Creative Upcycling & Mixed Media

More Ancient Egyptians Using Modern Technology

2023-05-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

Here are 10 more collages from my altered book project combining ancient Egypt with images from old computer magazines. (See part 1 here.)

Ancient Egyptian Tech -- What would Tut type?

2023-05-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

I took an old guide to Egypt and added vintage computer images. I'd like to think that, if the Egyptians had had computers, they would have created even more amazing art...

More of my altered books:

Recent collages -- Fortune teller, opera mouth, more

2023-03-12T09:23:00.002-07:00

Here are collages that I've made in the past few weeks. Some are for the Paris Collage Collective challenge, and others are for Februllage 2023.

Recent collages -- Mr. Potato Head, dancing catsup, more

2023-02-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

Here are collages that I've made in the past few weeks. Some are for the Paris Collage Collective challenge, and others are for Februllage 2023.

Recent collages -- Cactus Face, Harper's Bizarre, Nail Head, more

2023-02-12T07:28:00.001-08:00

Here are collages that I've made in the past few weeks. Some are for the Paris Collage Collective challenge, and others are for Februllage 2023.

Recent collages -- body builders, fallout, kimchi and more

2022-10-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Here are collages that I've made in the past few weeks for the Paris Collage Collective weekly challenge. (To see the starting image and the collages that other artists have made, click the link below the image. Click the image itself to enlarge it.)

Week 40

Week 39

Week 38

Week 37

Week 36

Week 35

An Accidental ABCD-ery

2022-09-24T07:29:00.002-07:00

What's an ABCD-ery? It's a collection of images in alphabetical order, each image representing one letter in the alphabet (think kids' books). I've always wanted to create one -- and a few days ago, I realized I already DID, in the form of my "Franken Face" collages, each one comprised of assorted parts and labeled with an appropriate title.

Only after I started scanning them did I see that I could compile an almost-complete ABCD-ery. Here's the first set.

A -- Ann Holds her Man

B -- Bandage Face

C -- Compulsion

D -- Do Good

E -- Epic Fall

F -- Face Value

G -- Get Wack!

H -- Hello

Recent collages -- roll the dice, ride an escalator, more

2022-08-27T06:46:00.002-07:00

Recent collages -- dangerous clamshells, Punk Power, more

2022-07-17T07:40:00.002-07:00

Sears Catalog People Visit Switzerland

2022-07-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

I love old catalogs from the 1960s and 70s. The fashions are fantastic, the colors are bold, and the people are always smiling. I liberated some folks from old Sears catalogs and let them travel to Switzerland (the black and white version, circa 1930) by collaging every page in a vintage book seen in the slideshow below.

The pages will move forward automatically, but if you're in a hurry, use the "Next" button to page forward. You can go backward by clicking the arrows at the bottom left of the page.

My big break

2022-06-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Two months ago, I got my big break. But it wasn't the one I was hoping for. After climbing onto an empty laundry hamper and reaching to open the heater vent on the ceiling, I fell...HARD...onto something even HARDER. Crack!

After a painful ride to the hospital and an even more painful CAT scan, I learned that my femur (thigh bone) had "crashed" into my tibia (shin bone), cracking it in two places. Any slight movement sent a spike of hot pain up my leg, even after a dose of morphine.

But they couldn't fix my leg at the hospital. Instead, I had to wait to meet with an ortho surgeon who specialized in such complex fractures. I spent a week in the downstairs room where I fell, while my husband ran up and down the stairs bringing me food, water and company.

Ten days after my fall, I had my surgery. The strangest part of preparing was seeing all the nurses trying to pull the rings off my swollen fingers. Two rings wouldn't budge, so I signed a release permitting the doctors to saw off the rings during surgery if necessary (it wasn't).

I remember nothing about the surgery. One moment I was in the prep area and the next, I was in recovery. Had a team of surgeons just spent 4 hours digging around inside my leg? That's what they told me. I couldn't feel my leg...the entire thing was wrapped in a huge Ace bandage. They let me go home the same day. Amazing!

Somehow, I made it from our car into the house, back to my spot downstairs. I stayed there for a week, but finally made my way upstairs, where my real bed (and snacks and natural light) waited. I "climbed" the stairs on my backside, crying and exhausted.

The very next day I got my wheelchair, which has made all the difference. I can do almost everything I could do on two feet. And wheels are fun! (Unless you roll over the cat's tail.) My husband wrapped plastic around all the doorways I was certain to destroy. And I got stronger. At first, my arms shook when I transferred in and out of the chair. Now it's almost easy.

I'm hoping to stand up in the next month or so. Hopefully, before our soggy Northwest spring turns into a sunny summer. And I promised my husband I will never, ever stand on top of an empty laundry basket again.

