"Polka Dot Vase" mixed media collage painting by Carol Nelson

Polka Dot Vase

This painting is a torn paper collage using handmade papers and printed papers.  It is finished with a crystal clear layer of epoxy resin.  The resin protects the collage elements, making this piece suitable for display in a bathroom or kitchen.

I did this piece as a demo for my Park Hill class.  We made several of our own altered papers.  I paint the pages of an old paperback book to save excess paint from my palette instead of letting it dry up and become worthless.  The paint is too expensive to just let it dry up.

If you look closely, you'll see that some of the petals were taken from some orange and yellow pages.  I didn't actually READ the text, so I hope there's not something too racy!  The vase is a black and white polka dot paper over which I added color glaze.

For more information, click here to go to my website.

"119", 12072, mixed media contemporary collage painting by Carol Nelson

"119"

 

This painting has all my favorite colors, and 1-19 is my birthday.  Connection?

If you want your own birthday painting, send me an email and we'll talk about it.

For more information on this painting, click here to go to my website.

"Poppy Story" mixed media flower collage paitning by Carol Nelson Fine Art

Poppy Story

detail

Much as I love poppies, I think this will be the last one for a while.  I'm feeling the urge to get back to some abstract painting.



That's how it goes with my creative muse.  I work in a particular style until I'm saturated with it.  Eventually it starts to bore me.  This one was hard for me to finish, because I'm "finished" with poppies (for a while - I KNOW there will be more.



For more information on this painting, click here to go to my website.

"SPRING HAS SPRUNG" 12038, mixed media collage poppy flowers © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Spring Has Sprung

This is another in my latest kick of collage painting with torn papers.  I really like the variety of color this method creates.

Look at the individual petals and notice the numerous shades of color each one has.  It's because that particular piece of torn paper had those random colors in it.

I would never come up with that color variation on my own using a brush.  Maybe that's the secret to the appeal of these paintings.

I'm still trying to figure out why these are so appealing.
For more information on this painting, click here to go to my website.

"BLUE AND GOLD" 12037, torn paper collage macaw parrot © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Blue and Gold

Continuing in the style of yesterday's painting, this parrot was a lot of fun to do.  Following the style of Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, I spent a lot of time making my own painted papers.

I painted about 14 sheets of tissue paper with fluid acrylics, let them dry, and ironed them flat.  My reference photo was taken in 1969(!) by my now ex husband (!!). 

I did an under painting that looked pretty good, then started tearing bits of paper and gluing them on with gel medium.  This method is tedious, but the finished painting has a unique charm.

For more information, click here to go to my website.

"REVERIE" 12036, mixed media collage portrait © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Reverie

This portrait is an experiment using patterned paper.  I have been looking at the work of Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, Florian Nicolle, and Derek Gores.  Each one of these fantastic artists uses collaged papers in their work.

I am fascinated by the look of printed letters and patterns, especially when applied to human faces or animals.  Is is because we live in such an information-driven age?

We are bombarded daily with thousands of words and images.  I've seen many contemporary artists who have used numbers, letters, and printed patterns as a design element in their paintings.  I like the effect.

My portrait series, where all the portraits were done in vibrant fauvist style, was also a little off the beaten track in it's approach. This painting is one of my first attempts at trying collage in portraiture.

For more information about this painting, click here to go to my website.

"PORTAL" 12007, mixed media contemporary abstract © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"Portal"

Sometimes, when you go back through old paintings done years earlier, you fine one that would benefit from the knowledge you have attained during the intervening years.

That was the case with this paper collage painting.  I really wish I had taken a "before" picture.  Compositionally, this is a better painting. Color wise, it is a hell of a better painting, if I do say so myself.

Originally, I had a muted blue, green, brown and gray palette. Blech.  I made the blue more purple, the green more turquoise, and the brown more orange.  Added a tiny bit of red.  Those warm tones on a predominantly cool toned painting really give it sparkle.

The white is the torn edge of the paper.  For more information on this painting, click here to go to my website.

"POTPOURRI," 11016, mixed media collage © Carol Nelson Fine Art

"POTPOURRI 1"

POTPOURRI detail

                          

This painting is a collection of found objects, art papers, leather,  aluminum, brads, nails, and acrylic paints.  These collages are a lot of  fun to make and are one of the most popular things I teach artists  about in my workshops.

I always encourage artists to use a limited palette because with so many different texture materials, having all the colors closely coordinated has a unifying effect on the final piece.

For more information about this 24x7 inch painting, please click here to go to my website.

"THE HAUNTED", 10138, daily painter original abstract collage © Carol Nelson Fine Art

I created this 6x6 abstract collage do demonstrate to my class how to do a gel transfer.
There is an image I cut out of a magazine in there, but with successive painting and layering of collage papers, about all that remains of the transferred image is that red rectangle in the upper center.  That rectangle was a window in the original photo.

The whole composition reminded me of a haunted house. I should have photographed the transfer before I started working on it so you could see how this painting evolved.

The whole idea of gel transfers is to use them as a starting point in abstract composition.  They are also useful to transfer an image of a person. I've seen some really cool compositions with old sepia toned photos.  Make sure the photos of people are YOUR OWN, or you may run into copyright issues.
This painting is available for $100, including shipping in the US/Canada.

"Steamboat Summer" original mixed media acrylic/paper collage © Saundra Lane Galloway

 "Steamboat Summer"

7 3/4" x 24 1/2"

MDF PANEL with POPLAR CRADLED SIDES

While on a trip just outside of Steamboat I created this original collage that will be available on my website after October or at the Aar River Gallery in Westminster during the month of October.  I will also be teaching a workshop titled "Innovations in Collage" at the Aar River on October 15-16.  For more information please contact the gallery or me at art4life44@hotmail.com.  For detail pics and more information please hop over to my blog at http://saundralanegalloway.blotspot.com.