Dear readers,
Today I did another 15/15 cm (6/6″) painting. I already had painted the underpainting, so only did collage and crayon on top of it. I like working with collage on such a small scale, but I also find it a bit ‘neat’. I miss using the wild brushstrokes, and messing around with knifes and so on. It is all really precise and about ‘composition’. But still: that is nice too.
It reminds me of a long time ago, when I used to make envelopes (for sending letters) from old magazines, trying to make a nice composition. When I was doing that (maybe 20 years ago), I always felt in a flow. I guess it was a very good preparation for what I am doing now. Subconsiously already learning a lot about composition.
Bye!
Simone
1. THANK YOU for telling me about your envelope and postcard-making. It’s no wonder we have become friends! We have many shared interests. I’m going to send you an email telling about a mail-based art business I used to have.
2. You ask, “What am I doing here on my desk, glueing paper, brushing colours on the canvas, while the world is burning?” You are making beauty and you are practicing essential self-care, two vital contributions to this planet we call home.
Hi Dotty,
How I did the envelope-making: I had all kinds of magazines, especially nature- or people-magazines, with beautiful big pictures in them. I always sought for abstract elements in it (for instance: weathered wood, clouds, leaves, water, rocks, rusted iron) with beautiful shapes. Always abstract with beautiful textures. I took parts of the ‘realistic’ photo’s and only used the abstract part. (I am repeating myself I guess).
Then I simply folded it, used adhesive tape to close it, and put a letter or postcard in it.
I made also postcards the same way. I usually bought A6 sized cards, and then sought for parts of pictures that were abstract, I framed them so to speak. Simply glued it on the cards.
I always loved sending those cards, since they were so personal. I should start with it again – such a pity that we don’t do that anymore since we use so much e-mail.
I am not sure what you heard about the Dutch politics, but I guess it is about the move that Dutch politics are taking to the right – that development has been going already for a while. More or less the same movement as is happening in the States right now I guess. Difficult to see that there is a growing intolerance towards minorities, a hardening of society.
Sometimes I can feel bad about my art in this light. What am I doing here on my desk, glueing paper, brushing colours on the canvas, while the world is burning?
Today is my granddaughter Caroline’s 10th birthday, and your painting celebrates the day with happy fizz, pop, and color. I love this piece! The ‘precision’ of the collage offers powerful contrast to your wildness and makes the wildness even more vibrant.
I want to hear more about your envelope making! Just recently, I’ve bumped into memories of creative ventures from when I was a teenager and in my twenties. Those times of engagement and flow with creativity surely feed my current painting life—even though I would NEVER have thought THEN that I would be painting NOW (or ever!).
On a different note, for the first time I ever recall, I heard a whole segment about Dutch politics this morning on the national public radio station I listen to in the car.