How do I begin...

I was recently asked by a friend about how I begin a collage...do I have an idea and then go looking for the materials to pull it together...or do I start with a piece of ephemera that inspires me and go from there...

I thought for a minute...it really had me stop for a moment and consider...
"How do I begin?"

More often than not, its a piece of paper, a scrap of material, a torn page, a faded photograph that sets my mind wheeling...thus begins the process...

My most recent collage series started with a trio of vintage seed packets...ones that I picked up many years ago...the vivid colored vegetables along with their European monikers motivated me to action...I started collecting materials...















I painted three wooden boards coordinating pastel colors...and glued down the first layer of papers...since I wanted these three collages to relate to one another, I used similar (though not identical) papers with each collage...

The names of each of the vegetables included reference to three European cities so that guided my choices...London, Paris and Florence...old atlas maps, historical timelines and garden/botanical pages were all gleaned for inclusion...I wanted to include a piece of silverware on each collage for the crowning touch...auditioning forks for the Florence collage was a challenge...which one would fit the best...

Eventually all fell into place...the trio now complete...

You can see this trio for yourself...I'll be one of the artists participating in the Fresh Paint art show this coming weekend, August 15-16 at the Everett Marina...
please, stop by, say hi and chat with me a bit...I'd love to see you...

Reconstruction

I've been working on collages for summer art shows...
and in keeping with my word(s) for the year, dig deep, I am doing just that...

I've dug out a few past collages that somehow didn't work...
and taking them apart...removing some elements, tearing apart others, cutting portions out...

and then combining the elements back together, strengthening the composition, adding in new objects, layering on paint or transfers...











This piece originally started out much larger with a long vertical orientation...I cut it apart and turned one of the cut paper portions on its side...other torn pieces were discarded or sanded down...

I've had the typewriter key image for a while...it was an transfer process on metal that went awry...forgot to flip the image before printing...but it was still compelling so I held onto it...and for good reason...

I thought I was finished with the collage but something seemed to be missing...the theme of the piece is "all in the day's work of a bird"

a feather tied on with jute twine was the last serendipitous touch...


















Reconstruction has been happening on other fronts too...with all the changes in social media, I've been thinking about the best creative outlet for me...re-examining what works and what doesn't...maybe you've noticed that blog posts have diminished...when I started blogging five years ago, this was the only mechanism for sharing one's inspired thoughts and ideas...though I love this format for more in-depth topics, it is not my sole platform any more...so my schedule for blog posts is going to change from 2-3 per week to 2-3 per month...but if you want a daily hit of four corners design, please hop over to Instagram...my user name is fourcornersdesign...its quick, its on the go, its a photo with a tagline...a little hit of eye candy each day...

and if you want to see my collage work up close and personal...please visit me at my upcoming show - 
Shoreline Arts Festival, June 27-28...I'll be in the Artist Marketplace...get all the details on the event here

Welcome 2015

A new day...a new year...filled with promise and possibility...

I don't write out resolutions...it seems so rigid to me...

Years ago I heard about the practice of deciding on a word for the year...I liked this idea...
a touchstone...something to guide my actions during the year...lead a course of action...help to set me straight...

Last year's word was direction...which was apt...I didn't know where I was going - literally...we had talked about moving...but with no determinations, it made it difficult to make decisions in other areas.  A month of travel in June settled that question...no moving...a good, sound decision...and from there, other plans, actions and ideas took hold...

So my word for 2015 is actually two words...
dig deep

As I contemplated these words, an image emerged...and spurned me to create...
blending together five of my own photographs comprised the final composition...

pushing me to go below the surface...
      explore and examine...
      refine and reflect...

to know that there is more than meets the eye...and that a depth of understanding - in regard to my level of commitment as an artist, the refinement of the craft of my skills, the breath of my willingness to encourage creativity in my life and foster the same in others...will be the root of the path I follow in this year...


As it has been since the beginning, this blog will be the journal of that journey...I hope you will follow along... 
and the best to all as we start 2015...

On the horizon

The next three months are going to jam-filled...lots of activity...some art-related...some not!  But I wanted to let you know about three art-related events that, if you are in the area, you might want to look into...

