STUDIO IDEAS

Ever since I began being a guest "talent" on various creative TV programs like HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show & The Discovery Channel withThe Christopher Lowell Show, and others, I have been asked about my own artwork, and what I personally love to do - so I thought it was time to "show & tell"   

I am addicted to acrylics for both my 2 or 3 dimensional projects.  I work in various disciplines, but collage and mixed media (the options are limitless) are my passions.   

Boro, a Japanese word that translates as scraps of cloth, or even rags, the term actually applies to the clothing that was worn by the peasants and other village folk not of the aristocracy.  

Frequently patched, it inspires a "wabi sabi sensitivity these collages. 

 Most of these pieces were created with a combination of acrylic paints, mediums & (of course) handmade and handpainted papers

 These 3 pieces were actually created right on the beach - we tossed our canvas into the waves, then threw dry sand on them, manipulating, the sand until we were happy with the pattern, then stabilized it with a mixture of acrylic gloss medium and water.  After everything "set up" we added our acrylic paints and more medium.

"Ancestors" was an exploration not only of human history, but also that of materials - this piece incorporates part of an old shipping crate, exterior house paint after a fire, bits of melted plastic and cast-off rags. 

I used our Orient Express Papers in all of the above collages.  They are a very absorbent paper and take acrylic paint and staine exceptionally well, and I love the ancient parchment, scrool look they give to my pieces.