Fraught With Danger
16" x 20" collage/mixed media
Town and Country
16" x 20"
collage/mixed media

I completed two collages in the month of June, as seen above. I am pleased with both of them for several reasons.

First, I have successfully begun to use colored copy paper in my collages. It's a big deal for me because I have always used my own painted papers. I like having control via painting. It's possible to get just the "right" color. We recently bought a different printer however and the printer ink does not adhere to the painted paper. Colored copy paper is an economical choice/solution and provides new and exciting possibilities. I feel the look of the brightly colored paper can be tempered with the more neutral browns and beiges. I am still learning how to use the paper in a way that will be visually pleasing.

The second reason that I am pleased with the pieces has to do with the use of photographs. It's a real challenge to put images together and to figure out how to use them. Just finding them is a chore sometimes. I am learning that it is better in some ways to have a collection of images and see which ones can go together and tell a story. Hunting for images to support a specific idea is much more difficult and requires a lot of mental flexibility. Both ways work but I want to get better at the process. 

The final thing I am pleased with is the quilting references that I have begun to use. For the first piece, I wanted to reference a kind of "9 patch" quilt idea. The second piece references simple blocks. I did this in two of the pieces from last month as well. I like the idea of putting down a background first and then adding and integrating images and text. I really want the background though to blend with the figures and text to create one dynamic piece. That's my goal anyway.

So. The content of both pieces. Let's start with the hardest one (the first one on the left). Whenever I do a political piece, it's a gamble. People are not likely to get what I want to say, which is fine of course. Or people may be offended. That's OK too. I just have some mixed feelings about "statement" pieces. In any case, let me explain what I had in mind. The piece references the B-52's Private Idaho song. Not everyone will remember this song, I realize that. I never fully knew the lyrics myself or what the song was about but the whole thing seems very apt to describe the current political climate of paranoia and wild, unfounded lies and accusations. I am referring to the extreme Right Wing section of the country (and many, many moderates as well) that has seemed to go off the rails. I can hardly describe it. (And thank goodness there are people out there smarter than me who can.) In any event, the players in the piece are wearing colanders on their heads that receive messages from "out there". It's the only way I know to explain their behavior. The alternative is just too awful. From left to right we have the following fine folks: Ted Cruz (US Senator from Texas), Sean Hannity (radio talk show host), Glenn Beck (radio talk show host), Lauren Boebert (US Rep for Colorado) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (US rep for Georgia).  Except for Sean Hannity and MTG, I didn't pick anyone in particular. Honestly, I just Googled "paranoid right wing" and this is what I got. I hope that I welcome all viewpoints, at least for a discussion. I don't welcome lying or scare mongering or shit disturbing. I don't like the lying. If anyone called me a liar I would be mortified. If I knew I was lying I would be embarrassed and shamed. I don't mean little "social" fibs that lubricate togetherness. I mean out and out lying. Lying. Lying. Lying. WTF? Look it up already and find out what is true even if you don't like it. 

Now, the second piece is more cheerful. I love the idea of town and country and the blending thereof. When I saw the old timey Pepsi ad from the 60's I knew I wanted to use it. I put the other photos with it to make a story of two gals getting gussied up at the hairdresser's to go "out on the town", possibly to the county fair or the big city. And I wanted to pay homage to my own hairdresser, Jill Bottomley of Jillian Day Spa, who is a true artist and friend. I used the quilted background idea from an older piece of mine. The biggest challenge was the two ladies and how to "colorize" the piece. (I used colored paper layered on the black and white image.) It was a difficult piece to put together.

Alright, that's it for me. On a personal note, I continue to be challenged by IBS and the attendant frustration of trying to find care and to get a routine going. My father is in a care home at this point (he is 85), my husband is going to retire soon, and it isn't always easy to be positive. I haven't been able to hike and I am cranky. The earth keeps turning though and the clock counts down to some unknown time. What can you do? (Don't worry about answering that one. It's a rhetorical question.)