First up...
the Artist Garage Sale
June 7, 8am - 3pm
Schack Art Center, Downtown Everett

This annual event rounds up a bevy of artists who are cleaning out their studios...from supplies and tools to original art, everything is priced to go...I'm clearing out a TON of supplies...selling it by the box or bagful...and also getting rid of original art collages...

New this year is an "early bird" entrance ticket...gives you first crack at the good stuff...get all the details on the Schack Art Center site...

detail of "The Botanist's Study" by Amy Duncan

Second on the list...
I was notified this week that one of my collages has been accepted into the 19th Biennial Juried Art Show...highlighting the best of artists in the area, I'm honored to be included...details on the exhibit and a listing of the artists can be found here...my art friends Lisa Myers Bulmash and Lisa JonesMoore both have incredible pieces in this show...I'm in excellent company!





And Third...
Fresh Paint in August!  This annual juried show, held August 16 & 17 at the Everett Marina, not only gives you the chance to see 75 artists showcase their work...but watch as they demonstrate their artistic skill with hands-on activity.  I will have several original collages, both multi-media and digital available...I'm excited about the new direction I've taken this year with my work...this digital collage, The Primer, is one such example...

So mark your calendars...let's make a date...
please stop and say hi if you attend the Artist Garage Sale or Fresh Paint - I'd love to see you!

Pay it forward

A couple of weeks ago, I signed up to participate in an art swap...a "Pay it Forward" exchange where you received a piece of art from one artist while you sent out 5 pieces of art to others...

I signed up via artjuvenation, the blog of artist John Arbuckle...I met John last year at the workshop I took from Seth Apter...its been a joy getting to know John who has a wonderful way with collage, especially incorporating color into the mix...

I received my collage from John...and I am thrilled with it...

You can read John's creative process about this piece here...

and you'll notice that the collage is perched so picture perfect on a shelf...I've been heading up a month-long exercise of posting "shelfies" on Instagram...the newest design craze where you post an interesting composition situated on a  shelf that gives a view into your world...much more creative than the selfie...

Its been fun to see the submissions from around the globe...and with one week left in the month, its not too late to join in...look for me on Instagram under fourcornersdesign...and tag your photos with #shelfieaday ...look forward to seeing all the creative eye-candy today...hopefully your shelfie will be in the lineup!

color, texture, tone

these three attributes sum up my art...and my home...and really, me...

I like the subtle...the simple...

I've been working on a new series of collages...where its more about the tones and the textures...
with just a hint of color...

Likewise, me and my home and studio are about tones and textures...nothing jumping out at you or screaming "look at me!" They say that if you look around a person's home, you often get a good idea of what clothing they wear...people have a tendency to gravitate to the same colors time and again...

So it should be no surprise that I wear lots of natural colors...white, tan, gray, black...
and that its usually all natural - cotton, wool, linen...

ahhh... linen...how much do I love linen...the nubby texture, the nuance of color, the casual wrinkled look...

When I heard about Rough Linen...well...it was meant to be...

Thanks to Kim Klassen, I visited their site...all linen...bedsheets, tablecloths, napkins...and a pinafore...

Back in the 8th grade, I made a floral denim apron...and wore it over my jeans with a t-shirt...I don't remember where the inspiration for this came from...most likely Seventeen Magazine...it was the early 1970's...we thought we were being hippy...

Seeing this pinafore brought all those memories back...plus it was in my favorite fabric...in my favorite (non)color - natural...as soon as the Southern Man saw it, he said "you gotta get it - its Amy clothes..."

It arrived...I love it...wearing it as I work in the studio...the pockets hold my tools and my ever-present rag towel...and since it wraps around you, there's no constricting ties...

one less thing to hassle about...slip it on...and I can get back to creating...

Cleaning up

I've been cleaning up my studio work table...when I finish a project, I like to clear the decks in the likelihood when inspiration strikes again, I am ready!  With the altered book for my sister's birthday completed, I was doing just that two weeks ago...when a few snippets caught my eye...  

