Lucky Dip ICE

Just a quick post to let you all know that I've created a 2nd Lucky Dip blog, Lucky Dip ICE which is the archive blog for collages sent and recieved this year and last year. I will add the collages created for the 2010 exhchange when they're all completed! Thanks John for planting the idea for a seperate blog!

International Collage Exchange 2009-2010

I've decided to start my collages for the 2010 International Collage Exchange (ICE 2010) early. I have even managed to surprise myself with that! They're due March 20 2010 so there's plenty of time for anyone reading this too sign up too. Just go to http://virtual.tart.co.nz to get all the details.I have started early is because the last 2 years I have sent them around March the 15 and only started them in Feb. There's not a lot of flexibility in a time frame like that! Another reason is because I have just finished 4 years of Art study I am suddenly finding myself without a specific goal or deadline to work towards. I don't want to stop creating so ICE is a perfect goal and excuse! I have created my first collage, which I will photograph tomorrow and I finally got around to photographing the fabulous collages I received this year (on my birthday no less!) and put them into a slide show. I hope you will enjoy it, I definitely love the collection! Dale Copeland, the hostess with the mostess, does a great job at ensuring each participant gets collages of a similar style and quality to what they send. That says a lot when she has the artwork of over 120 artists to sort and send as well as an exhibition to organise and an ICE postcard to get printed! Way to go Dale! Please check out her collages, assemblages and hand bound books here.

Collage for Art Auction.

Title: Noble. 1 of 1 created specifically for the art auction.

I've made this for an art auction to raise funds to support scholarships for school leavers from low income families who wish to continue their education after leaving school. I was approached by an organiser who had seen my collages for the International Collage Exchange and liked them enough to ask if I would be willing to donate a piece. So here it is! I chose the title 'Noble' because I liked the meaning and it's appropriateness for the auctions cause. Other artists donating work include the likes of Dale Copeland so it's nice to know 'Noble' will be in very good company!

My usual collection of papers! Handmade, hand-painted, ink leaf prints, coffee dyed paper, nest photo, op-shop thread, dictionary definition, magazine scrap and the last piece of ledger paper from Debrina! I love the thread especially the piece that has come a bit loose and the fibres have twisted. I actually thought I would use my new print but hello! There's that nest again!

I love the loose layered look. I've dabbed the backs with glue in places to help secure it and allow me to use minimal stitching. It's not entirely decorative. The first 3 layers are mainly held together with the stitching. I hope the people bidding at the art auction love it just as much!

My daughters op date is nearly here again so I hope to spend some more time immersed in papery treasures before we leave for the hospital. I may even take a stash with me:)

Dropping by some blogs today so I will *see* you all soon!

Honey...I'm home!

After a lovely break away from the 'norm' we're back home again. DH is back at work and I am back to my course. The kids have a week left yet so good thing mine is extramural! Our trip was wonderful, only part of me wanted to come home again! Autumn is a great time of year to travel, towns such as Cambridge have a lot of trees (and I hear an up coming Autumn festival...sounds like heaven to me!) and are so pretty to go through right now. Otorohonga is always entertaining too...this corrugated iron kiwi is just one of mean NZ icons proudly flaunted through-out the main town area. The main attraction for me though will always be my mountain.... Mt Taranaki...beautiful, magestic and so inspiring! It just so happens that Moody Monday's mood this week is "Inspiration" so I think I will have just the image to post for that! Oh...and one last thing! I came home to an email letting me know that I sold my collage..(number 13, Takahe for anyone interested) so naturally I was very pleased to see that!

The 11th International Collage Exchange exhibition

Photo: Wax Eye in a tree. This was taken by me with the intention of using it in a collage.

Wahoo! It's here and looks great! Check out this years collage exhibition at the Virtual Tart website. There are 120+ collages in all styles and themes so grab your cuppa and go and take a look! The exchange is on for the month of April. Go well!

PS: You can see my collages by using the search function to look for Lisa Sarsfield.

ICE 2008 and 2009

This video clip is intended as a permenant record of the series submitted for the 2009 International Collage Exchange.