OK, thanks for reading,. Feel free to send me an email. (Unless you are defending those folks above and then God help you. I just don't know what to say.) Till next month.
Libby
​libbyfife@ymail.com

PS> I get that I didn't choose any Democrats for the above piece. Or anyone from any other party. Things are not one sided. I simply chose what I found to be most heinous and destructive (and who represents that) and the idea of out and out lying which I believe will be our eventual downfall. Unless climate change overrides us first. We will see.

Left to Right: A Closer Look, Family Matters, On Any Given Day, Time To Fly

These are all "analog" or by-hand collages with the exception of the one in the lower right which is digital. I am reminded time and again that editing is of the utmost importance. And I think my ability to edit judiciously is directly related to my state of mind. That isn't negative but just truthful. If my mind is muddled or chaotic then the collages tend to follow those states. It's OK though because the collages are all just thinking on paper aren't they? Just my thoughts and ideas which are in the process of being worked out.

For the piece in the upper left corner, I wanted to work with scale. Scale of the images primarily but also of the text. The values of the papers are the other variable. It's a lot to juggle but I think this is the right direction.

The upper right piece could have benefited greatly from editing and simplification but I also wanted to work with the text and see it as a kind of background. I really love the figure in the circle though so that idea may come back.

The bottom two are most successful I think because of the simplification and the editing, to my eye anyway.

They are all just little experiments. It's a mistake to think that you can have a formula that gets it right every time. I try not to think that way.

​The upper left piece is notable for the little figures leaning over looking at the Chicxulub crater. I am excited because I hand colored the black and white image with colored pencil. I think it's a great idea and something that I want to do more of. There's a whole genre of colored black and white photos which I am not interested in. I am wanting to use the method but not in that way.
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Lastly, I made these little journals. They are about 5" x 7" and are very simply made with cardstock and blank colored copy paper. The images are a mix of my own photos and drawings as well as online images. The pages are stitched to the cover via my sewing machine and include washi tape on the binding. I meant them to be fun little "field" notebooks and had actually intended to offer them to a friend who is teaching a class. I chickened out on that though, feeling that they were to "homemade" to be taken seriously by a real naturalist. I am enjoying using them immensely however. I have been watching the moon and recordings its phases and comings and goings in the morning sky. I take them with me on my walks and am learning how to make fun and better observations of what I see. I had a good time yesterday learning about oak leaves. All of the oak trees look the same to me but once I started examining all of the leaves I could see that they were not all the same type of oak tree. Anyway, it has been a lot of fun to use these.

OK, thanks for reading and as always feel free to contact me with any comments.
​libbyfife@ymail.com

Family Matters (left) and In The Beginning or The Mysteries of Rudolfo
​ (right)
​16" x 20" collage on matboard

Digital Collages using found and personal papers/photos

Well, I would say that officially, I am in some unchartered waters here, for me anyway. Starting with the first two pieces in which I got a bit carried away and then on to the digital pieces where I am learning to use a very basic photo storage program called Picasa to make digital collages. It's just all a big learning curve for me.

For the first two pieces, I let my judgement, usually fairly conservative, about editing fly out the window. I just included all of the things that I thought would work. The first piece, Family Matters, was inspired by some recent interactions with my father and brother. I like phrases and words that can have multiple meanings, hence the title Family Matters. The second piece, In the Beginning, is another collage inspired by family. The main image is of me and my parents on the occasion of my baptism (or is that christening?) into the Lutheran church. My parents must be in their mid to late 30's in the photo (it's 1971 0r 1972). The photo represents my first use of colored pencil in my collages. Also, the drawings of flowers are mine as well. I am always looking for ways to use images that I can easily get my hands on. Things that are copyrighted hold no interest for me so if I can draw or take a photo or get something out of the public domain, I will do it.

