Lazy days of summer



Paperdolls I 2011
mixed media 6 x 8"

In the slow days of August, I find that I haven't done much making, and even less blogging.  Since I had previously made the commitment to do both on a regular basis, it seemed time to get working.  But, as always the questions of 'what to do' and 'where to start' slow things down.  Feeling uninspired usually leads me to exploring my various boxes and files of collected ephemera in search of something to spark a new idea, and this time, I came across pages torn from an old Holt Renfrew calalogue - waif-like models gazing off the page in bohemian garb.  Many of the images were quite lovely which led to an evening spent cutting out each figure and adding it to a growing collection.  Something funny happens to a figure cut out of its photographic context - each one seemed a bit more timeless and interesting as a 'paper doll' than as a person in some random street scene. They took on a similar character to those mythic figures in post-renaissance figurative paintings.  There was the spark!  Here are the first two in what may be a new series of small collages.  They are a bit fluffy at the moment, but perhaps will develop into something interesting.  Either way, I am happy because it is new work. 

And sometimes the hardest part about art-making is just getting started.

Paperdolls II 2011
mixed media 6 x 8"