This video clip is intended as a permenant record of the series I submitted for the 2008 International Collage Exchange. Not all of the collages are represented here due to several images being lost!

The final three...ICE 2009

Well...this is it. The last three collages in my series of 13 collages for this years International Collage Exchange (formerly known as the Baker's Dozen.)

While I am really pleased to have achieved what I have I almost feel as though I am seeing off a good friend! These collages and the theme's and ideas that surround them have been in my thoughts and actions for many weeks now and the end of this part of the journey is now here. I am really pleased with the final outcome, the last collage is as strong as the 1st in my mind and even though I repeated a lot of the same elements I don't feel as though I repeated myself too much. If you know what I mean!

These collages really are little bits of me!

International Collage Exchange# 11. Title: Believe it.
Laser copied photo, recycled envelope, recycled bird image on notecard, serviette, thread, recycled bird nest image from childrens book, recycled brown paper bag, newspaper text.

International Collage Exchange #12. Title: Heirloom.

2 laser copied photos, recycled atlas page, recycled paper from a yellow party hat, recycled brown paper bag, recycled organic seed catalogue, thread. This was titled after some of the text on the collage. I really like this one. I like the weaved part especially.
As part of the exchange each artist submits one collage as part of the permanent collection and one will be offered for sale. I am donating this one for the permanent collection and the one below for sale. If it doesn't sell (on line) it will become part of the pool of collages exchange.

International Collage Exchange #13. Title: Takahe

2 laser copied photos, recycled NZ Bird's book page, tracing paper, thread. Takahe's are birds native to NZ, similar is shape and colouring to the native Pukeko.See the bottom right line drawing.

Thanks to everyone who's dropped by and offered me support and encouragement! I guess there's a little bit of you in these too! Go well! Lisa:)

International Collage Exchange #9 & 10

Well as you can see it has been a busy and productive few days since I last posted! I hope that it also shows how much I am enjoying creating these collages! I am loving the layering and playing around with bits of thread and paper! Thread as almost taken over the role of glue in this series, a method I am keen to keep up with once the series has finished. I love the 3D effect you get from the loose (but secure) layers that you don't get when you glue the elements together and squash all the air bubbles out. It's a bit like 'tacking' a sewing pattern together and then deciding to leave it all tacked up instead of sewing it! I took a few different photos to show the layers and texture that I am enjoying so much. As always your feedback is most welcome!

International Collage Exchange #9. Title: Winter planting, Summer harvest.

Laser copied nest photo, coffee stained paper, end page from animal behaviour book, junk mail, newspaper text, thread. I used a ruler to rip the edges on the photo because I love the roughness of it.

International Collage Exchange #10 Title: Waiting.

Laser copied photo, childrens book pages (The wood ducks nest) recycled brown paper bag, a 'to do' list I wrote to myself, white mulberry paper, thread.

I guess 'Inspiration' was a more likely title but I like the text on the childrens book page that spoke of the male bird waiting for his partner to return home.
I love these 'shabby chic-boho' look layers!

Last but not least I have recieved these 2 great things in the post these last couple of days. The tag was part of an Altered Shipping Tag Round Robin that I organised on NZ mail art. I sent it off as a gold/patterned tag and as each player has recieved it they've added either the image, word, embellishment or fibre (depending on there place in the group.) I am really pleased with what came home again! The triangle is a tip in page which I received as part of an "Off the Page" tip in swap. I was so happy to open the mail and find this nest and bird and bird eggs waiting for me! Arn't I spoilt!?

International Collage Exchange #7 & 8

International collage exchange 2009. Collage #7

Title: Positive Difference

Laser copied colour photographs, mulberry paper, tracing paper, thread, newspaper, dictionary page.

Collage#8. Title:Particles

Laser copied photos, encyclopedia page, book text, mulberry paper.

These collages have been made for over a week now and have been waiting for me to post them! As I mentioned before it's been a busy week and I didn't want to post and run.

The first collage (number 7, positive difference) is probably my favorite so far. It has a great 'feel' to it and I really enjoyed piecing it together. The blue newspaper article behind it is an event guide for this months 'sustainable backyards' focus.