The next series of images are all digital collages made using the photo editing/storage program, Picasa. I like this method for several reasons. It allows me to store my work on a digital file as opposed to taking up space in my studio. It's relatively easy to use and I can complete an idea fairly quickly. I can also manipulate color and size readily whereas with with an analog collage I am limited to the color of the materials that I have on hand unless I print something (in black and white) onto colored paper. I am also learning how to make photo "circles". The program allows for cropping and rotating and diagonal images as well. For something that is free, it's very versatile. You can even work in layers in a way, if you think ahead a little bit or are willing to backtrack.

I did something new too this time in that I made "collage" paper. I affixed bits of text to a base piece of paper and then scanned that in to my computer. That image then became "digital paper" that I can use over and over again in lots of different sizes. I can also use this paper directly by cutting it up and affixing it to the collage or by copying it on to colored copy paper and using that piece of paper instead. You can see the examples in Family Matters and the fourth collage, bottom right.

I will admit that I am not that interested in artwork solely driven by technology. There isn't anything wrong with it but it isn't for me. I do like using what is at hand and making those items really work in multiple ways through using very basic technology. An example is that collage paper. It can be turned into any color or combination of colors that I want and used digitally. If I was really ambitious I could pay money to have it printed in color. Or I could buy colored paper, which I have done, and print it on that. This method is also a way to use collage papers that seem precious. Copying them on the printer/copier or scanning them is a great alternative. 

Lastly, I had the digital images printed through Shutterfly. They look great! I mounted them to foam core board which I really like. They can be easily framed too. I also have some images available here in my Red Bubble shop.

Anyway, thanks for reading and as always, you are welcome to get in touch. I am really not on FB much anymore or IG so the best way is email: libbyfife@ymail.com
​Libby
​

Dark Secrets
16" x 20" 
Found and painted paper collage

This piece was actually completed in March but I am counting it for April!

Originally, this was to be a "concept" piece. I wanted to draw on some of my memories from when I was working in a bank many years ago. In the background of the piece is a kind of arch, beige in color, along with some mod looking blue patterned paper. I worked for a bank that had a very mid century modern motif-the owners actively cultivated that kind of look in all of their branches and buildings. The building I worked in was practically an historical landmark-everyone knew the building with the blue roof and arch on the boulevard. Well, the best laid plans...

I began to deviate from the idea immediately. I threw in other things and the piece came together. It's crowded, I know, but I don't mind it. It became a repository for what I was thinking about, moment by moment. I am particularly fond of the images in the upper right hand corner. There are three pictures of Sir Isaac Newton contemplating the supposed apple that fell from the tree and gave him the idea for the theory of gravity. I learned that the story isn't substantiated by any evidence. Furthermore, there are many offshoots of Newton's supposed tree around the world. You can't pick any of the apples however. They are meant to be seen on the tree and can only fall off according to gravity. I thought that was pretty funny so I wanted to include the images. 

I also included a quote from East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. That quote drove some of the selection of the other images which I wanted to have a kind of "natural history" look to them. I like all of the different elements and feel they tie together through a limit on colors-that dark blue, red, cream and black. I think I am on to something here with using color to corral disparate images. I will see how the idea develops.

Something new that I am doing is using colored pencils to color black and white images, whether it is an image I find online or one of my own photographs. I struggle mightily to find source material. I dislike spending my creative time looking for a specific image to fit an idea that I have. I often wish I could just draw the image; it would almost be easier. Anyway, I hit on the idea of using my own photos and sketches and coloring them with colored pencils. The pencils are so precise and I love the look of black and white and a little color. I will see where the idea goes.

Lastly, the title of the piece does reference the original concept of the collage which was supposed to feature the company that I worked for during my short career. I was laid off in 2007 during the CA housing and mortgage debacle. The company I worked for had been a small mom and pop type of outfit in the beginning (though the business eventually grew to be in several states and became rather large). It came to pass that the owners sold the business and we all ended up working for a bank from back east. That was the beginning of the end. It soon came to light that the mortgage portfolio wasn't possibly as solid as presented. The company was solid in deposits but those mortgages, holy smokes! The whole housing industry fell into the toilet and mortgage lending was turned upside down by the sham mortgages and risky investments that came to light. No matter though. I was laid off and then the new company was sold to wells Fargo. Good luck there is what I say. There is no love lost between me and Wells Fargo. That whole story above that I related is why the piece is called Dark Secrets.

