VON SEUTTER DIED - 2.5 X 3.5 Artist Trading Card
Another ATC. A bit of local color regarding a fellow buried in the cemetery at Raymond. I happen to own a clock that originated from his store back in the day, which is what prompted me to research him, and find that he killed himself, apparently mourning the earlier death of his missus.

SEUSS SCHOOL - 2.5 X 3.5 Artist Trading Card
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Mixed media on a rectangle of mat board with torn tissue and handmade paper, onion skin and roots, foil from a Reese's cup, and magazine clippings.

Traded on DeviantArt.

THE ROSE - 2.5 X 3.5 Artist Trading Card
This is a first for me. I know these have been done before, but a lot of collage artists that I've been interacting with on Deviantart are doing these and I decided to join their group after being featured in a couple of times by some kind folks on there.

I hope no one finds this to be blasphemous, me calling Axl "The Rose." That sexy dancin' feller. Never liked his singing much, but dude could swing around quite to my liking ;-).

FLEURS DE SOLIEL
Oil on a masonite board. Someday, depending on how long I have left to live, I will have learned how to paint, and actually have a style. For now I have this.

P.S. I hate painting flowers.

MIXED MEDIA HEART BOX
I saw some boxes on line somewhere a while back that someone had fixed up really tacky. Though I did not like what they'd done with their boxes, it gave me an idea to try a box for a mixed media project. I had this valentine candy box I'd saved just for such an experiment. Here's the result. I dunno...

Top and Inside


Inside of Top

SHE WALKS AMONG STARS (VIRGO CONSTELLATION)
Another star themed collage on a 9 X 12 canvas board. This one is torn papers and tissue with onion skin and roots. There are accents added of a small bird feather, as well as the shell of a bird's egg found outside. The main images are constellation maps. I finished Miss Virgo with an old earring, tinsel, and a star jewel. I painted here and there with mica watercolors to brighten the images and give the piece a really vibrant look.

SAGITTARIUS ON GUARD
Ok, this was a real pain in the rear to do. It was my first time to do a gel transfer, so I did not know exactly what to expect or do. But NOW I do. Anyway, I finally finished this after working on it most of the day. I started making the transfer last night from a copy of the archer. I used a hair dryer to speed up the process, but I figured out that I only needed to use thin layers of gel medium (note to self).

I prepped my 8 X 10 board canvas, (which had once been a color wheel project for Design II class) with torn red tissue paper, which gave it a lot of texture. Then I put my constellation map on top of that. Next came layers of star tissue paper and handmade paper and waxed paper. Then I put the gel transfer on top. Then came more torn handmade paper, star tissue, and onion skin. I used acrylic paint to highlight areas on the archer that were not prominent enough to suit me and to make his face and hair more to my liking, because I wanted him to have long hair, which he did not, so I gave him some.

Finally, I added some vibrant mica watercolors and stamps, star jewels, an old earring, and some old gold tinsel to finish him off. I thought this was going to be a total disaster and fully expected to throw it in the trash. However, I stuck it out and I think I'm satisfied with Mr. Sag.

STARSTREAM SURFIN'
9 X 12 mixed media collage on canvas board with foam core attachment. Constellation maps of Sagittarius, layers of tissue, onion skin, magazine clipping, mica water color, vintage postcard image, faux pearls, star jewels, and tinsel. The moon is a broken earring from the eighties, the star is from a string of Christmas decorations.

SEEK YOUR FORTUNES

This time it's an 8 X 8 board canvas piece. I used two vintage photos, one of a child in a fairy costume, and one of a woman in a cape to get myself a gypsy woman with wings. I layered tissue paper over scrapbook paper, using magazine clippings and onion skin bits here and there. I also layered in crumpled waxed paper. I used mica water colors along the way. Sprinkled in some vintage postage stamps, a piece of sealing wax and a star. I cut the text from an old poster that is a replica of the poster that announced the opening of the Union Pacific Platte Valley Railroad Route. What? No glitter on this one? I don't know, I just don't think this one needs it.

MARRIAGE OF DESIGN & ART
Here' a 9 X 12 collage on a canvas board. This one came together nicely. The name for it came right from the newsprint page I used for the background. It was perfect. Mica watercolors make the background over the newsprint, with tissue paper layered over. A vintage photo of this lavishly outfitted lady makes a wonderful centerpiece for the Mardi Gras inspired colors. These colors look great with the image, and old gold tinsel completes the look. I like this one!

LIVE AGAIN
Here's another blend of digital and traditional art. The angel and cemetery scene are a manipulated photo I took in the Jewish cemetery in Vicksburg. The theme of the collage is inspired by my long-time friend, Melonie Todd, who has been talking a lot about dry bones of late. So I used the photo manip of the cemetery scene with a nature theme and vibrant colors, along with the words "I will make you live again" for the collage. It is placed on top of pages from the Holy Bible, and given washes of mica water color, and stamps of mica watercolor, with the liberal sprinkling of purple glitter, just because!

MONMOUTH GARDEN ANGEL
Here's another collage with a photo manipulation. The angel figure is from a photo I took at Monmouth Plantation in Natchez, MS. I used Photoshop to alter the photo and then did my artwork with it. I used a copy of a page from the old Bible again, as well as the mica watercolors, stamps and magazine clippings. Purple glitter is being used liberally around here these days.

ONE
You can't stop this artist! I'm making the best of the summer off this time. Not gonna sit around and do nothing all summer and be bored! So, here's another collage on an 8 X 10 canvas board.

I copied a couple of pages from Revelation out of a very old Bible. I digitally manipulated a photo I took at the old Jewish cemetery in Vicksburg to use in the collage. I used the Bible pages for the background. I washed the background with mica watercolor. I clipped the photo and used the part I wanted with the angel grave marker. I clipped up an old poster to get the "one" letters. The butterfly wings come from a magazine, as usual. I used little mirrors for a halo effect, and a little cross from my junk store stash. Stencils using mica watercolor. Oh, and there's purple glitter on there - cuz that's how I roll sistas, bruthas!