Crow and dancing queen

Crow and Dancing Queen

original collage 5 x 5"

passion series # 5
recycled tourist brochure on cardboard

Enjoy your Sunday!

Regina

Back to collaging

Tango 1

original collage 5 x 5"

Passion series #4

The collage above is the first one after getting back to our home in the Caribbean last week.

We had a great time in the Netherlands, with plenty of winter, like many of you have. I managed to only slip down one time and that fall did fortunately cause nothing worse than a somewhat painful wrist, it is over already by now.

I did not make plans or choose a word for this new year. Last year I chose a word for the first time and I must say it has been a good one, it was USE as you may remember and can read about here and here.

But good as it is, I have realized that in fact it was a useless thing to do, since I already have this word in my 'system' for a long time! O.k. maybe this time I have been realizing it more than on average, but being the practical and simple person that I am, I don't like to throw away stuff that is still in good condition and prefer to use it. Yet it helped to prevent me from buying too much, which is not that difficult here on the island LOL. But we do have the attractions via the internet here; I think I can say that I just bought several books via the web, most of them pre-USED of course.

Back to my collage...

I am at a time of introspection, of consulting my inner 'Regina' if you can say so. Have been wondering why I return to making collages instead of working with fabrics, as they are equally favorite with me. One thing I know is that making collages gives me quick results.

However, these are not meant to be great art, though I mostly like what comes out of it. Do you have that too, that you mostly like what you make??

As for the meaning of my collages I can only say that I start with a inner image of let's say a certain colour combination and I want to make a collage using those colours. Then out comes the box with all my papers and the searching begins. But while I am looking for specific pictures/colours, I often get distracted by what comes 'along' and chances are that this ends up in my collage, a pretty intuitive kind of working this is.
About a year ago I participated in Shelley Klammer's online course of making quick spontaneous collages. You can read more about her here.

One thing we had to do was work very quickly, not think too much and than after some time try to let the collage speak to you. Though it sounded pretty vague to me at first, I have to admit that it worked for me...

So I resume this way of trying to understand my work with the collage above:

It's main subject is about dancing the tango, but there is also a smaller image of a ballet company of the city of Arnhem. Now I am not a dancer myself, I simply lack the grace and the courage to express myself in this way, but I adore people who have this passion; furthermore it shows a western boot. Well, that could simply be because I love the west (of the USA), I love good country music, I love the romance of these past eras. The text in German I have probably chosen (remember, I try to understand my work!) because I know that language and in a certain period of my life I had to use it everyday. And finally the stamped golden swirls and the yellow pink flower parts: they add colour to the collage and support the topic in my opinion.

There it is: the collage as it speaks to me today...

Thanks for visiting!

Regina

Do you see him?

(click the image for details)

Easy Rider

original collage 4 x 4"

Passion series #3

After visiting the Harley Davidson museum, I made this collage. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda had big roles in this movie, but he had an important side-role. Do you see him, and do you remember?

Traveling to Billings (day 2)

Moore in Denver

Passion series #2

Day 1 ended in Denver where we stayed in a hotel close to the airport, since we had to leave again very early the next morning. In my eagerness I took some brochures from the lobby and read there is a big Moore exhibit scheduled for August (I think...) Now Moore is an artist I have been admiring for a long time and whose sculptures I had the pleasure to enjoy in Hollandat National Park "Hoge Veluwe".

Alas for me I was in Denver in May, but still I wanted to memorize this current exhibit in Denver, hence my collage's name.

Denver International Airport, Colorado

Bighorn Canyon, Montana

Just a few minutes before our plane landed in Billings (Montana) we flew over this canyon. It was an awsome sight from above and when we visited the canyon afterwards the memories of this areal view made it even more special. You can read more about this canyon in this post.

Thans for visiting and enjoy your Thursday!

Regina

PS: I might have raised the suggestion that I am still traveling (to Billings), but I have been back on the island for two weeks now. During our 2 months trip from Billings to Buffalo, internet and wifi were out of reach most days, so I decided to 'let it go' and my recent posts are retrospective, mixed up with collages I made while camping and traveling

Here I am

This picture shows a most wonderful sunset over the Allegheny reservoir on one of our last days in the National Forest in Pennsylvania.

And here I am, with my head full of impressions and memories...

It has been such a great trip!!

I saw lots of fireflies for the first time ever, heard the mysterious call of a loon at one of the many lakes where we camped, visited the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee, enjoyed a great bluesfestival in Chicago etc. etc. Of course I took pictures of these and they will certainly appear on my blog, one of these days, but not today, not yet. Cause when we arrived on the airport of our island there was a very big surprise for me: two of my kids had come over from Holland and a friend joined them as of yesterday, so our house is full and so is our agenda! I'm afraid posting on my blog has to wait some more, at least regular posting.

Today I went geocaching with my son, this afternoon we went to our favorite beach and of course there is more cooking, washing etc., like when they were still living at home. I feel so happy with these young folks around me!!

Where dancing is about

Passion series 1

During our trip I managed to make 35 collages. As soon as we arrived in the States I bought me a sketchbook and a gluestick, I had with me a pencil and scissors and that was it. How refreshing it was to work with these limited materials, I enjoyed the simply making of a collage at the end of a busy travel-day. Me sitting at the table at our campsite, husband making a campfire, both doing what we like to do, simple things, happiness!!

Thank you all very much for your patience, I am so grateful for your ongoing visits and comments, thank you!