

Cool.  I have my non-white background.  I have my sweet collage bird.  I have my gold border down.  I just need to find a quote that works with imagery.

"They tried to be too clever and that was their undoing."  For me, it works with the image of the tool using bird, but also as a description of a lot my recent art.  I have better ideas than I can implement (or that is what I tell myself).  That gold border is a mess.  The letters are wonky from word to word.  But it is an Agatha Christie quote, going to an Agatha Christie fan.  Hopefully it is enjoyed.  

Postcards: A Simpler Decision

Before leaving for Denmark, my friend Maryanne asked her friends if they wanted anything from her European adventures; can you guess what I asked for?

A postcard!  Pretty sweet, right? This is The Merry Cherry Show in Tivoli by Ib Antoni.  I am so happy to have received this!  I had to craft a response!

I started off with a postcard I ordered from Social Print Studio of one my Instagram photos.  I felt that it wasn't flashy enough, so I added a band from a cigar label.

I actually thought it looked pretty good just like that.  Did my "at least three elements" rule of collage apply if the base was one of my photos?  I thought adding a border would be in the spirit of my aesthetic.  One of the many good tips I have received from my sister: when in doubt, add a border.  I first tried the gold wrapper from a chocolate bar.

Since the wrapper was not the right size and kind of flat in comparison to all the detail in the cigar wrapper, I dove into Carley's washi tape collection.  I found a gold detailed tape, and ran with that as my border.

Postcards: Shaun's Corn Collage

Sometimes these things get away from me.  It is not an unheard of problem.  Many an artwork would have been better off if the artist had stopped 60% of the way through.  It is easy to get lost in what feels like refinement.  That is not quite what happened here, but I have been talking recently with other artists about productivity vs perfection, and effort vs return.  You are likely to hear more musings on these topics soon.

Below you see the first two images combined.  I was drawn to the expressiveness of both images, and used them as my jumping off point.  I have yet to even trim both images to fit the card stock.  I also missed removing the background within the elbow of the corn; I will attempt to hide this sin with text.

I found words that I felt complemented the image well, and played around with their placement.  I should not have glued the corn down before this stage; I would have preferred to have some of the text run underneath it.

Here is where it completely got away from me.  I think I could have made the additional text work, if I could have slid pieces underneath the corn.  I tried to force it, and the composition was weakened.

Finally, I added the logo to the lower right hand corner, just to balance the added elements.

Barista Powers: Well Played

Maggie I. is one of the lovely participants of the postcard exchange, but I learned an important lesson about having your facts straight before sassing a Maggie.

Postcards: This AI Judges.

Check out this crazy awesome drawing that I will one day attempt to recreate as a photo!

I don't know that I will ever achieve such awesome.  But I did respond with one of my best collages to date.

It really feels like one of my most successful collages.  I have sent it in texts to friends, and, knowing me, I will likely also share it on Instagram.

Barista Powers: A Bit Of Art

My hearing is not great, and it leads to some... creative guesses.  I drew this at the last Barista Team Meeting.

Can you guess what I thought I heard?

Maybe that's what Doug said, and maybe that's what he was picturing when he said it, but my guess is no.

I also drew this, but just because I miss Maren's constant barrage of ideas.

Barista Powers: Guest Comic

Kenny steps up where I have failed!

A little context: Culinary meetings are regularly on Wednesdays, and involve closing some locations a little early.  We put up signs in the cafes, and warnings on the internal site, but it can still be rough on some of our customers.