ICE # 13- Ripple Effect and a special GIVEAWAY

I've finished all of my collages for the 2010 International Collage Exchange! I am feeling so pleased with myself! I love the look of the completed series, I love the feeling of satisfaction I get when I look at each one and I am really looking forward to seeing the ICE exhibition on line.  You can see the complete collection on Lucky Dip ICE. You can see number 13 below.

ICE  2010# 13.

Series: Chain Reaction.

Title: Ripple Effect.

I'm not loving the photo but I am loving the collage! I'm loving the ripped circles and just know that you'll be seeing more of these! I uses various sized bowls and lids to rip around so it's just like ruler ripping but round. Why havn't I thought of that before?? I was so involved in making sure I got the series completed last night (co-incidently 3 months to the day from when I started. The 13th collage was also completed on the 13th day of the 3rd month...anyone here into 3's? )

I've wandered off...sorry. Ripple Effect is one of the first concepts that I came up with when I originally brainstormed the ideas I had for the series. We all create ripples, some fade away quickly others are ever increasing. They are the chain reaction. As I've said so many times before we all need to act respectfully and consider the chain reaction of each of our actions. They all count. Our planet and our own survival are dependant on it. We are imperfect beings, I don't claim to be otherwise. I drive a car, I smoke(!) I create rubbish each day I'm alive...but I try. I try to change what I can and have the smallest footprint I can and hopefully it's enough. It's what we do collectively that counts and I think my series has reflected that. I am happy and I hope you've enjoyed the journey with me. I have certainly enjoyed having you all along on it!

To celebrate I've created a small collage titled ' Ripples" which I am giving away to one lucky visitor. All you have to do is leave me a comment here or on the Lucky Dip ICE blog before the 23rd (another 3 in the 3rd month of the year...what's with these 3's!?) and if your name is randomly chosen  (a lucky dip of course) it's all yours!

I've used many of the same elements that I have in the other collages, just smaller. This piece is 14cm x 12cm, the rest are 30cm x 21cm. Come celebrate with me!

If you havn't done the exchange before but have been thinking about it I fully reccomend giving it a go. 13 collages sounds like a lot but you have until March 2011 to get them done for next years exchange so it's not that big a task really:) If your still not sure then please check out my Lucky Dip ICE blog and see the slideshows of the collages I have recieved in the past 2 years. You know you want some too:)

Dis-Co!! The final reveal...who wants to play?

It's Dis-Co day! This journey started by Seth has been a wonderful one. It's been more than I expected and led me up paths I hadn't yet realised I wanted to follow. Thanks for that Seth! In brief the story goes something like this... I gathered up a bundle of bits, mostly paper, and bound them in wool and hung them out to enter part one of the collaboration with nature. Part 2 involved unwrapping it and discovering what happened during the months it was weathered outside. The results of that were then further disintegrated when I ripped it up into thousands of pieces to make my first sheets of paper. Part 3 saw the sheets of paper bound up again and given a second weathering...and part 4 is this one. The last step in this journey is nearly complete. I used my collection of paper and string to make postcards...I've shown them here in the order that I made them.


Postcard 1: Pandora's box. The text says 'Yet from the bottom of the box flew out a shining bird and as it flew around Pandora's head it twittered sweetly " I am Hope; as I stole into the box so will I also steal into human hearts.." I've used thread and the paper made from my bundle as well as a teasel lino cut and a digitally altered photo from my ICE 2009 image collection.

Postcard 2: The Crow. As luck would have it the words "The crow" survived two weathering's and a dunk in the paper making vat! It also worked out beautifully that I had recently added some vintage cigarette cards to my stash and one of these had a crow and nest on it! Perfect! Also included in this is a recycled book image, thread and a leaf ink print.

Postcard 3: Kakapo. The Kakapo is NZ native mountain parrot and I think this recycled book image aptly shows the cheeky nature of the bird. I also used my "part 2" paper, thread and a piece un-weathered cardinal brand playing card. Weathered bits are found in the paper.

Postcard 4: Gypsy. The vintage cigarette card with a Chaffinch and nest complimented the colours of the weathered paper and cardinal playing card to well not to use. I also used thread and a piece of material rescued from a book cover (it was the outside layer covering the books heavy cover...) dictionary definitions and a leaf print make up the background and the goldy-mustard coloured paper that appears in all of these is hand painted with a plastic credit type card.

Wheew! This has been fun! A postcard however, isn't a real postcard until it's actually been posted so that's where I thought it would be nice to play a little game of LUCKY DIP! If you would like to be the recipient of one of these cards then please let me know in your comment and I will put all the names on a hat (so to speak) and draw out one name for each card. Which one you get will also be lucky dip:) I will post the winners names on the 7th.

Thanks for Seth for organising and to you all for visting...I am on my way to see you now!