I am Rushmore

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Stamp out the heat wave

Last weekend, when it was too stinking hot to sit in my art room, I was looking for a project I could do at the air-conditioned dining room table.

I decided to carve some stamps.

I've been wanted more postal-themed stamps to use on outgoing envelopes.

I currently have my make-shift post mark stamp:


made from the inside of a roll of scotch tape and a carved eraser

And I have these sweet little envelope stamps I got in a swap from JaniceMarie:

But I wanted more!

I used my "cheater" method of stamp carving in which I find clip art images and transfer them onto the carving block so I don't have to try drawing anything.

Here's what I came up with:

(I love Mr. Zip!)

And here they are, put to use on my outgoing package to the lovely Gina Visione:

The box is wrapped in original blueprints from my old junior high school, rescued from the building before it was demolished earlier this year.

What was inside that package to Gina?

More carved stamps, of course!

Gina is a lover of all things vision related, so I carved her these eye stamps.

(I forgot to photograph the actual stamps, but these are the test prints I made)

Here are the backs of a few postcards Gina made with the stamps that show them to greater effect:

original mail art by GinaVisione. Go check out all her great art at Flickr.

A few weeks ago, Gina surprised me with this custom stamp:

(MMSA=Mail Me Some Art)

How cool is that?

I've been stamping it on everything in sight.

It gives that nice satisfying "thunk" when you press it.
It makes me feel so official and important.
Plus, with a stamp like this, you can look busy all the time.
(thanks again sweet G.)

Finally, when I was at Michael's last week, I found this bag of foam shapes for $2.

Apparently they are meant to be an educational toy, not a craft supply....

But with my heat gun and some texture plates, they have been turned into wee stamps.

The blocks are 1 inch cubes

I first learned this moldable foam stamp technique in Traci Bunker's wonderful "Print & Stamp Lab" book.


(I love this book. I've had it for years and use ideas from it all the time. I haven't read it in a while and found is totally worth revisiting with an eye toward texture-making ideas for gelatin prints.)

Check out this how-to video from Traci's blog.

Here are images from some of the stamps I've made so far:

And here are some of the stamps put to use on index cards:

It's going to be really stinking hot again all next week, so there may be even more stamps in my near future.

In the meantime, I'll be running around the house, stamping "confidential" on everything that doesn't move, and singing this song in my head.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

text box

I'm a habitual clipper of text.

I'm forever cutting out delightful words and phrases from the many many books I've amassed for collage purposes.

I keep them all in this box, and I've been dipping into it frequently throughout the ICAD challenge.

Tonight, after narrowly escaping a dreaded social situation and instead spending a wonderful spontaneous evening with my family, I came home to make my index card.

I painted a background and pondered.

What to add?

Out comes the text box.

Here's a possible phrase.

Here's another.

Or maybe this one?

hmmm....

what about these three all together?

perfect.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Late Night ICAD

Tuesday night:

Home at midnight after seeing Belle and Sebastian play in Boston.

Spent the drive home wracking my brain for index card inspiration.

Settled on the opening line of one of their songs.

Wednesday night:

Tired from a long day at work and a short night of sleep after last night's outing. No index card ideas whatsoever. Idly snipping up more of last year's unfinished index cards, trying to keep car hair out of the matte medium. Finally using this great bit of a text from a postcard from Mary

Thursday night:

Dinner guest. Lots of food and wine. Ready for bed, but first an index card.

I just so happen to have a pre-painted card, received in the mail from Sandra.

And some cheap spotted packing tape, newly acquired.

And some text from Terrie in today's mail.

and for the life of me I can't remember who recently sent me that image, but I'm so grateful to all my swapping friends for showering me with collage fodder!

(I crack myself up)

Friday Night:
Even though I went to bed last night vowing to make my index card in the morning before work, I find myself at 10PM without one. I spent the evening sorting and swapping the 106 monochromatic orange postcards for my most recent MMSA swap. Once everything was stamped and labeled and appropriately documented, I sifted through all the empty envelopes, decided which could be reused, and cutting off all the interesting bits of the others before recycling them.
Here is my index card using bits of envelope from Lynn, Carroll, Mandy, Noel, Jan and Ria.

