My goal at the start was to create a unique design using a limited palette. I wanted the final design to be out of the ordinary and be eye-catching. It is also important to me to vary the shapes and sizes of these. This is the part of the process I love. I have no […] more »
This is a design from my archives that I decided to rework and improve with various color changes and textures. The inspiration for this vertical design was the architecture of the buildings in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. I love the different shapes of the buildings. It began with a picture-taking adventure throughout the city, from various […] more »
This is a full sheet collage that is part of my series of non-objective subject matter. It began with choosing some favorite colors: purple, orange, indigo and teal. I began making the shapes using random cuts with the X-Acto knife and folding various parts of my hand-painted papers. This is quite challenging to begin this […] more »
This is a non-objective vertical design, which began without the help of a drawing. I find it challenging to work this way allowing my creative energies to flow without a definite end product in mind. I first chose some colors from my cache of hand-painted collage papers, limiting the hues. This is difficult for me […] more »
This artwork is part of my Downtown Des Moines series, one of my most popular themes. I worked from a photograph taken a few years ago. A sketch fleshes out the main shapes and I edit throughout the drawing because there are a lot of unnecessary details that will not contribute to the final composition. […] more »
This month it’s a birthday cake theme in acrylic collage. I wanted it to be very special with three layers, lots of icing and decorations. I did a lot of sketches to begin formulating a design before choosing which one would work best for me. This is a vertical format, instead of my original idea […] more »
The impetus for this design was an upcoming juried competition and the fact I wanted to do an abstract composition. Having a definite deadline always propels me into action. Starting with some geometric shapes, I began arranging the shapes on the support and thought about a definite value pattern. My main idea was a circular […] more »
My idea was to re-work an old piece with the same title, but I ended up changing the whole design. There was a spark of an idea to add a guitar to an abstract piece and it kept evolving. The colors changed along the way too, which is one of the benefits working with collage. […] more »
This is a pencil portrait commission done for a client. I work from your photograph, as long as it’s sharp and clear. All portrait requests are welcome, any subject matter or age group. Pets are very popular too! more »
I have decided to rework the background on this collage. I felt the sky shape needed a brighter color and thought that a cool red, pinks and purples would make the greens pop. The sky was pieced together using many strips of these variegated colors. I also decided that the yellow shapes needed some division […] more »