Sketchbook Cover #4

I probably should try to name these sketchbook covers so I can keep track of them. Nah! Numbers are good enough.

Reproduction antique map paper and pieces from my old book of Bach's 2-Part inventions make up the design in this cover.

Unexpected Surprise

Don't you just love it when for no reason at all you receive a gift out of the blue?

Earlier today, the postal carrier knocked on my front door and when I went to answer it, I found a mailing tube with my name on it. I hadn't ordered anything, so I didn't know what could be in it, but it has been my experience that good things come in tubes. The IRS has never sent me a notice in a tube and I've never received a past due notice in that form of packing, either.

Next I saw that it was from my good friend, Fran. Over the years Fran has been a friend, teacher, mentor and sister plein air painter. Just recently she visited my studio and we had lunch together. I remembered one of the many topics of our terrific conversation that day and the fact that she's doing a major "clean-out" of her house and I began to suspect just what might be in the tube.

The first thing I saw on the papers that I slipped out of the tube was a note from Fran:

"Hey Kris! Have fun with these. Hugs, Fran (P.S. make me something)

And I was delighted to unroll the papers and discover old maps and charts. 

Now for you landlubbers, a chart is a nautical map. They are never, never called maps. Ever. Just like, on a boat, ropes are never, never called ropes, they're called lines... but I digress.

And to make them even better, there are even some handwritten notes on the maps! That's just too good to be true!

 

I am beyond delighted to have received these and can't wait to incorporate them in my artwork. And, of course, I'll make something for Fran!

This red arrow marks where we used to keep our boat when we had the 32' Silverton and Fran and I have painted here together. The red arrow is not really on the map. I just added that with Photoshop.

Words Upon Words

Sketchbook Page for 09.07.11

I know you've figured out by now that I love using paper with words printed or written on it, no matter what language. The background to today's sketchbook page is a page from the 1912 Lancaster County, PA, Farmers Almanac. The article is all about studies and trials to kill wild onion. Apparently, if your cows eat wild onion, your milk will also taste like wild onion. Think about it; that's not a really desirable flavor for milk. I briefly scanned the article and learned they started their studies in England in 1899 and by 1912 they still did not have a handle on this difficult weed. As far as I'm concerned, they never did figure that one out.

Anyhoo... I used a multi-colored stamp pad and a dragonfly rubber stamp to sporadically color the background paper. The tulip and butterflies are cut from an index page from an old atlas upon which I melted metallic crayons in an electric skillet (because I'm just that bored! (jk)).

"Sea Sample 7" - 4x4 - Mixed Media Collage

Another sea sample to offer during the Holiday Gift Show.

Green & Purple

Another new sketchbook cover complete with matching bookmark. Making progress!

"En Vogue 2" - Digital Collage

I'm having way too much fun with old sketches!

"Wheelbarrow" - Digital Collage

While cleaning and reorganizing after our evacuation in order to escape Irene, I discovered an old sketchbook that I'd completely forgotten about. When some of the TAGG members were here some years back for the annual Paint Out that I used to hold, I'd used this sketchbook to make simple pen and ink drawings while the others were actually painting. The sketches were sweet, but nothing to write home about.

I was particularly enamored with this little turquoise wheelbarrow on the grounds of the Lewes Historical Society (a gorgous place for plein air painting) and attempted to render it. Although the sketch by itself is not noteworthy, I thought it would be fun to use in digital collage.

The bottom layer of this collage is a Bomomo design (of course) and the next layer is the wheelbarrow, which I made slightly transparent so the Bomomo design could peek through.