Playing with Collage and Paint

 Last week, I played with friends layering collage and paint on 4x4 inch wood blocks. I like the soft, blue-green feel to these four. This is another exercise from Nick Bantock's book- The Trickster's Hat- A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity.

Spring Weather Grams

Happy Spring
Blessed with wonderful calligraphy and poet friends.

Columbia Gorge Book of River Memories

This origami box contains my final class project. The box cover is made from a photo in the Friends of the Colombia Gorge newsletter.

Inside is the 2¼ x 2¼ inch book of River Memories.

The front cover is lettered in Uncial on painted tyvek.

The diamond fold meander book structure fit the theme.

The book is hand lettered in walnut ink in Bookhand and Uncial on Arches watercolor paper.

I wrote the poem in a Paulann Peterson writing class last summer. It represents a lifetime of many memories of trips up the Gorge.

River Memories

River memories run deep in my heart

West to East- a shift in color

lush to dry, fir to pine- Wind.

Dog Mountain to Memaloose- balsamroot, lupine, paintbrush

a chocolate lily, shooting stars, a whiff of lilac

wildflower Heaven every Spring.

Cascade vistas reward hikers on steep trails

babbling brooks, forest ferns- Water.

She Who Watches remembers sacred ritual

sees river traffic, hears trains- Voices.

Basalt cliffs, Bridge of Gods, high plateaus

form Gorge walls where the river flows.

With each season visit, we return home singing

Woodie Guthrie lyrics- roll on, Columbia.

Charles Rennie Macintosh Inspired

In writing this Lloyd J Reynold's quote, I was inspired by Charles Rennie Macintosh. I like Rennie's Bungalow Art Deco script plus his graphite and watercolor floral drawings. He left some of his drawing without added color. I really like the look of the soft graphite with some watercolor. I used gouache and walnut ink for the lettering. Reynold's quote is from one of his weather grams. If you scroll down this article- The Calligraphy Heritage at Reed, you'll see an example of one of his weather grams.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

 We worked with this Thich Nhat Hahn quote in my calligraphy class with Carol DuBosch. I really like stacking letters in an abstract way.  The words are painted with earth-tone water colors. The quote makes me want to get outside and walk.

Happy Valentine's Day

Finished Painting Inspired by Sandrine Pelissier

Last week, I started playing with Sandrine Pelissier's  mixed media techniques. Here's the final painting. It includes acrylic paints, inks and collage elements. I like adding line with the ink and pointed pen. My next painting will be more open- with more negative space and line drawings.