Collage! (or, what a mess!)

I have been having a lot of trouble getting my studio work done. In the past, my work was done in solitude. But I now have a retired husband and frequently others are around, and I am having trouble  adapting to these new situations, and making myself get to work anyway. However, I had my annual checkup this week, and my physician pretty much prescribed that I get back to work! I am beginning to have the kind of troubles that creative people develop when they are not able to create.

So. One of the things I have done recently is to take an online class, to help me with an illustration project I've been dreaming of doing. This week, the 'homework assignment' was to do collage illustrations. I have never really pursued collage much, although I have saved papers and magazine pages for years.

The first topic to be illustrated was 'dangerous.' That came on a day that actually felt very dangerous for our country and the world,  so this sketch journal spread was my attempt. Except for the minimal line work, it is all collaged papers.

Last week, my son's family, including my 12-year old twin grandkids, were here. We went to our cabin and, among other things, we went fishing. My grandson caught a couple of lovely rainbow trout, and my granddaughter helped gut and scale them. So this double spread in my journal was my next attempt at collage. I painted the yellow and blue backgrounds with acrylic markers, and the rest (except again for minimal line work) is collaged papers.

I have discovered several things in doing these pages: 

First, I can make a huge mess, doing collage! But it is a pretty fun mess, and (truth be told) I can make a huge mess doing pretty much anything.

Second, while I am cutting and pasting, my mind is busy doing creative work. While doing these 3 pages, I have been thinking a lot about the illustration project I want to pursue, and have made some good mental steps forward on it. I have also begun to think about a tapestry.... 

So now I just need to get to work, like my doctor ordered me to do.