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

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.  

A New Art Journal

 Back in March, I started a new art journal, with the plan to continue it during my trip to Europe with my husband, Chuck.  Well, I completed a few pages in the lounge of the ship during "down time", but didn't quite finish the pages until yesterday.  It turned out to be a Very Eclectic Journal, with some watercolors florals, some leaf prints on fabric, and several abstract collages. Here are pics of a few pages. 8x8 on 140lb watercolor paper.

Art Journal "Sequences"

Lately, I've been working/painting/creating like there's no tomorrow. I have a gallery exhibition at Gallery 2622 along with the other Martini Girls, and it opens in June.  We have all painted in our favorite media, and the paintings will make for a very cohesive show.  

The plans for making more of my Art Journal creations are coming along nicely.  I finished one book recently, and titled it "Sequences".  There are 3 covers with loose pages waiting in the wings, and I hope to finish at least one more before the middle of summer.

The Art Bar Mini Show 2013

It's time again for the Art Bar Mini Show.  This is just one of the paintings I submitted for sale at the Mini show this year.  I chose not to paint any birds, so instead I did several mixed media pieces on canvas.  Some are nudes, and a few are roses.  We'll see if they sell this year.  I've had good success selling at the mini show for the last 5 years.