Digital collage

Red Chevy Truck

10x 8 digital collage

by Miki Willa

I have been down with pneumonia these past two weeks, and have not had much energy to create art. I am feeling better this weekend, finally, so decided to try and do something with some photos I took before I got sick.

I went to take some photos of a house and found this wonderful surprise in the driveway. I love old trucks. This one was beautiful. It had some issues, like a flat tire and dirty whitewalls, but it was really quite a regal beauty. I know I will do much more with the photos I took, but I decided to try a digital collage first. I usually find old trucks in overgrown places, so I found a photo I took of weeds near a freeway off-ramp for the background. Yes, I do always have my camera with me. You never know when something wonderful will ask to be photographed.

This is my first attempt with these photos. Now, I want to learn how to soften the edges so they blend with the weeds. My husband is a whiz with Photoshop, so I am sure he will be happy to teach me. I will also print out the photos and use them in mixed media collage.

I really enjoy finding unexpected treasures like this. I like old things - buildings, cars, hand made tools, quilts. Many, many years ago, I was the director of a small historical museum. The most fun I had was talking to people about the old tools and how things were done in the earlier times. I loved building displays that helped tell the story of the old piano, or the set of wood planers. I am seeking to get that kind of joy into my art. I didn't realize it until recently. Now, my path has a new direction, or is it an old one I have strayed from. Time will tell.

Commissioned Painting - Mt. Rainier

Royal Peak

8 x 10 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

by Miki Willa

This is my first commissioned painting in a long time. The patron wanted mountain and purple. The mountain I see most from my neighborhood is Mt. Rainier. It has many moods and vistas. This is from the north, slightly east. I wanted to make sure little Mt. Tahoma showed its peak as well. I do love working with purple and I enjoy the challenge of mountain peaks. For all you mountain climbers out there, this is my interpretation from a long distance away. It is not meant to be a climbers guide.

I can now say I have sold two paintings in the great northwest. My studio is ready for more creativity. I am working on preparing myself for more creative time. Just working through some of the nay-saying inner voices. One of my goals is to be more active on the blog again. It may take on a different tone, but it will be a place I will continue to share my creations and my creative process.

Enjoy the beautiful fall.

More geometrics in complementry colors

The Nest

10 x 8 mixed collage with image transfer and stamp

by Miki Willa

I actually created this one before the last one I posted. I was playing around with colors and patterns. I like the colors. I like the stripes in the paper, in the stamped text, and the ones I created. I think they are nicely offset by the curved lines of the on the blue paper and in the nest. The biggest problem I have is with the nest itself.

I have been really working to create a successful image transfer. I have tried just about every method I have read about in books and on the web. The one I did on the last collage was with an image printed on a transparency. Then I put a layer of Golden matt medium on the paper, put the transparency rough side down on the medium, and rubbed with my thumb for a short time. When I pulled back the transparency sheet, the image stayed on the paper without any tearing or pulling. That was the first time that worked. On this collage, done earlier, I tried the same thing, but when I pulled up the transparency sheet, bits of the paper came up as well, leaving gaps and tears. I think I rubbed too long. Clearly, I have a long way to go learning this process.

I have tried the method of using several layers of medium on a copy, letting each layer dry before applying the next. Then I used water to remove the paper backing. These have not worked for me at all. I must not have used the right medium. People who have written about this method have not specified the medium - brand and all. I have also tried using the method of putting a layer of medium on the surface and applying the image face down, letting it dry, and using water to remove the paper backing. This was moderately successful, but it still needs practice. I will keep at this because I really like the outcome when it is successful.

One of the wonderful things about collage is the vast variety of creative forms than may be used to create a finished work of art. I have been so limiting on my self by sticking with one medium for so long. This is really freeing.

Using surprise elements in Collage

Far North

10 x 8 mixed media collage on watercolor paper

by Miki Willa

This collage uses handmade paper, magazine images, found "paper", paper wasp nest, image transfers and acrylic paints. I wanted to get the feeling of being near a rushing stream near the mountains during a salmon run, but also wanted snow. When I think of being on the Skagit River during the winter, I can see the mountains, feel the cold in my toes and fingers, and imagine the eagles feasting on the abundance of salmon. I used magazine images for the rocks, the rushing water on the right, and the first ridge of mountains. I liked the textures in these images. I used hand made paper for the rock overlay and the mountains on the left and in the distance. I used a part of a paper wasp nest on the right side distant mountain. It was a gift from nature left on my front stoop. When I was walking with my granddaughter, and seeing the world through her inquisitive eyes, I found the piece of pulp that had been weathered and run over many times for the mountain in the center. I did my first successful image transfer with the salmon. The trees are also an image transfer. The last thing I did was glop and spray "snow" over it all. This is that transitional snow when it has been warm enough for bit wet flakes, then starts to turn really cold and the flakes get finer. I also used some textured rice paper to enhance the snow and the rock texture. I think I like doing these landscape like collages better than the geometric ones, but I think there is a place for geometry as well.

