Here's the beginning works of my next portrait:

With Halloween coming up, I thought I'd make an autumn collage .

"Pumpkin Patch"
Collage on mat board
5"x7"

It's been a busy week. I've got a lot on my plate these days, and unfortunately I didn't get around to making as much artwork as I wanted to--although this weekend I should have plenty of studio time.

"Hide and Seek"
Collage on mat board
18"x24"

I'm thinking of dabbling in a dog mini collage series. Here's the first one I've done for a test run.

"Blue Dachshund"
Collage on mat board
5"x7"

Here's the next stage - I think the next time I get around to working on this I'll be able to finish it.


The other day I found out that I'll have a second solo exhibition next year. I think this other exhibition will focus more on animals, so there will be more larger animal collages posted in the future. All I need to do now is sign the contract to make it official.

My first solo exhibition is set for July of 2010 and my second show will be in August. Needless to say, I'll have a pretty busy summer.

And here's my next progress picture:

I like to take care of the background first so that it is indeed in the background as far as layering the pieces of paper go. I'm about half-way finished with the scenery here. The next time I work on this, I'll tackle the figure as well as the environment around her.

Here's the next mini collage that's part of my animal series inspired by my visits to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

"Orange Horse"
Collage on mat board
5"x7"

Here's the sketch for my next portrait collage:

And it's finished for the moment--at some point I'll go back in and work on fixing a few places like the umbrella.

"Coney Island"
Collage on paper
24"x18"

I'm almost done--I think the next picture will be of the finished product.

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Yesterday I managed to finish another mini collage. I'm aiming to complete a mini collage every week so I'll have something new to add to my Etsy Shop.

"Red Panda"
Collage on mat board
5"x7"

I hope everyone has a happy Friday! I'll try to get started on a couple of mini collages in the next couple of days so I can post a few finished pieces. This weekend will be a busy one--I'm looking forward to getting lots of work done during my three-day weekend.

Anyway, here's the next stage of the Coney Island piece--I've worked on blocking in most of the background. Working on the figures will come next.

I hope everyone had a wonderful first-day-of-September yesterday. It's feeling like autumn already--I've been waking up with chills the past two mornings. I also think I'm about to come down with a bit of a head cold--I suppose all those nights of working late and making artwork until the early morning are finally catching up to me. Looks like tonight will be a more restful night--unless I get going on something new.

Here's my latest progress picture for the "Coney Island" collage. I haven't done too much, but you can get an idea of the way my brain was working while putting these pieces of paper down.