slightly wonky

I’m very sad that my collage class has just ended.  It was so fun, and I think that I most enjoyed seeing everyone else’s work.  It’s always amazing that we get the same assignment, but we have such a variety of responses.  I was not finished with the collage that I showed in a previous post…it was an interpretation of a still life that the entire class created and composed.  So, I worked on the collage a bit, and balanced it out.  Here it is:

I’m much happier with it…it felt really “off kilter” before.  So, during our last class, we needed to create an interpretation of this collage…so here it is!

I’m not sure if this one is completed yet…but I liked it.  I’m still wondering about collage as an artistic medium.  I have this sense that it isn’t considered a “serious” medium, like oil painting, etc.  It sort of is a diversion that some great artists (and architects) have dabbled in.  I think that if I made an oil painting…someone would consider that serious art.  But, if I make a collage, then that’s just having fun.  Is this how the art world thinks?  Comments, anyone???

I still haven’t heard much from anyone out there on collage artists that you’d recommend.  I think that I got one response!  I’m familiar with Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Hoch, Juan Gris and Georges Braque.  Anyone else that I should look at????

I began to experiment with a sort of scratchy, collage type of printing.  I’m not thrilled with them yet, but I think that they form a good basis for something more.  Here is the first one:

Please ignore how “un-square” the print is…I still need to flatten these.  I like the strength of the values in this one, but overal it’s a bit flat and needs more layering.  Here was the ghost composition from this:

This has a more unified feel, but it is a bit pale for me.  I changed the colors slightly here:

It’s too static, and needs something else breaking it up a bit.  I’m still pondering what my next step is.  Here is the ghost of this one:

I’m very neutral about these prints.  I need to do more, but I’m trying to plan what that would be.  I like some of the details, so perhaps I need to cut up all of the prints!

another:

another:

I’m also working on a chaotic woodblock.  I’ll hopefully print this on Tuesday night.  When I had to start cutting the block, I sort of drew a blank…as I hadn’t really any plan.  The teacher told me to “just start making marks”, so I did.  This is what resulted:

I know…total hodge podge.  Still, I’m excited to see what it looks like.  There are lots of fine lines that I also inscribed into the wood, which you can’t see here.  So, we’ll see how the actual print turns out.  I love cutting the wood…there is something very “zen” about it.  Just don’t cut your finger.  I think that it’s considered very “un-zen” to curse and bleed.