Tuesday 19 April 2016

NEW WORK FROM MY STUDIO


Spring has finally arrived.  The snow was washed away with the rain, the birds have come out to play and the geese are floating on the open water.  It is a time of renewal outside and in the studio. 

My granddaughters' birthdays are coming up again.  The eldest just turned nine and I made a couple of accordion books for her about her great grandmother.  I feel it's important to know from what roots we descend. 

The youngest will have her birthday later on this summer, but I am ahead of the game this year.  Her dad says she likes to sing, so I wrote a little poem and made an artist book for her.  I called it Renna Songbird.  

I used my marbled paper for the cover of this accordion book. 

I dyed water colour paper for the pages.  Once dried I did some drawing and coloured some of the images.

This is the beginning of the Enchanted forest in the book.  

Songbirds and dancing trees. 

Renna dancing through the forest.  




 The back cover with a felt heart.  




CARDS: MARBLED AND DRAWINGS  

I have made cards on and off throughout the years and this year I find myself making cards again.  Here is a sampling of the different styles. 

 
I like to combine my ebru marbled paper with parchment paper.  
 
 I use pigment pens to create these hand drawn cards.  Every so often I feel the need to add a little colour.  
 

   




 


The black and white cards are interesting as well. 
 
Lately I have been having fun marbling.  I like to try out different papers to see the effect.  I did the Suminagashi marbling on these cards and used water colour paper.  I like the soft
effect that results. 
 


The Sales and Leasing Boutique at the Ottawa Art Gallery is carrying a good selection of my cards and some of my books.  
 
I like making this very portable journal/sketch book/writer's journal.....  It has 30 pages of sketch paper and each page has a small die cut in the bottom right hand corner.The dimensions are: 9 1/4 x 6 1/8 inches/25.3 x 15 cm.

  
These have pigment drawings on the covers.  





These have Suminagashi marbled covers which I marbled in layers.  The effect is very interesting.  The one on the right has an image that reminds me of a jelly fish.  
 

I use my ebru marbled papers for the fly leaves in these journals.  
 
 
This marbled piece has a crackled effect which reminds me of coral.  
 
That's all for now. I'm working on a couple of artist books.  One of the books is a collaboration with a local jeweller's antique jewellery and the other is for a juried exhibition in the fall. 

WHERE MY BOOKS CAN BE FOUND 
 
Ottawa Art Gallery, Sales and Leasing, 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, ON 
Wallacks Art Supplies, Bank Street, Ottawa, ON 
La Fab Gallery, Old Chelsea, QC
Ottawa School of Art Boutique, 35 George Street, Ottawa, ON 
 
Have a happy spring and enjoy the sunshine. 
 
Mary