Collaboration, Coming to a Gallery Near You

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Off the Deep End

Another in the Bathing Beauty Series

Despite being composed of fun and lively colors, this new collage represents the feeling of being overwhelmed. This work was inspired by my grandmother who passed away recently just shy of her 90th birthday. My grandmother grew up on a farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. Somehow, Gerri never learned to swim, but that didn't stop her. When she was an adult, after ALL of her eight children were grown, she decided to take swimming lessons at the local YMCA so that she might participate in their synchronized swimming group. My grandmother learned something new every day, she made a point of it. 

There are swimming illustrations from an instructional swimming book in the background which represent the daunting task of learning to swim as an adult. And that colorful orange cap represents synchronized swimming and all the joy it brought my grandmother later in her life.

Collage in 3-Dimension

Talk about a Stiff Neck!

Waaaaaay back when I was in college I decided I wanted to have a mannequin to paint. I had one that a friend got for me from a store closeout in Washington, but she came without the stand that she needed to be upright, and there was something about her laying on the floor in a standing position that just wasn't working for me!

Years later I climbed over and dug through a pile of dismembered mannequins to reassemble one complete sitting female (no stand required!) at a "used store fixtures" shop in Atlanta. I affectionately named her "Moppolin" after a doll my sister had when we were children (I had named that doll too). Moppolin was painted in Art Noveau inspired patterns back in 1991 and she has been keeping me company in my studio for many years. 

A few years ago I decided Moppolin needed a companion and I bought this "MAN" on E-bay. No digging, no climbing, no reassembling, just "click and ship!" The man had sat untouched in my studio with his female companion for quite sometime but something special happened about a month ago.

I had a piece of glue covered paper that I had placed down on my collage and the minute I did, I knew it was all wrong! Working quickly before the glue dried, I tore the paper off but hesitated to throw it into my recently cleaned trash bin, as I knew it would stick to the side and make a mess. So as not to break my collage rhythm, I looked for a quick place to stick this piece of paper. BAM! I stuck it to the mannequin, just to get it out of the way, and then it dawned on me....

More on the Tea Theme

Tea Bag Wrappers Make Great Collage Elements!

Ever since the Scrap Bag Series (see older posts) I have been stuck on the "tea theme" I started collecting tea bag wrappers and tags that I had hoped to incorporate into my work. I added these goodies to my collection of Chinese fortunes. This week I decided to do a collage of bamboo, because I'm tired of tea! (The Scrap Bag series ended up being 12 works in the tea theme all at the size of 12x12.)

I love that I have incorporated a lot of texture and non-local color into the bamboo stalks. I used very long thin torn strips to give the bamboo its texture, in addition to tea bag papers and fortunes, I also used some Chinese paper that I have here with printing on it which is so thin, that the colors below it show through nicely.

Something to Leave Behind

The Completion of the Start to Finish Project

Here it is! 30x20 and completed. A study in blues and peach/pink, cool and warm tones. The challenge, as always, was the shading with the papers. I used many different temperatures of blues and peach, as well as textures and even dug deep into the scrap bag for some colors of paper I had in the past but don't have much left of anymore!

I hope you have enjoyed the process.

Framing by Finn

Finn's Quick Ten of Custom Art Framing Tips

1. Stay Consistent with Sizing. This will help in so many ways (pricing, ordering, storing, transporting, hanging, etc.)
2. Search Hard for One, Two, or Three Different Styles of Framing to use. Choose wisely grasshopper.
3. Disorganized Framing can Lead to a Chaotic Presentation. A consistent look in the frame molding keeps the focus on the art and gives a uniform look to the presentation.
4. Find a Frame that Can Absorb a Ding. It happens.
5. When Matting, Use Acid-Free Mats Only. They cost a buck or two extra. Maybe your foamcore isn't acid-free and your glass/plexiglass isn't UV, I may let you slide on that. But, your mats I'm gonna point that out every time.
6. Consider Having your Canvases Professionally Stretched. We carry 2-inch deep stretcher that offers the art gallery wrap, no framing necessary.
7. Recycling a Frame Can be Done Effectively.
8. Quality Framing Does Help Present and Sell the Art.
9. Consider Consulting a Professional Before Attempting any Stunts.
10. No Frame is Better than a Bad Frame!

Mike Finnimore

Art Services, Ink.

Orlando, FL 

407-739-4278

Afternoon on the Avenue