From Chaos To Control by Leada Wood, Artists Of Texas

 

 

 

Chaos (noun) a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.

 

 Yep that was me, one of my work tables was in complete chaos. I have been taking online classes with Jane Davies, making collage paper for Extreme Compositon. Seems like I might have gotten a little out of control in that class! It is great fun making my papers for my collages though. It could even become addictive. The problem is the class has been over since the first of the year but the chaos is still lingering behind....what to do??? It is difficult to organize all those papers and keep them handy where you can rummage through them when you are working with collage. Hmmm... have to gain control!

 

So I went shopping!!!  I  bought one of those little plastic drawer units that I am so fond of for my studio, but this is a short one and fits under my table. I then went to work sorting papers and tucking them away. I know I really needed to be painting, and I did a little, so while the paint was drying I was shuffling and sorting.

TaaDaa!!! It feels wonderful to have control again...at least until I start to work tomorrow. I would love to hear how you keep your collage materials sorted and in control!

Here's To The Crazy Ones by Leada Wood©

Here's To The Crazy Ones by Leada Wood ©

This is another miniature mixed media painting only 5"x7". I glazed paint, dribbled paint and splattered paint but that was only the beginning! I decided to use some of my collage paper I had created and a watch spring I had laying around but that was after I had added part of a poem by Robert Burridge that goes like this:

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits...the rebels...the troublemakers...the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify them or vilify them. Because they change things. They invent...they imagine...they heal...they explore...they create...they inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kind of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
                                                                                                                                                        ---Robert Burridge 

Painting Collage Papers by Leada Wood

Today I decided I needed more collage papers as I was starting two new paintings. I had some I had previously painted so I got out my trusty brayer and black gesso and stamps and started laying on patterns. The papers are not finished as I will add a little more to them tomorrow to bring them to completion. Then they will be ready to rip apart and start layering up to form new designs on my painting.

These are my collection of stamps. I hand make most of them and use different stamp making techniques, they range from small 2x2 to large 12x12. I also buy some stamps along.  I enjoy the whole process of collage from making the stamps, to creating the papers and finally creating the paintings.