The 8th collage is titled 'particles' which is a word I found in the text and I thought it was a nice description of all the pieces aka particles that go together to create the collage and on a wider scale our community. Lots of particles make a whole. It took quite a long time for me to decide it was ok to leave as much blank areas as I have here...less is more I think!

You can see all of the other collages in the series so far here.

Two 4 Tuesdays

I found a new photo meme- Two 4 Tuedays which will be officially starting on March 3. This week is an open theme and I didn't need much of an excuse to post this pic! Two for Tuesday's will work along similar lines to the 2 things challenge group (which is a lot of fun) so why not drop by these 2 groups and add your entries?

Pssst...I've completed my 7th collage and all but glued the 8th so watch this space! I am waiting for photo kind weather as it's all grey and glarey and very wet today! It is 'disentigration collaboration' kind though! Yay!!

Internatioanal Collage Exchange #5 and 6

ICE collage #5 "Attraction" Sewing pattern paper, laser copy of bird photo, magazine text and article on attracting birds to the garden, tracing paper, mullberry paper, green thread.

ICE collage #6: 'Familiar' Mullberry paper, brown paper made from recycled paper, text about proof reading from an old book, laser copy of a bird photograph, tracing paper, coffee.

Numbers 5 and 6 almost put themselves together. They're similar in material as you can see but express different things. The first is about attracting birds to our gardens and there place in it and the second is about the common birds we see all the time. The ones that we are familar with. Do they loose there value to us when they become familiar? Personally I think we owe a lot to the humble blackbird and garden sparrows, imagine a world without them! Personally I would rather not...

Number 6 marks the nearly half way mark...13 is the goal! They're due BY March 20 and my eldest is due for surgery around the same time...as you can see I will have my work cut out for me! All the collages made so far fo this series can be seen in the slideshow on my sidebar. Thanks to y'all for your support and comments! It's much appreciated:)

International Collage Exchange #3 and 4

ICE collage #3 'Shape the future'

Laser copied photo (mine), recycled school journal image, recycled bird image from childs book, National Geographic scrap (tree branch image) newspaper cliping (text), tracing paper, coffee splatter, blue thread. The small writing says "planting the seeds of community."

ICE Collage #4. 'Breeding birds'

Nest photo copied onto tracing paper (mine) recycled book pages, recycled magazine scrap, Old King Cole song from encyclopedia, blue thread. The small text clip on the top right corner says " between September and April breeding birds take precedence..." and it was in realtion to clearing mangroves from the shore line.

The first collage took quite a while for me to 'bond' with. The blue and yellow tones felt un-natural to me but somehow I knew that the words " planting the seeds of community'' belonged with the family in the beach image. It felt right to place them together. The words "shape the future" relate back quite strongly to my "Society is a nest" theory which most of my readers will remember. If your interested in reading more please check out my last ICE series.

The 2nd collage took forever! I started off with a clear picture in my head of a layered nest like background made up from different layers of paper and I knew which images and colours I wanted to use. It was the 'putting together' that took forever. I must have sat and looked at different arrangements of those bits of paper for about 3 hours before finally deciding on this one! Now that it's done, I love it and It was worth every minute.

It takes dedication to create a mess like this!

ICE #2 Woven

Laser copy of my nest photo and digitally altered bird photo, magazine scrap, green thread, tracing paper scrap, text from National Geographic. Collage on A4 water colour cardboard.

Collage #2. Title: Woven

The quote at the bottom of the collage inspired the whole piece. It says " The loom, the act of spinning, the notion of a community woven into the fabric of a landscape are vital and living metaphors"

The 2nd segment of writing says in part...their bringing together signifies conception...just as the world was spun, woman spun cotton and agave fibre into thread...while mean weave the threads.."

The words are obviously not in there original concept but there placement here feels right to me. The nest (coffee stained from yesterdays near disaster!) is symbolic and deliberate.

I am enjoying these collages!

Detail to show the papers and thread literally woven together in places.

