More Arty Slides - this time going to South Africa

Thinking of De Villo Sloan's Vispo book pages as I created the framed collage trial for the year 9 group.  The photo I altered is a cropped version of the original. the WW1 letters are a nod to De Villo. I am attempting to create my own visual poetry in response to Birdsong. The poppy appeared because the collaged map had a line that reminded me of a poppy's edge.

First had fun reading Maters Collage (Lark Books) to inspire me.  I always need lots of inspiration before I go to a school and work with a new group of young people. The brief for my day with year 9 (13 -14 yrs) is to respond to War Horse (film) - I've read the book but not seen the film, In Flander's Fields and Dulce et Decorum Est. I always have to spend a long time playing before I know what the heck I'm going to do. I had the idea of using some photos they take as a starting point so I've collected some WW1 objects from a kind neighbour. We'll do some word gathering and then we are going to use old frames (because I got a box at a carboot sale for next to nothing) to make some collages. I decided not to do my trial about Warhorse and the texts they will use as I think I can explain my process through a related text and that may avoid having lots of copies of what they think I want - we can think together if I haven't done the thinking ahead.  So I decided to respond to Birdsong. First I made the mailart  because mailart is perfect for testing ideas. Then I came took apart a frame and replaced the glass with mount board and collaged with old maps and pva as a starting point...

Via Flickr:
Created for a trees postcard swap on swapbot. I printed a photo I took on matte clear sticker stock and put it over a vintage book page.

This one is from Diana's bath in North Conway, NH over a vintage dictionary page.

Via Flickr:
Created for a trees postcard swap on swapbot. I printed a photo I took on matte clear sticker stock and put it over a vintage book page.

This one was taken on Mount Desert Isle in Maine and is over a vintage page of tree poetry.

Via Flickr:
Created for a swapbot swap for the Cut+Paste group of bits and pieces.

An UNO card box, vintage dictionary page, awesome crocodile wrapping paper, 1940's encyclopedia, ocean book page, paper napkin, and of course, fish cut from a discarded aquarium book.

Yes, all of those bits were sitting right on top of my workspace...

Via Flickr:
Created for a mailart swap on swapbot of decorated envelopes.

Dictionary page, map bit, clipart hand, crocodile wrapping paper, paper napkin, stamp selvedge, vintage stamps, bit of notepaper, starfish from a discarded ocean life book.

Via Flickr:
Created for a mailart swap on swapbot of decorated envelopes.

Vintage book pages, deli number, fortune, paper napkin, fish from a discarded ocean life book.

Printed a shamrock outline off the computer and then filled it in using green magazine cuttings and green oil pastel to colour in the remaining gaps - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Children round the postbox (and not a computer, shock horror!)was taken from a shoes advert in a magazine. I then recently rediscovered these letter stamps and pieces of postal ephemera stickers so put the two together - now just got to get those kids making some mailart to put in the post box!

80/365, decorated envelope with book pages, washi tape, St. Patrick's Day pencil decorations, Martha Stewart labels, and vintage postage. Sent to my mom in Florida (whose last name is not Irish).




81/365, decorated envelope with book pages, washi tape, St. Patrick's Day pencil decorations, the margins of Martha Stewart labels, and vintage postage. Sent to Bethany & Yong (one of whom does not have an Irish last name).




82/365, decorated envelope with book pages, washi tape, St. Patrick's Day pencil decorations, Martha Stewart labels, and vintage postage. Sent to Kim in DC, whose last name is not Irish. (Back not shown since the book page collaged shamrock is on the front.)




83/365, decorated envelope with book pages, washi tape, St. Patrick's Day pencil decorations, Martha Stewart labels, and vintage postage. Sent to Liz in Washington state, whose last name is not Irish. (Back not shown for same reason as above.)

Humble beginnings! :)

What I see as a daydream image on the left was rejected by a child.  The moon came from a photocopy I took of a piece of paper a child brought into a school for an India altered book project.  The stamp arrived on an envelope from my US lawyer.  It's always back to tea.

The book that I finished laying out for the printer this morning, after little sleep last night - hate deadlines - was called 'River Stoury'.  The child whose work I have added to recorded the actual places he knew along the river.  My river is for memories and these are the first few that came to me.

The cattails were covered in a hoar frost when we took the kids for a walk along the river.  Back in school many chose the iconic form to put in their journals.  I finished laying out their book this morning and have lots of scraps to delight me when I feel as if I have nothing in my head. My mum is on a trip to Guatamala and I think a landscape I don't know as in my mind as I was inspired by this young artist.

Springtime and the first flower up here in Canada are the tiny crocus and it makes a lot of people very, very happy.

We are having almost record heat for this time of year in Michigan mid to upper 70's all week, that is about 30 higher than it normal. Bring on summer!!!

Made using an envelope, and the enclosed packaging contents to stiffen it, which was sent in to work from Israel.