Sometimes This is the Only Way to Stay Cool

6x6 inches, paper collage

My studio is a narrow room under the eves upstairs, and in the summer it get really hot.  Really hot. That's the excuse I'm using for my not working harder on my collages and paintings lately.  I was supposed to be in Madison this morning at the figure painting studio, but I didn't have the energy to get packed and drive up there - so I decided to work at home instead. I got going before it heated up too much, and this is the result.  I found a couple gems at the local consignment shop, an old ledger from a cheese factory, and a children's book on birding.  Neither was precious, except to me as a source for paper and imagery.  I think the castle was from an old National Geographic. 

Completed Collage - Peaches and Summer Cherries

5x11 inches, paper collage

I finally finished the paper collage I did for the Inspiration All Around Us challenge.  As I mentioned in my last post, my idea was to create a paper collage with a watercolor under painting in complimentary colors, and to let those colors show through.  In general, I like the results, and will try more collages with this technique.  I like my color choices, though the yellow table cloth is close to the peach in value and hue.  I also like the bits of background color peeking though, and the textures in the vintage papers and maps I ripped up and cut to create the composition.  I tried to have some papers with no printing, so it wasn't too busy, and I think that worked too.  The peach on the left is my least favorite, perhaps because I tried to do too much shading.  Still, it was a good experience, and I am satisfied with how it turned out.