I have a few more I have done that I will be posting later this week. Please come back and take a look.

Adding Collage to this page

When It's Cherry Blossom Time

mixed media paper

by Miki Willa

I started a blog just for my collages, but decided to put them over here from now on. I seem to be doing more collage right now, when I get time in the studio.

This one was inspired by a picture from an old calendar. I went through my collection of old photos, hand made paper, scraps from the backs of boxes, decorated paper, and some stickers. I have been working with more abstract, torn shapes up to this one. I thought I would try geometric shapes for a while and see where that takes me. I am really new at this medium, so want to experiment with many styles before I decide on a direction. So far, I like the softer edges of the torn shapes. However, I do like the way the softness of the cherry blossom theme interacts with the straight lines of the geometric shapes in this one. The Saurus Cranes in the upper right are just because I like them, and I wanted to create a triangle of focal images.
I would love to learn more about the mechanics of collage. What kind of finish should I use? Is it okay to use dry mounting like a fusible webbing used with fabrics? Are there any adhesives I should stay away from? If you care to share any of these secrets with me, I would love to hear from you.

Art Contests - a rant of sorts

Uptown Glassworks

12 x 18 soft pastels on Kitty Wallis white

by Miki Willa

Plein Air Painting

" Create an art piece between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on August 22, 2009 in the Art Walk vicinity."

How would you interpret that? These were the instructions for a "Quick draw" contest held in conjunction with an art show this past weekend. While my husband, our son and his wife set up and manned our area, I set up my easel to do a painting of a local landmark "in the Art Walk vicinity." I had a great time painting this wonderful old building, working on perspective, and trying to make it look the way I wanted it to look. After a few hours, I felt it was done and got it ready to enter into the auction and contest. We framed it in the prepared frame we brought for just this painting. I took it down to the entry table to turn it in. I should have suspected something was amiss when the people manning the table had no idea what they were to do with the painting.

It turns out I really misinterpreted the rules for the contest. "In the Art Walk vicinity" meant only that you had to paint whatever you painted in the area that day, but it really didn't matter what you painted. It didn't have to have any relationship to the area whatsoever. I don't mind not winning art contests as long as I feel that the same criteria have been applied to every entry. Perhaps I should have verified exactly what they meant. Now, I can see just how vague the statement is. I also didn't realize that friendship counted. Being new in the area, I haven't established friendships in the local arts groups. Oh well, live and learn.

We will be moving on from the venues in this area. There is a good market there for our son's glass art, but none for our pastel art. It will take time to learn about the local market. In Hawai'i, people bought art with different things in mind than people in the PNW, it seems. It also doesn't help that the economy is affecting art purchases. I have observed that art that serves a second purpose is more marketable right now.

In the meantime, I will add the painting of Uptown Glassworks to my glass making series. I have a nice collection of Hugh's glass, and Tom hung some of the paintings above the mantle where a few pieces are displayed. I like the way it looks as it is all tied together. While I had a difficult time with the contest, I had a wonderful day painting and adding to this series.

Patterns in Wood, Art Shows

Door in the Wall

14 x 20 soft pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix

by Miki Willa

There is an old lumber complex on Lake Washington near the southeast end of the lake. For years there were log booms in the lake where the mill got its raw materials. Later, it was occupied by a wood product manufacturer. Now, it is abandoned. On a recent artist field trip, Tom and I found ourselves wandering these premises to gather reference photos. As we were walking back to the car, I caught sight of this door in the middle of a wall created with concrete and varying wood panels. The window panes in the door reflected the bright sun that was out that day. I fell in love with the colors, shapes and patterns on this wall. I loved the patterns in the wood and the concrete and how they worked against each other. I really liked the brilliance of the reflection in the windows. I relished the challenge of capturing all of this in pastel.

I started this painting by blocking out the shapes. Then I added the darks in the woods so the grain would work. I added lighter values as I came to the surface of the wood in places where the lighter grain showed. I added the door and the light fixture to the left of the door last. I pushed some of the colors to capture the emotions I had when I first saw this wall, especially in the windows. I am happy with this work.

We have done three art shows this spring and summer and have been very disappointed at the outcome. It is hard not to think negative thoughts about my art at this point. I know the economy is not in the right place for people to be buying art that does not serve another function, like serving bowls or quilts. That doesn't help at the moment. Another problem has been the venue in two of them and the timing in one. That, also, does not help. We have two more shows coming up. I am working on being optimistic about both of them. One of them is part of a show billed as an art show. The second one is in an area where I know quite a few people. There is a lesson to be learned in all of this, or probably many lessons. One of them has to be about marketing. Hopefully, I will figure it all out soon and the next shows will be better.

The next show is in downtown Renton, The Arts and Antique Walk. It is next Saturday, August 22. We are on Third Ave. in front of A-1 Locks, across the street from the Western Store.

On September 12 and 13, we will be in Lake Boren Park at Return to Newcastle Days. If you are in the area, I hope to see you there.