Serendipitous Art -- From a Paper Towel!

I always wipe my brushes on paper towels to remove excess acrylic paint from the bristles. A while back, I was painting away with a riot of colors in a slightly watery manner, and was using a slightly dampened paper towel to wipe off my brush. When I was finished, I didn't discard the paper towel, I just set it aside to dry.

The next day, a different painting had me using a lot of golden yellow that was fairly diluted. (I use fluid acrylics; adding water to them creates a watercolor-like wash.) In this instance, I had about a quarter cup of this watered down paint left over at the end of the day. So, on a whim, I applied it as a "background" color to the paper towel I had used the previous day. Here's what I ended up with:

I kinda liked the effect -- cheerfully colored brushstrokes with a washy look -- but didn't have any use for it in mind, so I just added it to my paper stash.

Then a week or so ago I bought a paper punch on Amazon that makes perfect one-inch squares. I had a field day going through old magazines, looking for ads with colors or graphics that caught my eye. I like to use snippets from magazines to make little collage postcards I send to friends and family. It's a good way to upcycle and it gives me something creative to do when I'm watching TV at night. Here's a postcard made with the new punch:

After making up a couple of these using magazine pages, I got the idea to try using that paper towel. Much to my surprise, the punch had no trouble slicing into it, consistently yielding pieces with nice clean edges. With this punch, you can turn it over to see exactly what you're punching out, so I tried to position it over the choicest parts. When I had a couple dozen pieces or so, I adhered 24 of them to a piece of 4x6 watercolor paper using matte medium. Here's the result:

As each piece was glued down, I brushed more matte medium over it to seal it well. The surface texture is still apparent, which gives the piece a very dreamy, "soft" look, I think. I really like the way this little collage turned out. It tickles me and tugs at my heart at the same time, knowing that it's not meant for me to keep.

But, as a postcard, I don't think it would survive the rigors of the postal system. So I'll put it in a nice mat and offer it for sale through my Etsy shop later this week. I hope someone who likes it as much as I do will buy it and enjoy it each day as it brightens a space in their home!

 Text and images ©2015 Lynn Edwards

How to Start an Abstract Collage

Are you intimidated by a blank canvas? Paralyzed with indecision as to how to begin? Here's a fun little exercise to help you overcome your apprehension and take you straight into making an abstract collage.

An Exercise in Serendipitous Abstraction

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to perform a simple timed exercise in random collage. Its purpose is to encourage you into an “anything goes” mindset and a willingness to give up control of the outcome --- essential skills for making abstract art. 

1. Gather found and painted papers that look good together in terms of their colors and designs.

2. Gesso a piece of 140# watercolor paper (any size) and let it dry.

3. Place the watercolor paper on your work surface. Using blue painter's tape, fix it into place so it doesn't slide around.

4. Cut or tear the painted and found papers into smaller pieces and into various shapes and sizes. Use at least three different colors.

5. Holding them about 8 inches above the watercolor paper, open your hand and drop them all at once onto the surface of the watercolor paper. 

6. Use your favorite adhesive to glue down each piece right where it fell. Leave the composition to chance. Do not fuss over placement. Overlap and layer the pieces wherever you are able to.

7. If you're totally unhappy with where the pieces landed, or if they landed everywhere but on the watercolor paper, you may do a second drop.

Now add paint if desired, then more collage, then more paint and/or images or image transfers. This technique, adapted from one used by Dadaists, can serve as a good "warmup" exercise. It can also be the design inspiration for a larger canvas, or it can be developed into a work of art in its own right.

©2015 Lynn Edwards