Collage and Assemblage by Marcia Hero

 For years I've been accumulating odds and ends of things, rusty old grinding bits, saw blades, screws, doorknobs, keys, window locks, you name it. I also started to accumulate different papers, rice paper, khadi, mulberry, tea bag paper, artist tissue papers, to name a few. At the time, there was no plan for using these things. Then I discovered Assemblage, an art genre that allowed me the freedom of putting the disparate items together to make a 2D art piece. In fact, it's possible to combine Assemblage with Collage.

The technique known as Collage is thought to have been invented either by Picasso or by Georges Braque, who both developed a very unique Cubist style in 1912 as they boldly decided to paste bits of newspapers and sheet music onto their canvases, ushering in a new era of artistic experimentation. As it turns out, I love creating collage and the elements for collage. Assemblage is a passion also, but the finished pieces can be very heavy, so the final dimensions have to be manageable.

1. "Wings and a Prayer, Collage on Canvas, 8x10, $125

2. Steampunk Fascination, Assemblage, 32x19, $625

"Hungry Fish" by Marcia Hero

 

"Hungry Fish" by Marcia Hero

 

As an avid gardener, not only do I love to take photos of successful plantings, but of some unusual planters also. I puchased this fish shaped planter years ago, and even though it shows signs of wear and tear now, I like to drag it out of the basement every year, and plant something in it. This oil painting has been one of my favorites; it hangs in my home studio, and even though my daughter calls it the puking fish, I  prefer to think of it as the hungry one. This year it will hold Profusion Zinnias with some alyssum, and most likely will have a prominent place on the front steps of my house. 

Every year, I plant the old wheelbarrow next to my patio with Wax Begonias. They tolerate shade and a little dryness well, they bloom all summer long, and grow into a gorgeous colorful mound of eye candy.  For some reason, I haven't taken a photo, or painted the blooming feature yet, but that will follow when I blog again. ~ Marcia Hero 05/26/2024

The Joy of Abstraction

 

"Halfsies", Acrylic and Collage, 12x12, $175.00

This is a 12 x 12 acrylic painting in some of my favorite colors (truth be told, almost all colors are my favorites, even gray sometimes!) I started by painting a layer of turquoise over the whole canvas, then a second loose layer of white in some areas.  I knew that I was going to use the circle monoprint cut in half, and my color palette was derived from the monoprint colors. The look of the circle cut in half was very appealing to me, and worked well with the composition I had in mind. The green was painted next using similar shapes but different from each other. To finish up the piece, I applied black paint and collage, and the final element was some stenciling in pink.