Making Collage Papers from Junk Mail

Almost daily I make some kind of fodder for collage. Lately, I've discovered junk mail can be painted and used for collage. This makes sense to me ... using things that was once one thing and turning it into something else. It's the philosophy I use for mosaic. I often say "everything has more than one purpose and can be reused as something else". Imagine my delight in discovering I can take all that junk and make it beautiful!

 

Almost all the paper used in these two pieces were done on junk mail I had started collecting. I am always looking for ways to use things I have. This is really awesome to me! I love it!!

Also, the crescent moon shown here was done on an old tarot card set I no longer used. I lost some of the cards and couldn't bare to toss them (remember my philosophy). I did cut up some for the journals but not all of them were journal worthy. Those that aren't going into art as is are getting used to make wall hangings or gift tags. These have turned out fairly nifty looking. I am certainly having fun finding new ways to use old things in collage. Woohoo!

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

Collage Papers Art

Every so often a paint combination comes together while making collage papers that surprises me.

The blue paper background is a piece of copy paper that I used to wipe off excess acrylic paint from the rubber brayer, paint brushes and tools. The effect is amazing. The paper for the dove was done on the Gelli plate using rice paper. I used a stencil to cut out the dove.

Sometimes it's fun to see what kind of design I can get by using plastic clay scrapers for potters. I thought some of the ridges would be cool used on paint. I was right!

Acrylics on rice paper. After I did the Gelli plate pull, I noticed it looked like my comfy bed.

Abstract, random colors looks a lot like one of my favorite spots in my room.

After letting this dry I realized it looked like the face of a tan and white horse. This was all entirely random and using bubble wrap and a few other odds and ends for the cool designs, the color combo turned it into something.

 

 

 

These are just a small example of how amazing making collage papers can be. Some are really not very good but there's a corner of one spot or something in the center of a page that looks wonderful enough to add to a collage.

This paper didn't want to come off of the plate and as you can see, part of it ripped. However, there's enough here to use for more than one collage. I try not to toss out any paper I do on the Gelli plate if I can help it. There's always a small piece I can use.

 

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

 

 

EarthMotherMosaics on Etsy

Mosaic Peace Sign, Hippie Vibes, Bohemian Love, Broken/Hand Cut Dishes, Peace Sign, Birthday, Retirement, Anniversary, Mother's Day 

10 inch peace sign - $100.50

This is such a pretty peace sign created using vintage dishes belonging to family members. Once truly loved and used, now becomes mosaic art to love once more.

Bright and colorful! Perfect for anyone, any room, any time of year, all year long.

A big blue glass half circle is the focal point and that's where it started. I really love the color combination here - it could fit nicely in any room in your home.

Grouted in white. I left the sides and back alone after initially painting it with white primer before I started putting these hand cut vintage dish tiles on. I like how the white grout and the white around the edges blend well together. You can see some of the original MDF peaking through in spots that somehow enhances the look for me. I hope you feel that way as well.

A saw tooth hook is attached as well a felt pad to protect the wall from scratches. Signed and dated.

Celebrate the gift of peace!

Indoor use only.

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

 

Mosaic Monday

 I took the week away from social media to concentrate, clean and organize the areas I love to spend time in. Now that I'm back for a few weeks before the next break, it's time to share some art!

During that week, I did some grouting. I love to grout. It just pulls everything together so nicely. Especially when using black on colors like I used on the peace sign. It's gorgeous!

 

The sun I made couldn't stand on it's own after adding glass and grout due to heaviness. I added a hanger to it and placed it on my wall. The splinter factor I mentioned in last week's post was taken care of by putting ribbon along the sides rays. Love my glue gun!!

 

The peace sign, and three 4 inch square moon phases were placed on the wall as well after grouting joining their sister. Now there are 4 phases on the wall in this size. I'm not certain the newest peace sign will stay where it is, but it's been added to the rest for now.

I love my peace and celestial walls so much.

 

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

Mosaic Monday - Standalone Sun - WIP

I got these really cool unfinished wooden suns from Etsy last year. They stand on their own which is kinda awesome in my opinion. My only caveat is the wood isn't smooth on the sides. You can see from the second photo here that it wasn't sanded smoothly before it went out to me. I did try to smooth the sides but it wasn't easy and maybe why the person who makes these didn't do it. That's okay for my purposes because I have a lot of ribbon and twine and a hot glue gun ... and I know how to use them! 😁

The plan for these three: one will have a mosaic, one a dot painting and the third a collage. All have been painted turquoise.

I'm hoping once this one is grouted the weight won't shift and make it imbalanced. Fingers crossed! 🤞

Aren't these glass colors pretty? Sky blue, yellow and orange. I also added mirror (of course) so there's a little bit of reflective light going on as well.

For now, it's resting in the "to be grouted" pile. I'm not sure when I'll grout them but it'll definitely be with black. I'm hoping maybe before the end of the month before the pile gets much higher. 😏

 

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

Repairing a Japanese Paper Lampshade

I've had this beautiful Japanese inspired floor lamp for years. The paper shade reminds me so much of the shops I used to be drawn to in New Hope, PA when I was a teenager.

Recently I noticed there was a few rips in the shade. It has been with me for a long time and I know paper rips (I do it daily now in collage!) but I wasn't sure what I should do. I found a replacement shade on Amazon, fairly priced (well within my budget) but then the question was, what to do with the old shade. I just didn't see the reason to toss it and wasn't sure I could justify ripping it up and using the paper for collage although I could have easily done that.

I decided to see if I could repair it with the rice paper I have. I'm sorry I didn't take any photos of the rips before I repaired it.

I still have a lot of Asemic Writing* papers on rice paper to use in my collage journey and thought it would look sort of cool if I used some of that on the lamp.

*Asemic writing is a wordless open semantic form of writing. The word asemic means "having no specific semantic content", or "without the smallest unit of meaning". With the non-specificity of asemic writing there comes a vacuum of meaning, which is left for the reader to fill in and interpret.

Source: Wikipedia

 

Asemic Writing on rice paper.

 

I used a matte medium from Liquitex and slathered it on the paper over the holes in the lamp. It worked!

 

I'm very happy with the results and now, should another rip happen, I'll know what to do.

I don't know if everyone would like this solution but it is perfect for me and my lifestyle so I figured I'd share it with you.
 

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

 

 

Collage Papers Art

I can't believe I've made so much collage paper fodder in a very short amount of time. To keep things under slight control, I've started using some of what I have made in different ways.

Some pieces are abstract, similar to the 100 Day Challenge I'm doing.

Collage abstract using hand made papers and doodle art with acrylic paint. 5 x 7 inches.

Collage abstract using hand made papers with acrylic paint. 4 inches.

Some are a favorite subject: the moon, using papers with espresso powder. LOVE the way these look!

 Many are getting cut out as peace signs, flowers, birds, etc. Fun to do!

 

This kitty above is one of the first I attempted to make cutting out shapes using the collage papers I've made. I was so happy to actually be able to make something with them and have it look fairly decent. I felt so accomplished!! The excitement in trying something new is what keeps me going back to the work tables each day. In all the art forms I enjoy from doodle art to mosaics, if it doesn't excite me, I won't spend time on it. So far, everything is very enjoyable and gives me a sense of peace I crave while creating.

I'm still very much in love with making collage papers (the honeymoon is definitely not over!) and I keep trying new things with the Gelli plate almost daily. I know this is just the beginning of a long and beautiful romance.
 

Enjoy the journey.

 Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com