I got an award today, from the lovely and warm hearted Irene who's been sweet enough to nominate me... so watch this space! THANKS Irene! :)

International Collage Exchange (ICE) 2009

Laser photocopied photo's (mine!) recycled newspaper article and heading, tracing paper, mulberry paper, magazine paper (eggs) embroidery thread. The article discusses how the loss of trees is effecting our future and that of many animal species. The heading was unrelated until I put them together!

Close up of the nest and bird (wahoo!) The bird photo (below) is beneath the nest image which was partly transparent. I am very pleased with this result!

These laser copied photos of mine will feature strongly in this years ICE collection.

International Collage Exchange 2009, Collage 01.

Title: The consumer is King

Here it is! At last and definitely- my 1st of 13 collages for the upcoming exchange (formerly known as the Bakers Dozen.) There are lots of happy accidents and twists of fate that lead to the creation of this collage. First off it started with the ideas I expressed here earlier about the earth being the 'hand that feeds us' and the continuation of using nests as symbols of society and birds as symbols of people . I realllly wanted to use my own images this time. I take hundreds of photos so it was a natural path for me to follow, it just took me a long time to make those first steps! I didn't alter the bird photo's with the intention of using them here, it was a nice little fluke. I took them to the print shop to get the printed and I was so pleased with them I decided that they HAD to be my image source for this series. The nest is the photo I took with the intention of reproducing it in collages a little while ago now. It took me quite a long time to decide on how to print these for collage work. Photographic paper is quite heavy and plasticy but at 19c a print is was the most economical option. Tempting. Copying onto the transparency plastic sheets was appealing from an creative point of view but it was expensive to both my pocket and the environment and they couldn't print in colour. I still wanted to be able to 'see through' some of my images to view layers so the lady at the shop suggested tracing paper. Perfect! A nice balance between pocket and environmental cost, lightweight and versatile! I got the nests photocopied onto the tracing paper (no colour option with this either) and the birds laser copied which was more expensive than using a real photo but it was countered by the lighter weight of the less plasticy paper. I did all of this thinking in the shop and by the time I left I am sure the lady thought I was a crazy greenie but that's ok by me. I sometimes wonder too! lol

As for the happy accidents that happened along the way, the nest and the bird were not planned to start with. I was gathering all the pieces together when I notice how the bird had ended up in the nest in my hand! Too good not use I thought! It was while I was assembling the collage and I had all my pieces laid out on the floor when an almost disaster happened. Evidently I didn't get enough sleep last night. I got up to grab the thread and the next thing I knew an entire cup of black coffee was knocked over and it was all over my unglued collage, a library book, the carpet and even up the wall...after the initial swearing I cleaned up the mess, peeled apart my images and examined the damage. I could either work with the brown coffee stained papers or throw them away....as you can see I chose to work with most of them and I am even (very) pleased with the results!

I got the flow!! WAHOOO!

Old school journal book cover, gold serviette, paint, recycled encyclopedia images and paper scrap. As yet untitled collage for the 2009 International Collage Exchange. (Maybe!) Click image to view it full size.

Wahoo! I feel good. Not only did I uncover my what caused me to loose my flow in the first place I managed to get it back. I feel it for sure this time, no more wishful thinking:) So what caused me to loose my mojo? Strangely enough I believe it was stopping smoking. I've smoked for half my life and I always knew that one of my harder times would be when I created. Smoking to think. Smoking to take a break. Smoking to celebrate and relieve stress....Somehow I seemed unable to seperate the two. But I've done it and about time too I say!

I created this collage all in one go today. I think it will be the first in a series for the next International Collage Exchange in April this year. Last year was 'Society is a nest' and this year I'm thinking more along the lines of how we are intertwined with nature. We are woven nest like with our environemt and we are depend on it for our own survival as it does on us. I'm thinking of calling this series something along the lines of "the hand that feed us' although that's still in the thought stage!

I'd really like to use my own images this time, or atleast one image that is a transfer from a photograph or some other technique. 2 birds with one stone so to speak. I also want to work in layers on a painted background instead of using 99% magazine images like last time. One good thing about the exchange is that you do enough collages to really explore the ideas you have, the subject and ofcourse...yourself.I will keep you updated:) This is turning into a long post so I will sign off here. I have the results of my marigold dye drying as I speak...