I’m in the mosaic zone! Collage, mosaic, patchwork, creative anthems, painted stories, whatever they’re called, I’m IN.
I want to write about these came about for a couple of reasons. The primary being, in creativity, nothing is lost. Things you do or create now that seem like nothing or not satisfying, will most likely pop up somewhere down the road in a new way that lights you up. Exhibit A: Lemonade.
Years ago, 10 at least, I worked a lot with paper ephemera and collage. Like, alot alot. It was my career. I worked for a company as creative director who’s primary aesthetic was vintage ephemera and I, also a personal collector, would create art on the side using the scraps. My most common theme was this blocky patchwork collection of ephemera all glued together, letters, music sheets, old maps, ticket stubs, you name it. I’ve always had a soft spot for paper goods. These ephemeral collages never really went anywhere–they were backgrounds on journal pages, the starts of paintings that couldn’t get lift off, ideas for stationery products and often just fun ways to use all my beloved paper. And envelopes. Of course, always making envelopes!
Cut to movie montage soundtrack to 2020. Pandemic. Sheltering in place. All the ideas and inspiration in the world have left my heart and brain. Forever. More montage, more small violin….and boom. I went for a long walk and on that walk, I “saw”, literally saw, the large canvas I had been struggling with, in completion like a flashback to my paper collages. Except this time it was paint. And they were themes. They were stories within stories and a series of them bubbled up through me like I was taking art dictation. I’m five in now and loving the process and how they “appear” before I start them.
This one is “Lemonade”. Inspired by the global health crisis we’re going through, turning lemons into lemonade. How in 24 hours, homemade lemon bars appeared on my doorstep, Meyer lemons were collected from a friend’s tree, a webinar I watched had a funny turning lemons into lemonade story and every where I looked, had some kind of lemon theme. And yes, I believe in signs.
So if you’re doodling or baking or doing something that isn’t “working”…my guess is that it is, just maybe not yet. When I think of the piles and piles of paper collages I did, I find it so funny that this “idea” didn’t come to me earlier. It’s not new or original. I’m sure there are many painters who have worked in this format. But it was new to me and that lightning bolt from Zeus himself is hard to catch.
Lemonade. May we all be turning some of the pandemic hardships into something a little sweeter and softer and maybe even inspired.
P.S. Still sending out lots of mail these days. New batch of Fancy Envelopes up on the site as well as a variety of new greeting cards. One of my nice lemons into lemonade this season has been sending way more mail than normal! And…receiving mail!! How about that! (And as always, free shipping on everything on my website.) Happy Thursday friends! xo