I often challenge myself to create a collage with whatever is remaining on the top of my table...when the choices are limited, it seems to increase the promise of an interesting composition...here is my result...the only addition was a scrap of cardboard for a foundation...

With this collage completed, I was not content to rest...as I progress in my involvement with my online class, Photoshop Grunge, I've become intrigued with layering photographs of mine on top of scanned images of my paper collages...for a different interpretation of my original composition...so I scanned my collage and started creating version #2...

Working in Photoshop, I layered another photograph of mine (the tree in the lower left corner) and the owl image from the Rijksmuseum (did you know that you can access and use for free several images from the museum...talk about a vintage vibe!)  Additional layers for texture were added as well...giving this piece a more complicated story than the original...

I'm liking the ability to freely create with version #2...if something doesn't quite work out, its easy to remove an element...not so easy with version #1 when glue is involved!

And speaking of cleaning up...working on a major clean-up of my etsy shop...stay tuned for details...there's going to be some smokin' deals!

Word for the year

With the start of the new year, its time for a new word...a word that will focus my energy for the months ahead.  Better than resolutions, it seems to me to be more positive...

I started picking out a word a couple of years after reading about this practice on other blogs...last year's word was "essence"...to delve more deeply into my art, both in terms of execution as well as intent...

As I began to ponder a word for this year, I knew that it would need to be broader than just thinking about art...the Southern Man and I have plans in the works that will influence every aspect of our lives here...so I thought my word might be "determine" or "decisive"  or  "resolve"...but the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't decide...which seemed rather ironic given my word choices!

And finally one day, it occurred to me...as I was working on a new collage...my word is "direction"

I need to have a direction to follow...a path/road/map as to what will unfold in the months ahead...
like the branches I collected from my yard after the weekend wind storm...

they generally point upward...but there are some branches that break off to the side...while others are tangled within, twisted together...























Everything does not need to align perfectly...but I need to have a sense of where I am going...so "direction" it is!

edited with kk texture 100 - color at 75% and soft light at 51%

Do you pick a word for the year?  Care to share?

joining the group over at Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday...why don't you join me?

Kick start

With the new year, comes new beginnings...
I find at the start of the year, I'm always ready to plunge into an art project to get the creative juices flowing...

Opportunity met up with inspiration when I read about Lesley Riley's call for submissions. Lesley recently published the book, Quotes Illustrated, which is a compilation of artistic interpretations of selected quotes.  The initial run of the book caught the eye of a larger publisher, so Lesley is re-vamping the book and thus looking for additional art submissions that will lead to a bigger and better version in the fall.  I emailed her with my information and the quote that I wanted to illustrate...once I got the go-ahead, I worked to create three different interpretations of the quote.  I was allowed to submit two illustrations...which can't be shared here...but I thought I would share the third illustration which was not submitted...

the quote is one of my favorites...

I'm experimenting with a new art process...incorporating a scan of an original multi-media collage with layers of original photographs...image on top of image...some parts revealed...other parts obscured...

There's still time to submit illustrations if you're interested...but the clock is ticking...get all the info over at Lesley's site - www.lesleyriley.com/weblog

With inspiration flowing freely...and having the enthusiasm of the new year, I decided to start cleaning up my office and my studio in the spirit of fresh projects to begin...I like giving myself the challenge of creating a collage from the scrapes leftover on my work table...limitations has its virtues...

I found a few snitchels of paper targets...you might remember that I participated in the Target Practice Project with a host of other artists...all coordinated by Laura Tringali Holmes...you can read about the project and see all the artist submissions here...

so with bits of targets...and a few other scraps...I created the King Charmer...

After the completion of the paper collage, I scanned the image and then continued to layer texture over it via Photoshop...it was great to be able to experiment with different techniques and applications without ruining the original composition if something didn't turn out as I expected...















As I stated at the start...a new year always brings renewed enthusiasm...I've been clearing out my studio...and getting ready to re-stock my etsy shop with great finds and vintage treasures, along with original art collages...now if the weather would just cooperate with a few sunny days so I could take decent pictures...stay tuned!