French Patisserie papers

first of all

dear readers, let me apologize for not only my tardiness..

I did say I would be back yesterday...

but also for my lack of comments to my smatterings post...

I have been busy tending someone with the sniffles...

and have not had a chance to blog hop...

detail of X Marks This Spot

or even post on FaceBook...

since chicken soup takes a bit of time to make...

but I have been busy...

as you see here...

the new French Paper series pieces...

X Marks The Spot... 6 x 6

they feature some antique patisserie papers

used in bakeries to put pastry on.. very similar to paper doilies...

I will be making more in this series...

I also used the onion papers that I had dyed...as well as Nupastels

pencil and antique French papers...

detail from Circle of Life

Mr. LDV liked them so much he intends to keep them...

my photography is not the best...

since we are still having snowy overcast days...

and ...I regret the curve in the paper

which is caused of course by the different media...

Circle of Life...

but will flatten once they are matted and framed..

and I am very close to having my February journal pages finished...

so that will be revealed soon...

due take care... 

if you like I am...

in this never ending winter 

to stay healthy and warm...

C4N!

tiny smatterings

the weekend is here again...

and I am leaving you with

a wip..

my February pages

are still in process...

the lily girl is writing her annual love letter to herself...

and 

I promise dear reader that I will have some finished work

to view next week on Tuesday...

but for now you will have to put up with these

tiny smatterings of a something...

and 

I wanted to let you know

that I am retiring 

these last two 

pieces..

French Paper Abstracts

that were published in the Summer 2013

issue of Sew Somerset

they are mixed media on cradled boards..

they will retire next week

so if you are interested in them

please visit my

Dolce Shop

have a beautiful weekend

and remember that the sun is always shining

above the clouds...

ciao, ciao!

finally.. pasticcio

my how the weeks fly by...

can it be the weekend already?

 I finally received my issue of

Pasticcio Quartz

been so excited to get this...

perfect to snuggle up with a cuppa 

and read it cover to cover...

it is so inspirational...

if you want a copy you can

go here

Lulu 

you might remember this piece from the

French Paper series...

the title is 

La Loire...

and behind these pages

are some fabulous artists...

my friends included...

Marie Danti

Sarah McTeer Ogburn

as well as 

Angela Cartwright and Sarah Fishburn

who create a magnificent zine..

if you are an art lover this is the zine for you... 

you will find the work of:

Donald Hendricks

Maud Guilfoyle

Loryn Spangler-Jones

Helence Lacelle

Meghan Gerety

Misty Mawn

Connie Freedman

Gina Rossi Armfield

Bridget Davies

Marie Danti

Juliette Crane

Sarah McTeer Ogburn

Seth Apter

Stanistaw Wyspianski

September Gerety

Lou McCulloch

Jennifer Gordon

Cindy Silverstein

David Hayes

Holly Dean

CW Slade

Corina Gerety

Jesse Tyler Bullion

Peregrine Higgins

Teal Wilson

Caterina Giglio

Nathalie Lete

as well as an illuminating article on

Erin Currier...

a mixed media artist I have long admired... 

I hope your weekend is 

balmy, arty and filled with the sweet life..

see you next week gentle readers..

xohttp://www.lulu.com/spotlight/cartwrightandfishburn

circles

so in the middle of painting water...

dear reader..

I stopped for a break to make onion papers...

and sat down with a cuppa 

to peruse an old French book...

and before I knew it

I had tiny scissors in my hand and I began cutting circles...

that ended up in

some new pieces in

the French Paper Series 

I used watercolor papers...

as my substrate

pencil, pastel, and vintage and antique ephemera

and I will be putting them in the shop..

and speaking of the shop

check it out here

Dolce Shop

I have cleaned it up

retired several pieces and

created room for 

commissioned portraits...

what's up with all the circles?

he asked...

hhmmm..

I could tell him that they represent the eternality of life...

the wedding ring is the symbol of connection.. linking us together..

of the ripples that start in the middle of the lake and fan out until they touch all sides..

or how the circle is represented by the seasons of the year.. cyclical

the phases of the moon ...

or the sun that must be up there somewhere...

I think of the circle as a power symbol that

is locked inside our very dna..

but I wasn't THINKING when I sat down and began cutting...

I was just playing..

so instead... 

I think I will just say

that cuticle scissors cut the best circles...

and aren't they cool?

C4N..

Les Jardin Des Amants and more Italian collage

dearhearts...

it all started innocently enough

with these

four collages...

The Jardin Collages...

as I was ripping up an old book on botany..

I had the idea of a garden of lovers...

meeting among the gardens filled with flowers...

and as I leafed through my French papers

I found an article on gardening in

an old newspaper...

Les Fleurs, 8 x 8 collage,  French Paper Series

Jardin 8 x 8  collage, French Paper Series

Rustica, 8 x 8 collage, French Paper Series

No. 31, collage, French Paper Series

and they were so beautifully photographed in

the Somerset Studio article...

Sept/Oct. 

Somerset Studio

after I created the

Jardin collages, I thought that the floral images

would be beautiful

layered in

Italian collage mounted on Khadi papers

Floating, 8 x 8 Italian Collage

Vintage Fleur,  8 x 8 Italian Collage

Mosaic Jardin, 8 x 8 Italian collage

and then of course I had to make

 minis

from top to bottom... Un Jardin, Petite Fleur, Rouge, Purple Butterfly 6 x 6 

so you can see why I had to split this post up to show

you all the pieces...

and if you missed the first part of my show

just scroll down to the last post...

alas... I won't be able to make this show

Oct. 25 and 26

in Fort Collins

at
the Nostalgia Antiques Sale
and

142 Bis Gallerie

immediately following the show..

but I am hoping to do another show next year and attend..

as always, I so appreciate your kind readership...

and faithful support...

I will be back shortly with

October pages..

and some peeks of

my latest Sew project...

xo

packing up... again

no not the house...

my work...

to send

to my gallery

142 Bis

I just got the pieces back from 

Somerset Studio

for the 

Portfolio/ Interview that they did

in the Sept./Oct. issue

and I debated about framing the paper pieces or leaving them

raw and I decided to offer them 

frameless this time and see how they are received...

small Italian collage pieces and mosaic in the bottom left corner and above

so I put them all in sleeves and finished them off with washi tape

and the cradled boards were all fitted with hangers

and labeled on the back of the boards

close up of La Petite Illustration

I love the neat stack and piles of work...

all neatly packaged 

and bubbled carefully..

close up of Strolling Paris 8 x 8 cradled board

we don't usually show off the business side of art...

but it is all part of the job...

and I noticed that I now need new business cards!

because my email addy has changed!

fortunately I was down to the last of them..

the show is

Oct 25 and 26

in Fort Collins

Les Jardins Des Amants

Friday I will be back with

photos of all the work and 

details about the show...

C4N!

a happy weekend

spring finally arrived in 

Michigan...

dear readers...

the blooms are pretty spectacular...

the lilacs are just now waning...

and our family is safe in Moore

it was a bit scary for a while...

but they are fine and all is well... Whew!

"what good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?"

John Steinbeck

but life in the forest is good...

although a little chilly this weekend, we are still

planning on sunshine...

and I am dividing my time between garden and studio...

as I do every year...

I am working on May pages and Italian collage and some

new pieces in my French Paper series..

I should have some WIPS to show you soon...

I wanted to wish you all a great weekend...

a safe and beautiful Memorial weekend

as always I am so grateful to your readership and your kind remarks,

I will be back next week...

C4N!