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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Index card collages made with swap papers


Yesterday's mail brought an envelope full of nature related images.  It was from a swap-bot partner, and the object of the swap was to create a cool envelope using the nature theme and include at least a dozen images for your partner to use in future collage.

Here are both sides of the envelope I created and sent to my partner last week:




and here are the four index cards I made last night using some of the images my partner sent me:





I was so tired last night after a wonderful full-day family outing that I didn't see how I was going to make an index card.  My cloudy brain felt overwhelmed and at a loss for ideas.  I remembered the swap envelope, still on the kitchen counter, unopened.  I poured the contents on the work table and decided I would use only those images. (I ended up adding my own tissue paper to #2 and #4, and the text to #1, otherwise all the images came from that envelope.) 

I just sat there pushing the images around for the longest time until eventually the chicken one came together (with a little help from my typewriter and the song stuck in my head).  After that, I was inspired and all tiredness was forgotten. And this is exactly why I love the ICAD challenge so much.  Without having made that commitment to myself, I would have fallen asleep on the couch without making any art last night.  Instead I came away with four small collages that make me smile, I pushed myself to look at fairly conventional images in new ways, and had a thoroughly enjoyable and energizing hour of creativity.
Oh yeah - and I brought myself four collages closer to my goal of 365 in 2013.  Win!

11 comments:

  1. Your sense of humor is always so evident in your work, even when you are tired. Love that chicken! xox

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  2. I am in love with the chicken...it's amazing!

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  3. I hope those are flames behind the chicken, that makes me laugh!

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  4. Sometimes I think working with a tired mind can be an advantage - it certainly seems to have worked out well for you here!

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  5. Art is incredible that way, isn't it?!

    You always put fun stuff together!

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  6. These are so cool. I love how bold and graphic they are. You used such a great combination of images.

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  7. Yes! I am always so creatively filled up from ICAD. Even when I first think I have nothing left in the tank. Sometimes it is enough that I showed up and did it even when that is the last thing I wanted to do.

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  8. Hi. It's me.
    That chicken card is the best thing I've seen in WEEKS! Maybe MONTHS!

    When I was writing all the time, one of the most important things I learned was that, regardless of whether I was tired or sad or anything else, the writing comes out just as well or even better. It's a strange truth that's counterintuitive. But it seems to work with writing, art, exercise, or taking things from the store when no one's looking.

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  9. They all came together so well, and with those gorgeous artistic envelopes flying around the world the postal service must have a lovely time sorting the mail.

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  10. Love them all, but I think my favorite is the very cute donkey or burro. I know what you mean about the ICADS. If there happens to be some left over paint or scraps laying around there's an ICAD waiting to be born.

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