I am so thankful for this challenge. Without it, there is no way I would have made any art this week.
My daily card habit, coupled with my year-long collage challenge, gets me in such a creative groove that even when I'm falling-down-tired-and-almost-incoherent, I can still make something I like.
Thank you Tammy and Hanna for these inspiring and motivating challenges.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Three hours of sleep.

Foggy.

Muddled.

Stumbling.

A gift in the mail from dear Gina

The index card void is filled for another day.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

some cards are better than others

I'm feeling quite pleased with myself that I've made an index card collage every single day since June 1st. I haven't skipped a single day of the challenge so far, and I've made 74 index cards in those 36 days!

Of course some days are better than others. Some days there is a seemingly endless supply of time, energy and inspiration. On those days we get multiple intricate layers, and perhaps a series of cards exploring a common element. Some days it feels like nothing short of a miracle that I brushed my teeth, let alone that I made art. On those days we get...well you can judge for yourself.

But that's the beauty of ICAD.

It's not about creating a masterpiece every day. It's about showing up. Just grab a card and make something. Keep the creative momentum going. Don't over think it. Make a mark. Stick something down. Play every day.

This card from July 3rd uses images sent to me in recent swaps, and a gelatin print on deli paper.

ICAD 7-3-13

Last year, I made an index card every day during June, then I started having some health issues and I slowed way down and eventually stopped. I've had a stack of partially painted and unused index cards in a box on my desk for the last year. On July 4th, when I nearly forgot to do my index card, I started cutting up those background cards from last year. I had a dictionary page on my desk and the word "continuation" popped out at me. It seemed fitting. It was a super quick collage and I kind of felt like I was phoning it in.

ICAD 7-4-13

Then came July 5th. It seemed as though I was the only person in the state of Massachusetts who had to work. It was a long, hot day. I'd been home long enough to change my clothes and have some dinner when the phone rang. It was my son, calling from a campground where he was supposed to be spending 4 days with a friend. He'd been there 24 hours, barely slept, had a terrible sunburn and wanted to come home. His trembling 12 year old voice, trying not to cry in front of his friend, was more than this mama could bear. I hopped in the car and drove 90 minutes to collect my tired lobster and take him home. It was 11PM by the time we were back in the house, and it was only after he was in bed that I remembered I hadn't done my index card. I realize the world wouldn't have ended if I'd just gone to bed. I wouldn't have failed. The goal was 61 index cards and I've already passed that mark.

But because I'd already had this thought the night before, I was able to create the card below in about 2 minutes. Glue down a strip from the yellow pages, use my phone rubber stamp, stamp the words on a separate index card and cut them out, then head to bed (giggling).

ICAD 7-5-13

Today was a long leisurely day of blogging, making art, carving new stamps, and sending mail. And 11PM rolls around and I realize I still haven't made my index card! Luckily I rarely clean my desk and have some wonderful scraps strewn about. I grab a background card from last year, add some tissue paper and scraps leftover from another project, and I'm done for the day.

ICAD 7-6-13

Now I'm off to bed.

Maybe tomorrow I'll make my card as soon as I wake up....

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

ICAD flashback (and collage flash forward)

ICAD 7-1-13 (first day of camp)

My summer camp program started this week, and as usual it is kicking my butt.

Day one was 11 hours of my name being called nonstop.

No matter how well prepared we think we are, there are still loose ends and countless questions from young and old.

I come home exhausted.

(but honestly? I love it.)

Half way through the day today I caught myself thinking "Is it really only the second day of camp?"

and then started to laugh at the familiarity of that refrain.

I came home and found the ICAD evidence from Tuesday June 26, 2012:

I'm nothing if not predictable.

It makes me realize I'm actually faring much better this year.

On this date last year I was coming home after a night in the ER. I'd had mysterious chest pain and was afraid I was having a heart attack. (It turned out to be reflux exacerbated by stress)

This year, the reflux is under control, and I may be tired, but I've managed to keep up with the ICAD challenge, and make additional postcards/index cards each night.