Pas de Deux

Day 10 of the 30-in-30 challenge

I am catching up! I have finished two pieces today, which means that I am back on track.

This is yesterday's piece, if you will: "Pas de Deux." That's French and ballet lingo for "dance for two." You probably knew that.

I can't get over it how perfect these two are together. They wear matching colors and headpieces, and the squid is really working his natural tutu.

Mixed media: acrylics, clippings and pages from storybooks, ink, on cradled wood panel, 12" x 12"

Drum Up

Day 9 of the 30-in30 challenge.

You may know that I have a love affair with anything record-related, and this very groovy UNI vinyl sleeve was seriously calling me. I added a nice group of  drummers who seem to have their own beats going and not care about the others' beats. At the same time they are playing in unison to proclaim diversity. 

One of my dreamy utopian phantasies.

Mixed media: acrylics, record sleeve, clippings from storybooks and an old world atlas (center), ink, on cradled wood panel, 10" x 10"

Partial Eclipse

Day 8 of the 30-in-30 challenge

The cow is making its move over the moon, and this spectacle guy is it taking it all in with excitement. At the same time a father is showing his daughter the beautiful land of their ancestors.

I placed these two scenes like layers on top of each other: The characters are standing next to each other, but they don't interact, they don't even notice each other. Two different moments are happening at the same time, at two different places at the same spot.

"Partial Eclipse" is about seeing things and not seeing things. About things that matter, and things that are ignored or forgotten or too uncomfortable to deal with or think about.

Mixed media: watercolors on cold-pressed watercolor paper, storybook clippings, book pages, ink, on cradled wood panel, 11"x14"

Our Turn!

Day 7 of the 30-in-30 challenge

I've been working like crazy today to get two pieces finished. "Up and Up" was a large one, so this one had to be smaller in size. It has a big, demanding message though, "Our Turn!"

Well, yeah. If those dinosaurs had been able to stick around they wouldn't have missed out on the joy of lawn-mowing, for example.

An important piece about what makes the humans human. And what the perfect body is for lawn-mowing.

The lawn mowers are from two different editions of the same children's book ("My Favorite Book"). The dinosaurs are cut from a very brittle children's science book. I arranged everything on two fly leaves and added some small illustrations from a vintage youth dictionary to give the image a little bit of that typical science literature look.

Mixed media: fly leaves, book clippings, ink, on cradled wood panel, 9"x12"

Up and Up

Day 6 of the 30-in-30 challenge

The calendar is telling me it's September the 8th. Well - not for me!

I had lots of things to do the past two days, and I also attended my dear friend's wedding. Therefore I got a little behind but I can catch up, oh yes, I can. Working hard now.

I loved gathering the elements for this piece: lots of umbrellas and lots of people from different stories, newly matched.

"Up and Up"
Mixed media: watercolors on cold-pressed watercolor paper, ink, pages and clippings from various book sources, on masonite board, 14"x18"

Live Better Electrically

Day 5 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I picked up a LIFE magazine from the 1950s a while ago, and I was intrigued by the sweet slogan of General Electrics: "Live Better Electrically." Well yeah! Sounds ridiculous first but then - everybody is going insane when a power outage is happening. 

So, I thought it would be interesting to make the slogan the theme of this piece. I used a page from "Audels' Wiring Diagrams" to tell the story of a single mother. The page is titled "Methods of Overload Protection," how fitting. I have aligned the mom, the baby, and the taking-off dad with the lines of the diagrams to establish connections between them, even though or because they seem to be detached and disengaged with each other.

Notice that the lines of the purse strap and of the car continue. The baby is holding on to a horizontal line where it says "current transformers," while the other hand is grabbing the edge of the page. Next to the single mother are the words "Single Phase Circuit." Meanwhile, the father is exiting the page leaving behind the words "Two Phase." An arrow-like symbol is pointing towards "Love."

I didn't add any shadows because these people are not really grounded. Stability can be seen in the globe that is orderly placed into a universe; the three small circles may be moons or planets.

"Live Better Electrically"
Mixed media: acrylics, page from vintage Wiring Diagrams book, clippings from storybooks, old dictionary, and 50's LIFE magazine, on cradled wood panel, 10"x10"

Music Box

Day 4 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I love music boxes, but I always had mixed feelings about that particular kind where a tiny ballerina is kept in a jewelry box and has to come out and dance whenever someone is in the mood to open it.

There is no such passiveness in this fiery flamenco dancer. Yes, she has power and will, she will not be put away. She seems in control, even of the time.

I used empty music manuscript sheets for the background. The notes haven't been written yet. There is no sound, even the rooster is speechless. A vaccuum.

I guess, the time for castanets hasn't come after all.

"Music Box"
Mixed media collage: book clippings, music manuscript sheets, book pages, ink, on masonite board, 14"x18"