We had a wonderful 4-day intensive mixed media collage workshop at the Mendocino Art Center. We explored working with acrylic paints & mediums, assemblage, gluing, tearing, layering, cutting, drawing, and scratching to create unique, layered paintings and 3-D assemblages.
As many of you know, Paste Paper is one of my favorite things to create & teach, as it is a process one can get lost in, that connects the artist to a deeper place.
P.S. Here’s some Student Testimonials from prior workshops: “Susan is delightful!”…….”one of the most encouraging and inspiring instructors I’ve ever had”……”Susan’s combination of rigor and playfulness was absolutely perfect for me”….”lots of experimentation”….”Playful spirit”……..”Great workshop!!!”….”Susan is fantastic. I enjoy her knowledge, skills & beautiful energy!”
Mixed-media collage, a way to re-contextualize everyday objects to create new works of art, is one of the most expressive ways to explore and expand your creative practice. Adding acrylic paints, 3-dimensional objects and working in layers provides the freedom to work in the moment and be open to discovery. In this workshop, you will be guided through techniques and processes to enhance spontaneity and help you to transform your way of working…or playing!
Yes, If I had more time I’d have a lot more critters. I love, love, LOVE to make these, and you can see by Jessie’s magnificent goat that the sock critter fever is contagious, indeed!
Here are a few more of my ink on paste drawings. Or are they paintings? I had some extra paste paper wheat paste mixed with paint, and then topped it with ink. I am making digital prints of these.
OK, so I am obsessed. Is this anything new? I have made some teeny-tiny books that one can wear around ones’ neck. They are great for love poems, mantras, inspiring words or pictures you like to keep close to your heart at all times. I love picking the teeniest pieces of beautiful paste paper for the covers. These are just the beginning, I have so many more ideas, I just wish I had some time!
My student and friend Diane Paget created this amazing paste paper Backgammon game. She even made fimo game pieces and a matching red and green marbled pouch for them to go into. I altered an old gameboard into a paste paper checkerboard. The obsession continues…
Today is my Grandmothers’ birthday. These collages are of her and my Grandpa. I love how sweet the photo of the two of them is.
OK, so I have an obsession with leaves. I love them, delicious and colorful and surrounding me everyday. I especially love the sound of the wind as it shakes through our great eucalyptus, it gives me chills. (The good kind.) I also love books, and besides collecting and making them, I have been known to alter them or repurpose what I call “dying” old books. I find the quality of the paper delicate and beautiful. I am always finding things on my walks- bits of paper, rusty things, leaves, petals, rocks, anything that strikes my fancy. I love creating something new with found treasures.
I painted and collaged these little cards on repurposed/recycled paper. (Most of my work now-a-days is made with things I find or scrounge.) Each card has an image on one side and a word on the other. Sometimes I deal myself a card or hand to put something new in my noggin. It helps get my brain off in a new direction!
Confessions of a Paste Paper Addict 