Collage Crazy

This past Sunday I had a very bad art making experience. It seems like I am tired all the time, even when Alex is sleeping or at her toddler group. But on Sunday after she went to bed I had energy and time. Jon was out so I had nothing to distract me. Excited I dug into my incredibly messy studio and began playing around with various papers trying to come up with a composition.

It did not go well. After a few hours in my studio I came out with nothing but frustration and feeling bad about myself. Nothing was working. The only thing positive it seemed is that I hadn't actually made anything, hadn't glued anything down. Later I realized that days like that are just as important as days of success. I knew that before, but after all this time I guess I needed to be reminded of that fact. Everything is a learning experience that I should appreciate.

Now just a few days later, on Wednesday, I had a much different experience. It started out much the same, except that I had much less time to work this time around. But I had time, desire and energy. Three precious factors that can be difficult to find at the same time. This time when I started pulling out papers and looking at them together I started finding stuff right away. I even felt confident enough to use my new(ish) sewing machine and then glue down this background.

I'm not done. Adding bits and pieces and taking pictures of the journey so I have a record of my ideas before I finish off the piece. But I am having a blast and know now that the journey is just as important as where I end up in the end.

On the left is a bit of one of my oldest print attempts sewed next to a piece of purple and white letter paper.

Final Days

Jungle
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Of my Buy one Get One sale. On Saturday I am having an Open House in my studio in honor of Spring cleaning and will be shutting my shop down for the day. This might be the last chance for certain pieces. This woodblock print is just one of nearly sixty pieces that I have for sale now.

We enjoyed our Easter holiday with the family, but I think in the future we are going to ask them to visit a month or two later so they can enjoy good weather. They aren't religious so I don't see what the big deal about being here on Easter is. None of them joined us at church. Which is fine, but the weather will be so much nicer in May and early June.

Jon and I are making plans of our own for a nice little trip. We are finally going to make it to NYC in mid May. We got back into contact with some old friends and they invited us to stay with them in their spacious Brooklyn apartment. It will be nice to see them and other. I hope to make it to Etsy labs once, or at least see Anda from Etsy. I'm dying to meet her daughter!

The collage a day for a week went so well that I am doing it again, but with less restrictions. I just need to do some art daily. Yesterday it was a collage, today I'm not sure. I have a woodblock drawn on and ready to carve. It is quite small, but that is a good place to start.

Hope everybody has a great Wednesday. I miss the old days of blogging and reading blogs daily. I miss everybody.

Valentines Day Contest! Win This ACEO!

Pink Stream - ACEO
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Nothing says romance like a contest and possibly a free gift for your sweetie (or yourself)

1. What to do: Comment below giving me a suggestion of what you would like to see more of in my art. A theme, a material, a medium or whatever sticks out most to you. What have I been doing that you would like to see more of? What have I not been doing that you would like to see me try? Is there something you would like me to go back to? Whatever interests you? I'm in an open to experimental phase in my art and am longing for feedback.

2. Prize: This Mixed Media Perfect for Valentine's Day ACEO. Lovely pink, white and gold Japanese washi paper combined with my own block printing, watercolor and drawing.

3. Contact info: If there is no way to contact you through your Profile, please be sure to leave some sort of contact information. I will contact the winner around 11PM EST USA for shipping information.

4. Choosing a winner: On Friday, February 8th I will choose from the suggestions after spending some time hopefully experimenting and pick my top suggestions. From those I will pick one at random using the powers of the stars or something or another.

5. Who can enter: Anybody!

6. Deadline for entries is Friday, February 8th 7pm EST USA, and the item will be ready to ship via First Class Mail or Air Mail on Saturday February 9th.
*I can make no guarantees that the item will arrive before Valentine's Day, but I do promise to ship it on the 9th wherever it needs to go.

7. Keep in touch: here to see my upcoming work influenced by you my readers! I will of course give due credit to all who contribute.

Good Luck!

love,

Marissa

I Feel Loved and Very Lucky

Earthy Ginkgos
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Thanks for all the wonderful supportive feedback I have been getting lately! I really appreciate it and have been feeling much better and even when I hurt I don't let it get to me so much. I am in such a mood that I am able to push through the pain.

The pack n play has shipped and I am incredibly excited about getting it and setting it up in here. Pretending baby is in here with me. Imaging that being in a creative space right from the start will rub off on her. Jon likes to tease me about it because early on in the pregnancy I was really worried that I wouldn't bond with the baby but here I am all excited about having her in here with me, so excited I want to pretend she is. And I will most likely cry when I do.

Here is one of my favorite pieces from the mad printing session of Sunday. Ginkgos just don't seem to get old do they? I love the earthiness of the colors. It is one of my favorites of the series.

I have two bigger pieces that I still need to scan in and now that I have a program that doesn't crop off edges like the annoying HP driver getting nice scans of them should be a lot easier and more successful. Too bad I had to buy a $40 product just to get my scanner to work properly because HP can't make a decent driver. But thank you to the Etsy seller that pointed it out to me. At least the purchased program has some cool extra features like how I can scan a jpg and a tiff at the same time. I always want both keeping the tiff for backup. This makes sure I don't forget!

I spend a fair amount of time yesterday mucking around in Photoshop making up a collection of some of my favorite art cards thanks to the suggestion of one of my readers. It turned out so well I printed it out but messed up at first and printed the low res jpg I have for online and it looked like butt. That ticked me off wasting the ink and the paper. Then I printed the proper image and it came out so awesome that I listed it on Etsy and even framed one for myself!

Speaking of art cards I got some new art card cases that are rigid plastic instead of the bags I have been using from Ebay yesterday. They are great! Archival just like the bags, look nicer and they make shipping easier since they offer protection that the bags do not. Thank you Studio Lyon for the suggestion and link. I need to leave feedback today because it shipped wicked fast. Also, I made my very first posting to the ACEO Street Team for Etsy. I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on the little cards.

I wanted to take photos of mirrors yesterday but the sun was not obeying. It was a very dreary day here in Boston. Maybe today it will work out better.