Recent collages -- Franked-tourists, robot cleaner, more

2022-05-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

Recent collages -- girdle bouquet, bacony Billy, Wild West, and more

2022-04-10T07:42:00.001-07:00

Pretty if you smile -- a collage about being a girl

2022-03-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, people used to tell me I should smile more. "You'd be so pretty if you only smiled!" Even my grandmother -- when she caught me frowning or pouting -- would say, "Watch out, or your face will freeze that way!" I hated being told things like that. Why should I smile if I didn't feel happy? If I'm feeling sad, does that make me ugly?

I'm guessing you might have heard the same things. The photo on the right was taken in a photo booth at my local Woolworth's, when I was in junior high. My friend Janie and I made silly faces, definitely not smiling.

These memories came to me when I was working on a collage for the NW Collage Society Spring Show. At first, I played around with vintage makeup ads aimed at teens in the 1970s -- my era. Remember Bonnie Bell "lip smackers"? Or "Baby Doll" makeup? Or "kissing potion"?

I incorporated these ads into the background of my collage, along with illustrations of dolls from the same era -- Barbie, Crissy, and Kissy (of course!)

By the time I finished the background, I realized that I wanted the piece to be about being told to smile when I was young and how that led to the strange connection between being a Girl and being Nice...and Pleasant...and Pretty. Here's the finished collage.

If you're in the Seattle area, you can catch the full show through May at the Lodge at St. Edward in Kenmore. Here I am with my collage...and a smile on my face!

Recent collages -- musical ducks, dancing coffee pots and TV heads

2022-02-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

Here are collages that I've made so far in 2022 for the Paris Collage Collective weekly challenge. (To see the starting image and the collages that other artists have made, click the link below the image.)

Beginning of the End of The Before Time

2022-01-23T07:43:00.002-08:00

I've been thinking about the "Before Time" -- before everything changed. The question is, when did it happen? In one sense, the Before Time could mean before COVID. But to me, "Before" means before the Internet changed...everything.

Pretty soon we won't be able to remember the Before Time...when we had to use a phone book to find a restaurant, or go to the library to discover who the president of Uganda is. When we lived an ANALOG life...

This collage marks the beginning of the end of the Before Time. I started by tearing up instructions to old TVs and CD players, then covering the result with jewel-colored semi-transparent alcohol ink. (The hues remind me of the soft rainbow reflected by a CD.)

For the mid-ground, I added circuit board outlines and white circles.

Next, I gathered foreground images -- early computer monitors, wood-grain TVs, bulky word processors, and cordless phones as big as bricks -- everything that fits into our tiny smart phones today.

Although the Internet has been around for decades, it was only in the late 1980s and early 90s that people outside of academia began using it. The WorldWide Web debuted in 1989, and Windows 95 brought the Internet to desktop PC users. To mark the decade, I added the major players and celebrities of the day -- Bill Gates, the Clintons, Beavis and Butthead, Micheal Jackson, and, of course, the Borg.

We live in a digital world now, and it's fair to call the transition a miracle. So I added angels heralding the Intel chip and the Windows 95 Start button.

I wiped a yellow glaze over the entire piece, to harmonize and calm the disparate images.

I didn't like the plain yellow, so I returned to the jewel colors of the background. It's better, but I'm still not happy. I may have gone too far (which often happens in my collages).

What do YOU remember about the Before Time?

Vintage model mashup -- a collaged book

2022-01-01T08:39:00.002-08:00

I admit it...I love old 1950s catalogs and magazines that feature elegant men and women in classy outfits...and revealing underwear. Such an odd combination of sophistication and total geekery.

This small booklet started out as a catalog for organic cotton clothing. It was printed on heavy paper, with matte (not glossy) illustrations -- perfect for collage!

I started by collecting geometric patterns that fit with the shapes and colors on the original illustrations and gluing them on each page. These patterns were an interesting background, but needed a focal point. So I added people and text from a 1952 Sears catalog.

I started with fully clothed models and stylish accessories..

But soon I added underwear models...

There's something strange about these prim sepia ladies modeling bras and girdles...

The male models strike professional poses, as though they are at work...

Shopping certainly IS easy...

Vintage doll ads

2021-10-10T07:49:00.003-07:00

Advertisements are the best part of any vintage magazine -- and it doesn't matter whether it's National Geographic, Time, or Women's Home Journal. The images are carefully rendered, the layout is eye-catching and the ad copy is catchy. I love them!

Below are ads I found online for vintage dolls. They were so cool that I had to draw them -- even though I don't remember any of them (except, of course, for Barbie).

Back to making collages...13 new and strange images

2021-10-02T08:00:00.003-07:00

After a long break, I picked up my glue stick and X-acto knife again to make collages for the Paris Collage Collective weekly challenge.

To see the starting image and the collages that other artists have made, click the link below the image.

