Micro Media Collage with Cheryl Prater

   "Two parts art instruction and one part stand-up comedy, Cheryl Prater will lead us in creating 12 x 6 dimensional collages. You will explore the benefits of making art everyday, learn some awesome paint techniques, and find out how to use small daily projects as the building blocks for larger pieces. If you liked Cheryl’s piece “January Week (Examined)” in CPS Issue 12 pages 66 - 72, you will love creating one using your own ephemera and images. This is the same HIP class Cheryl taught at MIU in Chicago, only bigger and better, it’s like MIU-zilla! Cheryl says: Unless you’re a total bummer, you’re guaranteed to have fun!"

    This is the description of a wonderful workshop I took recently, sponsored by Random Arts.  It was a fun and inspiring day.  If you ever get a chance to do a workshop with Cheryl, do not hesitate.   I learned a lot and I was thrilled to almost complete my project by the end of the workshop day.  You can see the project as it was at the end of the day on Cheryl's Praterposte Blog, September 25 post.

    We started the day by making one and one-half inch micro collages on chipboard.  The small size was challenging to me at first.  I decided to use an old photo of my Mom and her two older sisters and to do a series.

    The small collages were later inserted in painted six-inch by six-inch "frames," which are really upside down artist canvases.  The collages are mounted so that they seem to float in the space of the opening in the frame.

    Before lunch we started learning painting techniques to paint our frames.  I used mostly Lumiere metallic paints, including Rust which I really liked.  We used "wholey paper" sold by Jane at Random Arts.  Through the holes I added different colors to my basic paint layers.  I had chosen one color for each of the frames.

    We spent the afternoon finishing our collages and frames and putting it all together including adding ephemera.  I had decided before the workshop to leave some of those choices for later, so I added specially chose buttons and a different butterfly to each piece when I finished the project at home.

    This is my Mom, the youngest sibling at the time of the picture.

    This is my Aunt Anne who died of breast cancer in 2001. She was also my Godmother.

    This is my Aunt Mae. These three oldest siblings in my Mom's family were very close in age.

 

   I also decided that I wanted to emphasize the connection of the series and so I had Bob cut me a piece of cherry wood left over from flooring.  I used the back side with the tracks and in each track used a different color, matching the colors I chose for the frames.

 

       The finished piece is 22 inches long and six inches high. I entitled it The Sun Was In Their Eyes . . . not just because they were squinting in the original picture, but because each of them has been a bright light in my life for which I am grateful.

Comments

[FiveAcres]

These are lovely. What a wonderful class!

[Loretta]

Your class sounds wonderful, Betsy. I like these very much and I can see why Cheryl did too! Such a nice idea for a series about the women in your life, and I like the way you mounted them to tie them together.

Best!

[Cheryl]

Betsy: I think the way that you mounted these into a triptych is supa-cool. That Bob sure is handy to have around.

I used some metallic paints on a project today and thought of you and some of the other shiny girls from the class.

Warning: I'm liftin' Jane's shot of you with your wonderful project for my blog. Do I have to call your agent first?

[Fran aka Redondowriter]

Betsy, I love your three pieces and how you have grouped them. Sounds like you have found your medium and I'm so glad you are blogging again. I'll have to put you back up as a link at Sacred Ordinary.

[Lynne]

Hi Betsy, I've just discovered your blog thanks to the link from Cheryl. I love the way you've mounted these three on the board, it's really inspired and pulls them together into one project.

[Darla]

Each of the pieces is lovely on its own but I think your idea of displaying them as a tryptich makes the work really stand out.

The more I see of the work people learn/accomplish in classes the more I think I should sign up somewhere. There is something to be said for being "self taught" but learning techniques without all the trial and error would be nice.

Darla

[Connie]

I love your art. The photos are beautiful. What a great way to honor family.