in the studio

A couple of months ago I went to a wonderful mixed media workshop.  During that morning, a door opened for me, allowing me access to a creative flow I have not been able to stop tapping into since.  At first, continuing the work from the class I took, I worked with collages and mandalas applied to them.

All the pieces are collages applied to plywood, then painted with an acrylic wash.  Over the wash I have applied stencils and transfers, cutouts, stickers and anything else I found suitable in the moment.  The mandalas are transferred and painted on last of all.  The process of creating these pieces is like an expansion and contraction exercise.  The first step consists of applying layers of papers of different colors and textures in a spontaneous, quick manner without too much consideration to detail.  Then you apply your base colors, going from lighter transparent washes to covering areas completely.  This is still a bit expansive initially, but the work becomes more focused and controlled as it nears completion.  Finally, the adding of details and the mandala require a lot of focus and slow, careful work and intention, like a contraction in a Eurythmy exercise.

With many of these pieces I began the collage work at night after the children are in bed.  The first layers of colors are added the next morning, and usually the most contracted piece of detail work is done in the early afternoon.  It's been a fun rhythm to work with.  I've now completed this series of work (though I may pick it up again in the fall) and am moving on to collages, the first of which I will tell you about in my next post.