Authentic style, part 2

I'm continuing with my link-up to WhisperWood Cottage Authentic Style Series...read part 1 of my post here...

Amy of WhisperWood Cottage had six areas of design focus that she covered in her first post - read all about her post here...

In this post, I'll cover my take on Unique with quite a bit of Creative/Thrifty thrown in...










My family lives in a 1902 Victorian...it has high ceilings...the stairway to the second floor has very high ceilings.  When we moved in, everything had been painted contractor white...for the most part, we took care of eliminating that white pretty soon after we moved.  But the stairwell was a challenge...not only was the ceiling very high, the walls turned and slanted with the roof line making painting out the white difficult...there had to be another solution...and there was!

I thought it would be best to somehow divide the area in half - the white walls, combined with the window at the top of the stairs, brought in a lot of natural light to the area.  I decided to leave the top portion white and paint the bottom portion of the wall the same color as the front hallway...and then designed a dictionary page collage for the demarcation.

I used a variety of book pages from five different dictionaries (don't even ask how many dictionaries I have...being a collage artist and knowing that old dictionaries are in abundant supply, I pick them up whenever I see them...the varieties of type, graphics and page colors is astounding...and so it's only natural that I have very many...)  I used my standard mixture of Elmer's glue and water for the "paste"...I had a ruler on hand to ensure that everything lined up and didn't tilt to one side.

I ran the collage up the side wall, along the back wall and ended at the top of the stairs where the wall turned right at the bathroom door moulding.  I finished the collage with a very light coat of Johnson's paste wax.

Its been the perfect solution to our white wall dilemma - and I never tire of looking at it.
Be sure to check out the other creative design ideas in the series...and discover your own authentic style...

A patriotic pause

A vintage montage from my space at Faded Elegance...Happy 4th of July!

and linking up to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House...check it out...

Back at it...

For many, this holiday weekend will mean cookouts, celebrations, parades and fireworks...for me, it will mean a few days in my studio, prepping for my August art show...don't get me wrong - I love having a couple of hours to work in the studio...once I have the initial idea, it helps to have sufficient time to begin gluing/attaching/waxing without stopping...

These are my initial compositions for my next set of collages...I'm still enamored with old book covers for the foundation...this series will explore artist tools...

And I'll do a little celebrating too...hopefully the sun will shine long enough here that we can have a cookout...enjoy your weekend whatever you have planned!

Vote Now - the lines are open!

The 18th Juried Art Show opens at the Schack Center on Thursday, June 30 and runs until August 25.  My multi-media collage, "Time" was accepted for this gallery show.  The opening reception is Thursday evening which includes award presentations...including a special award (of $200!) to the piece that receives the most votes on Facebook...I guess its American Idol meets the Art World!

In any case - voting is happening now and continues until tomorrow, Wednesday June 29...so hop over the Schack Center Facebook page - click here - and then click on "Vote for Entries" in the left sidebar - and then find my piece (Time by Amy Duncan) and click "Like"!  You don't have to live in the Puget Sound area - anyone can vote!

This starving artist appreciates your support!

A weekend Retreat

unplug that phone...I'm taking a break!

On Saturday, my friend Sue and I travelled north
to the Retreat Summer Vintage Market...
Deb and Bob Kennedy hosted 20+ vintage/antique
artisians in their bucolic country field...
though the day was rather cloudy, my eye wandered
to bright summer hues...

Adorable stuffed toys from hasenpfeffer incorporated...a beautiful blue painted buffet from Seabold Vintage Market...

Tammy Gilley Studios had a bright, summery booth...loved her use of textiles and color...

Of course the Barn House booth was lovely...I bought a packet of old recipe cards...perfect for collage.  My other purchase at the market was several rusty casters that I'm going to attach to a couple of wood crates I have.  On our way back home, Sue & I stopped at a roadside berry stand (strawberries are finally coming on!) and at the local thrift store where I bought a good collection of Buffalo China for $5.  When I looked through the recipe cards and saw that there was one for Strawberry Jam, I just knew it was meant to be...

I'm linking up to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House  and Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures...stop by for a look...

light as a feather

kim klassen inspiration studio: Wings II...

 

My photo celebrating the theme of White over at Kim Klassen Inspiration Studio is being featured today - Thank you I-Studio and Kristin of Faded Prairie!