Subjects represent everything and anything. Let’s start with people.

People

 “Chaotic Thoughts”

This painting started with random mark-making. After studying the results I discover a young woman. Bringing her to reality became the objective.

One of the first challenges of my collage group.

Inspiration: Each of our ten members submitted a photo that we had taken that showed a pattern or texture found in nature. We then voted on our favorites. Everyone used this short list in their collage painting. The photos included the pebbled shore stones (headdress - my photo), the palm fronds (the ruff), the birds’ beaks (around the mask) and plant matter (at the top of the mask handle). Carnival of Venice &Mardi Gras was my inspiration.

Inspiration: Another collage challenge. This one was to use gold leaf in a Gustav Klimt inspired collage.

Inspired by a photo that shows a rescue dog and his loving owner. My husband worked for many years at a rescue shelter and we currently have two cats that we rescued from that shelter. Every animal that we have ever given a home is dear to our hearts.

Hand painted collage papers with acrylic glazing.

Tatyana means Fairy Princess. This painting started as a watercolor portrait. With the addition of collage papers and patterned lace she became a princess.

The challenge: Matisse during his Fauvism period.

Inspiration: I found a 1940’s photo of Henri Matisse sketching a model in Nice, France. Matisse’s sketch became the painting, “Seated Woman with a Vase of Amaryllis.

I was able to find additional reference photos of all the paintings on the walls of Matisse’s studio. I then collected photos of frames, assembled them and “hung” them on this collages walls.

Inspired by the first Fauve challenge I made this mixed media painting taken from an old black and white photo of Henri Matisse sketching on location. The tree shapes on the right foreshadow Matisse’s cut-paper collages.

Inspiration: Starting with a sketch, what if, the coffee woke up the colors?