Kiss and tell...ads in vintage teen magazines

2021-08-08T08:59:00.003-07:00

Admit it...as a kid, you probably read at least one issue of Tiger Beat or 16 Magazine. I certainly did, at least if there was a photo of my crush David Cassidy on the cover. I've been collecting teen magazines from the early 1970s. Like most old magazines, the best part are the ads. They teased teenyboppers with offers to meet and even kiss their favorite stars.

An ad like this one made me yearn for a puka bead choker. For some reason, my parents wouldn't let me have one.

I remember buying a set of these posters. It was hard to decide...did I want four normal-sized Davids looking at me from my bedroom walls, or one huge one?

I don't want to be petty, but the David Cassidy posters are much more compelling than this Beatles one...

For just a dollar, you can learn about The Beatles "from Liverpool to swimming pool." (I guess they thought their fans didn't know where babies come from.)

16 Magazine offered to turn wishes into "thrilling reality" by providing readers with a phone call, letter, or pin-up from their fav celebrity.

This "Kissing Kit" includes "oh-so-kissable" photos, tips on how to dress "like a Roller," and important information about "what turns them on in a girl -- and what turns them off!" (Those hair styles are a turn off, if you ask me!)

Remember when John Travolta was a teen hearthrob? Me neither...

Weep and worry no more...as long you change EVERYTHING about yourself, you have a shot at becoming popular. I wonder how much harm these "marvelous books" did to young, insecure teens?

The book promises "to make a new you" using "tried-and-true hints on hair, makeup, grooming, clothes, dieting, exercises." You'll learn how to "act, look and be like you've always wanted."

Looking at these ads now, I'm surprised that I reached adulthood with (most of) my sanity and self-respect intact.

Abandoned buildings can be beautiful

2021-08-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

In my colored pencil practice, I've moved on from old road signs to abandoned buildings and malls. Searching online for photos, I start with a building, then add details from other places -- graffiti, trash, even large seagulls. This one is my favorite so far...

I'm afraid the huge teddy bear might have been a mistake here.

Here I combined an old Kids R Us store with a sign for "Bambi" cleaners. I made up the graffiti.

Here, I added the Pac Man guys to the front of an old mall. The tires come from a different parking lot.

Look, it's my own "tag" on the walls of this Penney's.

The sign is real. I've combined it with a moldy swimming pool.

Here, I really like the way the water dribbles down the front of the Sears sign.

Old road signs -- new colored pencil sketches

2021-07-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

I love old signs, especially the ones from the 1950s and 60s in a style called "Googie." To practice drawing, I searched for cool signs online and added backgrounds from other photos.

I added an abandoned pool to the sketch below. Hmmm....I like this "build your own dystopian landscape" idea....

All together now -- Beatles "posers"

2021-07-04T08:08:00.002-07:00

The Beatles changed pop music forever. They also changed how musical groups were photographed -- at least in teen magazines. I went through my pile of old magazines and noticed a pattern.

The iconic image of the Fab Four showed the boys in a line, shoulder to shoulder, facing the camera, like this.

They posed this way with fans....

Even when they were getting their hair done....

Other groups followed the Beatles lead, including the Beach Boys, who even surfed in a row...

Paul Revere and the Raiders don't seem to enjoy the position quite as much...

The Rolling Stones were harder to herd. This is as close as they got to a Beatles pose.

But lesser known groups were happy to line up and mug for the camera....

By the 1970s, fewer groups posed like the Beatles. But ABBA gave it a try....

How my garden grows -- new drawings

2021-06-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

My backyard hits peak bloom for just a few weeks in May. Shy rhododendrons become flaming extroverts, with pink, white, purple and red (my favorite) flowers, attracting bees and birds. Irises show off their extravagant petals, and hosta leaves erupt from the ground, bigger each year.

A few more memories of Mom

2021-06-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

My previous posts had themes....sewing, jewelry, knickknacks. This one is a grab bag of makeup, perfume and yes...turtles!

Before I declared myself a feminist, I enjoyed playing with the Avon lipstick samples that Mom would give me after her "Lady" left. I loved the tiny, Claudia-sized white cylinders of bright pinks and reds.

Mom never left the house without "putting her face on." She also liked wearing perfume. Her favorite was Chanel #5. She tried to get me started on Jean Nate, but I'm just not a perfume person.

Mom smoked for many years, until she used her mighty willpower to quit in her 50s (she inspired me to quit, too). In this imagined still life, I included her silver ashtray along with a glass of wine (just one before bedtime) and a crossword puzzle.

As for the turtles...I brought two red-ear sliders into the house, promising to care for them, but of course Mom ended up doing all the work. Myrtle and Yurtle spent several happy years in a large aquarium in my bathroom, chomping on processed lunchmeat. Myrtle grew so large that we released her into a large pond when she outgrew the aquarium.