Winter has a way of bleaching what it touches. If I look out my window today, I see a pale palette: the white of snow, the straw colored vegetation, the gray of tire marks and what little cement I can see. It seemed perfect, then, that the first challenge for DLP (Documented Life Project) was to create a neutral background.
This "technique" isn't new to me. Heck, it's not new to any of the collage artists I admire most.
In fact, it's the basis of most of my work. I've long been a fan of using old books in my work. I'm also a fan of the variation in color. Book pages aren't white. They're ivory, beige, tan, ecru, and endless other shades.
I often make these sorts of backgrounds, only to cut them up into smaller pieces for use as card fronts or ATCs.
While fascinated by the process, I think I will hold off on the other part of the challenge, which is to cover over these backgrounds with gesso, paint, etc.
Instead, I think I'm going to continue with the meditation. That is, after all, what this was for me. Limiting the palette and stripping away content--the need for a focal point--allowed me to focus on texture, pattern, and simply organization. It allowed me to revel, for a moment, in the bits and pieces that I save.
These are 8 1/2" x 11", but I think I'm going to apply the winter palette to some larger canvases to see what emerges.
I'm not very good at keeping a simple palette which is why your collage caught my eye. Thank you for sharing your process. It's giving me some things to think about.
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