Calling All Artists--the search is on!

If it weren't for doing things at the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done at all! I don't think it's necessarily that I work well under pressure--it's just that I have to take one thing at a time, complete it, and move on to the next "deadline", so to speak. Yesterday and today, I was entering a competition that I've intended to enter for months. When was the deadline? Today, of course! At 5 PM--and I finished about 3 PM. :)

My favorite inspirational magazine is called "Cloth, Paper, Scissors"--promoted as
"Collage, Mixed Media, and Artistic Discovery". One of the high points of my month is the day that I find it in my mailbox! The magazine is  sponsoring an Artisan Search 2011, searching for 5 outstanding artists--1 each in 5 different areas of creativity: Mixed-media Stitch, Art Journal and Book Making, Printmaking and Silk Screening, Mixed-media Jewelry, and Collage and Assemblage.

Yesterday, I started the submission process, knowing that I had what I needed on my computer already. The first images I submitted I decided were not right for the category "Collage and Assemblage" since they were of a painting with no collage at all. Deleting the pieces proved to be the most challenging part of the whole process, but I was semi-successful doing so. Sometimes, we love a piece and aren't willing to admit that it isn't really the right piece for a certain show or theme or whatever. Once I got past that hang-up, I moved on to quickly upload 1 large and 2 thumbnail photographs of 3 different  projects and write a description for the 3 pieces.

Front View of Candy, with ribbons hanging below

After some time spent in thought, I selected 3 of the 3D mannequins that I did last year. They all use lots and lots of collage and actually are assemblages. They should "stand out in the crowd", hopefully, and I am proud to introduce you again to Candy, Sherry, and Clementine.

An unfinished Candy, showing doilies and texture of collage

This is "Parallels" and it compares/equates women and wine. :)

This is Candy, so named because she is "pink and white and, oh, so sweet"! You see here a front and back view of the finished mannequin and an unfinished view of her, in progress, where you can see the paper doilies etc. that make up her camisole. She is all different types and textures of pink and white paper, with embellishments of off-white ribbon and lace and a pink ribbon rosebud.








Next, you see Sherry, so named for the type of wine! Sherry was entered last year at the Madera Ag Show and she received a second place in the "Vines" catagory. She is a small bust, painted with skin-toned, thinned gesso and then covered with images and cut outs of wine bottles, grapes, leaves, glasses and vineyard rows. Her skin is enhanced with gold-outlined calligraphy words that describe both wines and women. The idea is much like what I used in the painting "Parallels", which compares them in even greater detail.

 

 

Sherry/Front View

Sherry/Side View

Clementine/front view

This is Clementine, my favorite of  the mannequin "sisters". She was entered in the Citrus category at the same Madera Ag Show and she received a third prize. She is more detailed than the other 2, larger, and has a lot more embellishment. She has old doilies and lace, buttons, and an asymmetrical ribbon "hem" and shoulder decoration.

Detail of Clementine showing texture etc.

Clementine/back view

So, wish me luck, please, since there are so many entries in this competition. If you have a chance to look online at clothpaperscissors.com, please do. When you get to the site, click on "Galleries", then "Artisan Search 2011" and then Collage/Assemblage.There are about 630 entries (3/person) so about 210 people have entered. Five semi-finalists in each category will be selected to send their pieces in for 1 year and then a winner will be selected in each of the categories as an Artisan for 2011. Quite a process! Take a look, vote for your favorites, and make some comments. I think my 3 pieces are on page 6 but it might be page 5. . . .

A long and difficult post for me today because I struggled with the images and their placement. Will I ever learn? When I first started blogging, everything was difficult. Now, only a few things are difficult and image placement (and prediction) is the hardest for me.

Onward and upward! Sparkle and Shine! :)

More about Candy and Clementine. . . .

Candy, remember, is mannequin #1. She is named Candy because (I'm repeating myself, here!) she's pink and white and very sweet. :) And even though she's not a painting, I'm going to count her as my large painting for the week once she is complete. She has taken more time than some paintings do but it's really been fun and interesting and productive, too. I learned a lot about working on a 3D surface and I'm trying out some new mediums also--such as Clear Gesso and self-levelling gel medium. All I need to do now, I think, is finish the beaded ribbons hanging from her waist. I am about 1/4 of the way around her and I do like the effect. I just took the photos about 5 minutes ago in my studio and I apologize for the photography and the busy backgrounds. It was the best I could do tonight. Also, you'll see the beading isn't done but you'll get the idea anyway.

Clementine (mannequin #2) is going to be one of my entries into the Madera Ag show, which has a July 10th deadline for image submission. She is larger and more complex and took a lot more time than Candy did. And she went through a lot of awkward stages and I'm still not totally enthralled with her. But there are parts I like very much so I'm going to go ahead with her, finish her, photograph her, enter her--and see what happens. She may not be accepted, but I think it's worth a try. The 3-D-ness of her will add a different note and perhaps someone who raises citrus fruit will fall in love with her. :)

I'm not going to photograph her yet because she also is not quite finished, plus I think she should remain a surprise until the entries go in and maybe even until the show happens, if she is accepted. I am beading ribbons on her also and they will take some time to finish. So once I've posted for today, I'm back to the needle, the ribbons, and the beads!

Fun, fun, fun! "Flora" may be next!