Alright, thanks for reading. Until next time.
Libby
​libbyfife@ymail.com
​

Thou Mayest (Choices)
16" x 20" found paper collage on board

Into The Depths and Up In Smoke
collage on board 8" x 11'

Digital Collage
8" x 10"

I guess that I love a good cliché as maybe the titles and content of my pieces reveal. Or maybe I am drawn to age old stories or a kind of nostalgia surrounding outdated stereotypes. Whatever the case may be, I would argue that ideas themselves never go away even if the times change and new ways of thinking and acting come into vogue. There is a constancy to things, to history, and to people. We do study ancient cultures and past historical events just as much as we focus on modern day people and happenings. I think, for better or for worse, we can't get away from ourselves and our history.

I just finished reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Prior to, I had only read The Grapes of Wrath. Honestly, I thought his books were for boys or something when I was in high school and then as a younger adult I was turned off by Steinbeck's material and maybe even that he was a macho seeming kind of guy. It's a good thing that I found this book at the thrift shop a few months ago (just $2 can you believe that?) because this is a gem of a story. It's not really even the story so much, though it is good (it's a retelling of the Genesis fable) but the characters. I got about a chapter into the book when I realized that Steinbeck's absolute skill was in the character building. Wow! I became entranced with the whole thing and couldn't put the darn book down. The story is an epic and the characters memorable. I was particularly drawn to the Samuel Hamilton character; his interactions with the different characters, his thinking, his language, all of it. There is one scene in which he and two other characters are discussing man's ability, his option, to choose between good and evil. This is one of the main themes of the book and it hinges on, among other things, this discussion between the three men. It's a riveting scene.

I read the book as I was working on the above pieces (not at the same time, not simultaneously of course!) and was very influenced. I found myself searching for images and words and phrases that reflected my own ideas relating to the book: good and evil, original sin, men and women and the roles that they have been assigned throughout history, and history itself, specifically the very early 20th century and then the Dust Bowl years. I never thought I would be the type of artist who works with text and images. Maybe it's a new opportunity.

And speaking of new opportunities, I wanted to mention that I now have some items available for purchase in my Red Bubble shop. The shop is listed under my name, Elizabeth Fife, and the link can be found here. I tried to list items that could be worn (and then recycled) or that were paper based (and could be recycled/reused). There are also magnets, phone and tablet cases, and buttons available. I get that people have a lot of stuff, that they are sick of stuff. I am too. But, it doesn't hurt to have something fun in your life either. I ordered a shirt for myself as well as a "test" print mounted on matboard. There are only a few designs available for now. I selected the digital images for this idea since they provide the best clarity for reproduction I think. we will see where this goes. If you take a look let me know.

February is almost over and I hope to get on to some new work. The digital collage idea is very exciting for me though it is a little more time spent on the computer. I am using a very rudimentary program from Google called Picasa. It's doing the job for now. I almost like working within it's constraints. I see it as a challenge and an affirmation that art making doesn't need to be expensive or complex. 

In any case, thanks for reading and looking. Please feel free to send me an email if you would like to comment or catch up: libbyfife@ymail.com.
Libby 


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Going Bad
16" x 20" painted paper collage
painted and found papers on matboard

Hopefully January is finding people happy and productive. 2021 was just so damn hard that I sincerely hope 2022 is off to a better start for folks.

