I am woman

This collage was born of my fascination with inchies.  I made a bunch and wondered what to do with them.  Then I looked for a theme to unite a set of inchies and found I had a large number of them that were woman-oriented.   I set the collage - leaving space for a quotation.  I looked and looked.  I was not satisfied with the words I found.  I wanted something simple and came up with:  I am strong.



I am strong.

 

I can do anything

The words "I am strong" resonated with me - and I thought of the 70's woman's liberation anthem:  I am Woman, Hear me Roar.  The words from the song seemed to fit the images on the collage - with all the variety and dimension of being a woman.


I am woman

 The original collage was flat.  I built the base and continued the lyrics around the sides of the box.  I am thrilled with how this one looks. 


I am invincible

 It is perfect for Mother's Day!


I am wise


I am Woman
(an excerpt of the lyrics by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton)
I am woman, hear me roar

In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an’ pretend
‘Cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
‘Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
‘Cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul

Oh, yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

Blank Canvases

It occurred to me that the name of my blog is art + food + friends.  I haven't talked a lot about art lately.  Er, I haven't talked about my art, lately.  Reason #1: my studio is cold.  That little one room, standing in my back yard, can get pretty darn cold in the winter.  Reason #2:  the holidays sucked up all my time and energy.  Ok, those are excuses.  Maybe even good excuses, but excuses nonetheless.

I have been sneaking time in my studio when I can find a glimmer of a warm-ish afternoon and crank up the space heaters. 

5 x 7 canvas, with woman theme - assembled from inchies. 
I want to add the right quote or word or element in the space above the bottom row. 

I have a gazillion ideas but I  have started on 3 or 4  6 or 7 canvases.  They are still "blank" canvases.  I have a background, I may even have some elements, but they are not finished.  They are all in progress.  I am waiting to find the right word or quotation or element or image to make these come together.

5 x 7 a Cheery canvas, background made from paper inchies
Looking for the right kistchy image and quote

Just to give you a peek, so you'll really believe that I do work on my own art, here's what I've got.

8 x 10 assembled from black and white inchies of various papers.

 I will keep you posted as these canvases evolve.  I hope to get some more time in the studio - but the forecast isn't looking good.

New Toy - Art Every Day #23

I have a new toy. 
I am almost giddy about it.
Yesterday I bought myself a 1 inch square punch, like this one.  It's an Inchie Punch!

I am so excited, I can hardly stand it! 
I went to the chilly studio and punched and punched and punched. 

Two different colleges started to form.  A bright patchwork of paper squares in random pattern and color.

And a black and white patchwork of squares.
Two more works in progress. 
Obviously I can't just put down a random assortment of paper squares on a canvas, or can I?  Should I incorporate some of my already completed inchie collages?  Should I use the patchwork as a background for a bigger collage? 
Oh the possibilities are seemingly endless.  I love my new toy! 
To be creative today, I have new possibilities.
(Part of Art Every Day Month sponsored by Creative Everyday.)

Creative Every Day

I strive to be creative every day.  I do this with my cooking, my home, my family, my art.  I even try to devote time every day (even if it is just a half hour) to making some art.  I have been following the Creative Every Day blog  and have wanted to hop on board... until now, I have been too busy to take time to write about it... and some days too busy to be creative.  But, here on day 15 of Creative Every Day Month, I am joining the movement.
So here is today's creativity.  A brief stint in the studio to work on some inchies:



Inchies, in progress.  Some are easy to complete,
others are waiting for the right word or detail to be finished.



These ones are done, I think. 
They will someday be part of a bigger collage or maybe a card. 

Art by Inches

I am trying to reinvent myself in art.  What should I do?  Should I find a "real" job?  Should I continue with my volunteering and creating for myself?  What should I do with all those things I like to make?  Too many questions!!  that's for sure.

Inchies in progress.

The last question continues to haunt me.  I like to make things - collages, bags, purses, totes, candles, jewelry, ... but there is only so much a girl can keep and so much I can give away.  What to do with it all.

Two years ago, I became fascinated with miniature collages, called Inchies.  As the name suggests, these collages are an inch big.  One inch by one inch, to be exact.  I discussed inchies in this post.

I made quite a few.  Some I used on greeting cards, others ended up in a plastic box.  Until now.  I finally found something to do with an inch. 

Inchies mounted in a 5 x 5 grid, on painted canvas. The top is seales with Mod Podge.

Make a collage.  Now I have a new style of collage.  I really like the effect, the possibility of combination, the juxtaposition of ideas or the similarity of images.  One more thing to make!  Now, if I can only figure out what to do with the collages.