TREE COLLAGE IN PROCESS

 11 3/4" X 24 3/4"

gesso MDF panel

Remembering this blog is about process as well as the finished product I am going to be stepping along through this next piece as I prepare for my workshop in collage next month.

I absolutely LOVE collage, and I absolutely LOVE teaching workshops...and as I did when I taught public school I like to bring fresh things to each "lesson" or workshop.  I think I would go crazy if I taught each class the same way as the last...so...off I go on a journey to bring fresh to what I've taught before!

The top pic is STEP 1...I take a panel (in this case) and gesso it, and then take color that is left over on my pallet and cover it up.  At this stage it really doesn't matter the colors that much...I kinda know what is in nature (as this will be a tree piece)...and I just slap it on to cover all that WHITE!

STEP 2 is where I begin to add papers...I kinda know that I want some sky up top...and I begin to lay in the vertical papers for the background trees...

STEP 3...becomes about deciding where I want my "focal" area to be...When I am doing a stand of trees...more abstractly than some of my more realistic pieces I STILL think about an area that will bring the eye...a little more contrast...can you tell where the focal area is going to be?..

STEP 4 was about adding many more verticals and then playing with the idea of a good horizontal to break up the monotony a little (some pieces I want all vertical...but this one may have words in the form of stamps or some such thing...and I need a path...The focal area should be a little more obvious at this point...:)

I get really excited when I see a piece like this starting to take shape...starting to make a little more sense to me for what my intent was...which, by the way...sort of appeared after I'd worked at it a little bit...I knew it would be another tree piece...I knew the general way I wanted to go...but as I added the different papers and found some fun ones to sort of focus on that was FUN!!  

The thing I always tell my students when I am teaching a workshop is not to get married to a particular area at this stage as it can often change drastically before the end...If you marry too early I feel it stilts the creative process that should be flowing freely throughout!!  At least that is the way I think...:)  Til tomorrow...

HAPPY CREATING!!

"FREEDOM" wax collage © Saundra Lane Galloway

 "FREEDOM"

8x8 gallery wrap wax collage with design all around

Available on my WEBSITE at www.saundralanegalloway.com

"Freedom" is a big ole switch from my oil pieces.  One of the freedom's I enjoy is that I can work in any medium I choose to and as long as I work hard for each one it is fine!  I LOVE THAT about being an artist on my own terms.  I have a few new star paper cast molds I've made for more star pieces, but this first one had to be about our wonderful country! No matter what may come, the bottom line is we enjoy a freedom in this country unlike any other.

I've placed this piece in my EYE CANDY section of my website...and now to other things...

Next month I will be teaching a workshop on collage so for a bit I will focus on that type of work as I get ready for a fun day with Mountainside Art Guild.  I absolutely LOVE teaching workshops...after my experiences in the public school system I truly know my niche...now to find other venues where I can feed that need within me!  If I have to start an art guild up here I will...whew...lots of things to think about...among them...we may have decided NOT to move just yet...CRAZY me...just can't reconcile moving to the burbs after enjoying such beauty and quiet...BUT...we need a generator and better snow plowing services if that is going to happen...I think I'm relieved...yep...I feel a bit crazy right now...hope I am up for the ride!!

We had a visitor last night...my husband has named this "little" guy Rocky...but he is not really a little guy...I'd say he is a good 30 lbs...I suspect Rocky will be visiting more now that the weather has gotten better...I'm fine with it as long as I don't go out on our deck at night and step on him as he hangs out waiting for a hand out!

HAPPY CREATING!!

"California Toes" original oil seascape © Saundra Lane Galloway

 "California Toes"

6x9" oil on panel

available on my website at www.saundralanegalloway.com

After a couple of hours on a HOT heating pad, a good night's sleep and a little stretching the kink in my back went away, so I was happy to get back to my easel and paint this funny little portrait of my toes.  I am tickled at myself as I noticed that I slimmed down a toe or two...but it didn't really make that much difference in the scheme of things...so I left em as they came out.  I have to tell you...feet are funny things to paint!  I am glad I got a laugh this morning at my own expense! 

I find photographing things that are completely horizontal or vertical and they come out bowed...but I assure you the ocean line is straight in real life!  Another funny thing in the world of photographing my own artwork!  But I'm all I can afford right now, so I deal with it...:)

Sharing another fun cloudscape from yesterday morning...I just can't get over the beautiful views I get here...yet another thing I will miss...The rest of the day is spent cleaning up, working in my lab on my paper casts, and looking for an area we might want to move to...boy howdy...it's gotta be pretty special to pull us away from these types of views!  Wish me luck!!

"All Puffed Up...going to new home!

I thought I'd be painting and having a ball...but slept wrong and can't bend at ALL to paint...so, hopefully this kink will be gone tomorrow and I'll be back at it...So, FYI today...Dean chose "All Puffed up And Nowhere to Go"...Here's hoping that you all had a day of

HAPPY CREATING!!

CONTEST WINNER...!!

Today is the announcement of the contest winner; which will be at the bottom of this post...but first I wanted to show all the entries...two of which came in last night!!  Thank you to all who participated, I hope you had fun!  Here were the entries all together!!

Autumn Leaves; Sherry's Giraffe

Jean Lurssen's Bird

Dean Haven's Lion

Kate Cissel's Elephant in W/C...THE NEW ENTRY

Kate Cissel's Lion in W/C NEW ENTRY

And the winner that was randomly chosen is DEAN HAVEN!!  As soon as Dean let's me know which is his choice I will pass the information along...Again, thank you to those who participated...It is such a joy to see the artwork that came from my surprise zoo day!!  

HAPPY CREATING!!  (I'm back to my feet...:))