I wanted to share the above finished piece and sketches. I will start with the sketches first which are the smaller pieces shown directly above. I can't say enough good things about working in a sketchbook. When you can't go big as they say, there is no need to go home (as also suggested). Just go directly to your sketchbook! This advice really applies to anyone and any venture that they might be engaged in, creative or otherwise. Often times life is about going through the motions. Something very small is more manageable at times than something very big. If you can get going on just one small thing, then that small thing might snowball into something else. The point is to just keep going; keep feeling vital. Like others, I sometimes don't feel up to a huge project. A small sketch might just take a portion of my morning as opposed to a week or two like the finished collages that I make. The sketches are very gratifying in that they keep me moving forward. If I don't like them it doesn't matter much. I can easily do another one. It isn't really that I take an idea that I like either and make it larger with the larger pieces. I just think that working consistently on something keeps the tracks in your brain clear so that when that big train does show up, well, the path is open, to let that train through. (Maybe metaphors aren't my strong suit but what the Hell!)

The finished collage (first pic shown above) was quite a nice surprise for me. I really want to share some of the elements that made it come together. First, I re discovered a free graphics site and explored and downloaded some of the images (that's where the picture of the woman came from). I also inadvertently figured out how to reverse an image while using Microsoft Word. Fruit crate labels have become a new favorite thing for me and I have been using portions of the images and the letters. My friend, Carol, also gave me some fun playing cards with cartoon images and so I have been using those as well. And lastly, my husband has been kind enough to let me cut up some of his magazines. There are all sorts of great graphics in the magazines that have been really fun to try and use.

Using letters and words in my work is something I never imagined doing. I am just not the kind of artist who presents a message, written or otherwise, though I know many artists do. I am not really good either with memes and sayings and feel good messages like you might find on FB or IG.  They just don't speak to me. But, I love text and images and all sorts of graphics. And I love puzzles. So, with that said, when you cut up text and rearrange it or when you isolate colors and images from a magazine page, that's just a horse of a different color! I absolutely love that you can take something out of context and do something else with it entirely. That really appeals to me. So, the challenge for me is to make something visually pleasing that isn't too busy or fussy. I want to apply what I like with my other collages to these new pieces that use words and letters and images. I haven't a clue what I am doing most of the time but using my own design ideas helps guide me. It's been very fun so far.

Lastly, I have some photos to show. I went on vacation to Monterey late last year. I have also been on lots of walks at my local lake. Additionally, I have become smitten with all things fungi related (I am taking an online webinar). So, I have some images of mushrooms from my own yard and from my walks. Don't ask me what the fungi are, I have no idea!
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I changed my website format a bit. The menu bars are now on the left upper side. I know my site looks dated but that will have to do for now. I imagine eventually the Weebly/Square Space will no longer suit me and I will hem and haw and be aggravated and then do something different. We will see. In the meantime, if you are reading and would like to pass this newsletter along to a friend, please do so. It would be nice. Also, if you want to drop me a comment or communicate, please send me an email directly: libbyfife@ymail.com. Please don't leave a comment here as I don't get notified even though I have opted to do so. I am sure it's a Conspiracy of some sort.

Thank you for reading!

A Town Called Garbanzo
16" x 20"
painted and found papers collage

The thing about making artwork for me is that every now and then, I have a convergence of unlikely ideas. Those seemingly disparate ideas then come together in what I can only describe as a Frankenstein like fusion of collage: different parts from different places to form some sort of cohesive body.

This is what I mean. A month or so ago I had a bizarre kind of dream. It was so strange in fact that when I woke up I got out of bed and wrote it all down. In my dream I was lost and asking for directions. I was told by a group of people that I was in a town called Garbanzo. Right... sure, no problem. There was more that happened in the dream but it was this town name that started a kernel of thinking.

Fast forward to about a week later. I was driving to an appointment in Sacramento. Prior to leaving, I had looked up and written down the instructions for how to get to where I was going. (I loaded them into my phone too for real time navigation.) No lie, the driving directions said to take highway 99 to the Elvas freeway. (This is what is known locally as bus. loop 80 or the Cap. City Freeway.) Well, that just made me laugh and of course it became the Elvis freeway, in my mind. When I reached my destination, right away I pulled out pen and paper and wrote the following, "Take The Elvis Freeway To a Town Called Garbanzo." And that's the show, folks!

