Found Objects

Leaf Print ATCs by Phillip Hoyle
Each card 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

I found some objects, namely leaves and some paper I had saved for the occasion of making Artist Trading Cards to this theme. The paper I saved when we dismantled the ATC booth at Denver County Fair in August. The table covering had marks from watercolor pens, pencils, blotches of paint, notes people had written for fun (?), an odd assortment of designs, scratches, scrapes, and colors that I knew I should save. Then a month later, this topic was chosen for a theme. 

I printed leaves on the paper, then used a very fine pen to clarify some edges and add a few details that didn't want to print. I did even more by saving the leaves I printed and use them as collage details for more cards. It was an enjoyable project and I learned a lot about the techniques and accidents of plant prints I tried to make the most of my accidents. Besides that, I enjoyed our trade last Thursday evening at Jerry Simpson's studio. 

Denver, 2015

ATC by Phillip Hoyle, September 2015

I made several ATCs from scraps left over from some GELLI monoprints I had used for another purpose. The ATC group where I am going to trade them meets in the studios and galleries of one of the world’s most interesting dumpster divers who is also a rather well known artist. You can find interesting videos and comments about Jerry Simpson on You Tube and elsewhere online. His compound of buildings is in itself a work of art as well as is his extensive orderly storage system. His place inspires the use of found objects for re-purposing, up-purposing, and transforming from trash to art. 

ATCs by Phillip Hoyle, September 2015

I couldn’t easily throw away the trimmings I used due to their brilliant and deep colors. The paint made by Golden, their Open Acrylics, makes a bold impression. I’ve used what they package as Modern Colors: Hansa Yellow Opaque, Pyrrole Red, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) Quinacridone Magenta, Phthalo Green (Blue Shade), and Titanium White. I also used a white Jelly pen.

Thanks for the comments on last week’s posting of the Claret Cup Cactus. I framed it this week and am very happy with the results. I’m sure there will be more cacti showing up before long!

Denver, 2015

Cactus Print Finale

Claret Cup Cacti Monoprint by Phillip Hoyle 2015

Finally I got back to the monoprint I've been looking at for several weeks, maybe quite a few weeks. I'm happy that I did after looking at many pictures of the plant. Some of the buds opened into flowers, others are waiting their turn. At least that's how I imagine it. 

Oh, the collage of monoprints I titled Bear Clan did make it into the WOW show at CORE New Art Space and is hanging there for another week. You can see it if you get there soon. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday. In case you can't make it there I'll give you a glance at one little part of the show. 

Top left framed work 'Bear Clan' by Phillip Hoyle

Bear Clan

Bear Clan by Phillip Hoyle
Collage of monoprints

As I have worked with this image of a bear in the past year, I have always seen it as a spirit image and without thinking much assigned it to the male gender in my mind. When my daughter-in-law saw several of the prints, she saw it as a female bear. My art friend Sue saw it as a bear, not assigning any gender label.

So I wonder how others may see it. If you want to tell me, make a comment! It's a little bit difficult, but select the anonymous category. You may have to type in a code from an illustration. I would like to know. Comment below. I hope to learn something.

Oh, I entered the piece into the WOW open art show at CORE gallery. So now I wonder if its a she-bear, a he-bear, or something else AND I wonder if I'll be jury-ed in! Hope so and further hope you have a good art week. 

Denver, 2015

Recycle Art

The print I showed you a few weeks ago.

One of my art processes is to recycle paintings and prints to use as grounds for Artist Trading Cards. I started doing so about three years ago and have cut old, usually unsuccessful paintings into cards 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". I've then printed, collaged, drawn, painted or all of the above in many different ways. About two years ago I started making tiny floral works on the cards. To do so, I refer to old floral studies, some made about seventeen years ago, others newer, and make the cards. I set out a group of cards and using a variety of pens, make tiny pieces of art. Using my computer I color print them and mount them on pre-cut note cards that I send to folk as short letters or gifts. 

When about four months ago I began playing around with GELLI print plates and produced larger monoprints. I realized they could become grounds for more of these floral prints. Printed on all kinds of paper, for instance, like the page from a magazine shown above, I realized they could serve as grounds for more floral pieces. I hope to make greeting cards with them and mixed media pieces to frame. Of course the larger format presents challenges, one I am just beginning to meet.

A few weeks ago I posted one of the monoprints and suggested I would figure out just what floral thing to do with it. One of my friends said she looked forward to see what I would do. Well, here it is well on its way but still unfinished.

Claret Cup Cacti, white ink on monoprint made on magazine page.
7x5" by Phillip Hoyle

I'm sure these red spots will become the red flowers but haven't quite figured out how. And I'm sure you'll get to see the end result. 

Denver 2015

More Bear Prints

I printed yesterday. Bear images.

I have no idea where these images are going! I made fifteen or more prints, a few paws and quite a few bears.

Still I am hoping to get something together for an upcoming art show at CORE New Art Space, their annual WOW! show. They want different, unusual, edgy pieces for this show. So I'll do what I can and want to do it with a Bear! Probably something that uses these small prints in a collage. Time will tell! 

This piece holds promise. It's a little out of focus but
not much. It just printed up that way. Who knows?

I hope you and I both have happy art weeks!

Denver, 2015

A Touch of Pink

The summer hailstorms pretty much devastated our front yard. Trees and bushes were stripped of many of their leaves. Hostas were shredded like lettuce even though they were ready to bloom. Some English ivy plants were pounded so severely they had no deep green leaves left. Some plants died. There was a lot of cleaning up to do, but as we did it my partner and I noticed new growth. The magnolia bush on the parking not only got new leaves but also two new, out-of-season blossoms. That seemed very nice. The ornamental grasses began to recover. Before long we saw beautifully shaped leaves on the Eastern Redbud tree.

The cone flowers recovered quickly--they always seem to do so no matter what happens. I noticed some delicate flowers I didn't recall seeing before: some pink and some light blue blossoms. Jim mentioned one weedy-looking new growth wondering if it might be a cosmos. He'd never had any but hoped this plant might grow. His guess was right. We now have a pink cosmos. I suspect next year we'll have several. 

This past week I worked several times in the yard and have enjoyed looking at the process of recovery underway there. I like the clusters of color, especially the new pink flowers. I suspect I'll have get out there with my pad and pencils and begin drawing. The leaves and stems have great shapes and the flowers are actually very simple. Then I'll have to make new paintings and prints of the things that once again abound in the garden.

Denver, 2015