I have thought a lot over the years that creativity is simply a matter of x + y= z. Two unrelated things when added together somehow make a third unrelated, new thing. I feel this way on some level each time I start a collage. I have no idea how the materials in front of me will fit together, if at all. And it isn't often that I have a title all selected in the beginning as with the above piece. It's much more likely that I am looking in my pile of stuff and stitching things together. Those things all sort of go together, bound with one another through color or shape or line but it isn't obvious until I get going. I know I will have a collage in the end but what it is going to look like? I have no idea.

This is probably it for me for December. Not a fast worker I guess! Please drop me an email if you have a comment.
libbyfife@ymail.com
Thanks for reading,
​Libby


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Rendition
16" x 20" painted and found papers collage

The above piece was finished this last week and I am kind of excited. Well, as excited as I can possibly get I suppose. I decided to start using some different materials in addition to the painted papers that I normally use. In the past I have shied away from this idea, not knowing how to mix different papers that have different looks. But sometimes you want to do something and you just have to give it a try.

Spray paints have always interested me because they deliver consistent color. If you run out of one color you simply buy another can. Since I was a traditional landscape painter to begin with I have always mixed my own color as I painted. I never had premixed colors. That's great and all but makes it difficult to touch things up or to make many papers of the same color. Lots of advance planning which can really muddle me up. With the spray paints I have also started making my own stencils. You can buy stencils but I like the quirkiness of something home made. Plus, buying stencils can get expensive I suppose. I am also re looking at my Gelli plate as a possible tool to use during the winter when it is too cold to use the spray paint. And lastly, I am bringing in some purchased/found papers to see how those can be blended.

It's all a big conundrum for me. I don't want my work to look like a scrapbook (not that there is anything wrong with scrapbooking or stamping, I have done that too). Honestly I would like for the pieces to look polished and put together. It's a high mark I know. I have a friend online who is a professional artist and I am betting that he would tell me that it isn't the materials that matter but how you use them and put them together. It's your own sensibilities in other words that can make something the way it is, be that sophisticated or quirky or downright sloppy!

For the above piece I used the following materials: hand painted paper, pages from an old Cub Scouts manual, pre printed paper, a bit of a granola bar box, a Trader Joe's bag, an ACE Hardware bag, and my own spray painted papers. It's very interesting to me to have a pile of what looks like a bunch of crap and then to sift through that and make something that maybe isn't crap. You know? Gratifying.

Anyway. That's it. I hope to make some more pieces soon!
Libby
​libbyfife@ymail.com

What You Can Do Right Now
painted paper collage on matboard
16" x 20"

August was a bit of a washout for me, art wise. My problems with being able to focus have been ongoing but that actually had nothing to do with a failed piece. And actually, the piece itself wasn't too bad. It was the materials that turned out to be the problem.

I would have to guess that nearly every creative has an affinity for the materials that they create with. They use the tools that they are most comfortable with and the ones that get results. ​I think this is particularly true if you are a tactile sort of person like I am. It makes a huge difference to me how the paint feels as I apply it to the paper, how thick the paper is and how smooth the glue is to apply to the paper. I literally feel all of those things and more as I am working. And while there are certainly a lot of variables to contend with, probably the most important thing for me is the substrate. I could write a book about this one thing!

Over the years I have tried many substrates (the material upon which all of my shapes are glued). I have used canvas and all manner of papers in addition to real and manufactured woods. I have worked with fabrics (on other projects) as well as acetate and various plastic surfaces. It took me quite a bit of trial and error to arrive at the matboard that I currently use. The matboard isn't too thick but it isn't too thin. It gets a coat of gesso on both sides followed by white acrylic paint. The paint ensures that my shapes, once glued, can slide around and be put into just the right position. And if I make a mistake and need to remove a shape once the glue dries, I can do that too. And as I work, there is generally minimal to no warping of the board. It stays taped and stapled down with no issue. Until lately.

In August, and actually for the last couple of months, my boards have started warping as I am working. The last piece (I am not showing it) warped so badly that I couldn't finish. That's what I mean by being sensitive to the substrate in a tactile way. I couldn't stand to touch it after awhile because of that warping. I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

For the piece above, I was able to finish it obviously. The solution to the warping is twofold. First, I am no longer taping and stapling the board to a piece of wood to work on it. (The wood provides a flat surface to push against which helps me to get the shape on the matboard nice and flat with no wrinkles.) Secondly, I am now clipping the matboard to the piece of wood instead. I am using binder or bulldog clips, shown here. I am also trying a third thing which is new to me. I will be sealing the matboard with a kind of varnish which will hopefully provide a bit of waterproofing. I We will see how that goes.

In any event, that is the saga of the materials. I wanted to comment too on the above piece. I used some pages from two very vintage Cub Scout handbooks that I have. In looking through the books I began to see the contents and the idea of the Boy Scouts with 2021 eyes. I very much approve of some of the ideals: be kind to your neighbors, do things for the betterment of your community, and respect one another. Be a good citizen. I also saw a bunch of horrific stereotypes and cultural appropriations with regard to Native Americans and their way of life. Talk about an organization fraught with contradictions and real problems (I am looking at you too, 4H!). I haven't a clue, admittedly, as to how these groups work today. I can only hope that things have improved. I am sure they have. I just thought that what I was looking at really spoke to the sheer contrariness and complexity of human thought and behavior. Anyway. I picked out what I thought was useful and used that. What can you do right now? How can you make things better at this very moment? Those are timeless questions that know no cultural or gender boundaries. No one is excluded or ineligible to participate. We all matter and can all contribute. 

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have comments.
​libbyfife@ymail.com  

What If? #1
​16" x 20" painted paper collage

I'd like to start with the photographs. It's literally been years since I had such ease in obtaining mostly clear images of my artwork. For a long time I used a small Cannon pocket camera that I really liked. The results were good too. Then my husband, who was trying to help, bought me a larger and fancier camera. Suffice to say that it was just a little too much for me. From what I can understand, many of my photos were just "noisy" or they basically let in too much light for the camera, creating fuzzy images. I never really got a handle on all of the variables. I started taking images with my i phone with mixed results. I just never had the right location or time of day it seems for the photos to come out well. They were better though than the fancy camera. Finally, I determined that the light from the windows was an issue. I found a spot in my home where the blind is closed but the ambient light in the room is still good and not direct. The photos above took me all of ten minutes to take, process, and post. This is some kind of miracle for me. Let us pray.

​Now, the artwork. I wrote last month about using larger "blocks" of colored shapes right at the very beginning and really, throughout most of the piece. It's very easy to start out with too small of a piece or pieces and before you know it, you are trying to cover the board with a bunch of little fiddley pieces. This results, in my opinion, in a very confusing and busy kind of collage. (I know this to be true because I have done it lots of times!) I liken this to selecting an outfit. More is not better and less can sometimes not be enough. If you have a stunningly simple cocktail dress for example, don't pile on the jewelry or confuse things with a loud scarf or muddy the waters with complicated shoes and stockings. Just let that dress shine! Art making is the same way. I learn this every time, by the way, and first learned the idea from my Elements of Style book. (Thank you Strunk and White!)

The upshot here is that I am pleased with these pieces. I like the idea of them. They are structures to me; puzzles I would say. I was a little stuck with the first piece though and was kind of flailing around with different solutions. nothing was working. (I call that process being in The Land of Bad Decisions.) I saw that polka dot paper out of the corner of my eye and thought, "Why not?" I have shied away from using preprinted paper in my work. It never seems to fit somehow. This time though I think it works.

I am pleased that I have two finished pieces this month. I had the second board all prepared so that when I finished the first piece, I could start right away on the second one. (This is sort of what I think chain smoking must be like.) Though I haven't really connected with any big "internal" ideas, I did some work this month and that feels good. So, on to next month I guess.

Alright, thanks for reading along, if you got this far. Let me know what you think!
Libby
​libbyfife@ymail.com
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