Clare Murray Adams
Collage on the Go!
1/23/2025
“We travel not to escape life; but for life not to escape us.“
UNKNOWN
Hand-made Sketchbook for the Trip to Morocco Sept. 2023
We took the trip of a lifetime a year and a half ago when we went to Morocco for 10 days. Of course, we packed the camera. We also packed art supplies to journal, draw, and collage along the way. We wanted to pack light, so what to take in the way of art supplies?
Before the trip, my husband and I each made a hand-made journal.
We knew that collage would be one of the ways we would document our experiences. So we packed glue sticks and scissors. A word to you collage enthusiasts...pack extra glue sticks. We ran out! I didn't take papers to collage into the journal. Those all came from things we picked up once there...maps, advertisements about the places we visited, ticket stubs, receipts, and the like. I took a few sheets of white paper since the pages in my journal were made from tan recycled packing paper, and a few pieces of black paper. I included some pens and pencils to draw with, a few brushes, a small selection of watercolor pencils, and some white gesso. Being a stitcher, I also took a small sewing kit of needles and threads.
John took similar items, but he also purchased a Sprocket 2x3" Instant Smartphone Photo Printer, which allowed him to take pictures, print them out, and put them into his journal with the peel-and-stick adhesive that was on the back of the photos. Pretty nifty!
When you are used to having all of your art supplies available, I found it a bit challenging to rely on just the limited supplies I chose. That forced me to do more drawing than I normally do. That was a good thing.
I was glad I brought the white gesso. I use a lot of white, and the contrast on the tan journal pages added another element to my work. That white area on the left page has a rubbing of our room number from one of the places we stayed. On the right side, I used a scrap of cardboard to make a template that allowed me to draw the tessellated tiles we saw everywhere.
These two pages are examples of working with the mixed media supplies I brought. We did buy the map you see here and shared different portions of it
for use in our journals. I tore up some notes I had taken and included them along with that key which came on the back of something associated with our hotel room
As you can see, I wasn't going for a blow-by-blow accounting of each day. I wanted to respond spontaneously to the day with the materials I had collected.
John's journal has a more day-to-day accounting of what we did because he had the photo printer he bought.
Of course, we took pictures. Lots and lots of photos! I was drawn to the ancient walls and the tiles, which I felt I could use in artwork when I got home. I have always loved courtyards and alleys in any place we travel, so there are lots of images of these as well.
This is one of the walls I photographed, showing the broken tiles on top of the rock wall. Below is the mixed media painting I made of this wall when I got home.
I did print out the tile image and used it as a collage element in the painting along with that beautiful blue color that I had always associated with Morocco.
We had so much fun ending the day or taking a break from the guided tours to work on our journals, sitting in the warm Moroccan sun, or on the hotel balcony.
Are you traveling and creating a journal to capture and document your experience?
Let me know what materials you packed and how traveling impacted your artwork. This Inquiring Newsletter Writer wants to know!
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
MAKE A JOURNAL FOR YOUR TRAVELS!
Along with many other book structures!
BOOKMAKING BASICS VALLEY ART CENTER CHAGRIN FALLS OH
Six Tuesdays, February 25- April 1, 2025. 10-12:30pm
Click here to register!
Click here to see where I am exhibiting and teaching.
1/23/2025
“We travel not to escape life; but for life not to escape us.“
UNKNOWN
Hand-made Sketchbook for the Trip to Morocco Sept. 2023
We took the trip of a lifetime a year and a half ago when we went to Morocco for 10 days. Of course, we packed the camera. We also packed art supplies to journal, draw, and collage along the way. We wanted to pack light, so what to take in the way of art supplies?
Before the trip, my husband and I each made a hand-made journal.
We knew that collage would be one of the ways we would document our experiences. So we packed glue sticks and scissors. A word to you collage enthusiasts...pack extra glue sticks. We ran out! I didn't take papers to collage into the journal. Those all came from things we picked up once there...maps, advertisements about the places we visited, ticket stubs, receipts, and the like. I took a few sheets of white paper since the pages in my journal were made from tan recycled packing paper, and a few pieces of black paper. I included some pens and pencils to draw with, a few brushes, a small selection of watercolor pencils, and some white gesso. Being a stitcher, I also took a small sewing kit of needles and threads.
John took similar items, but he also purchased a Sprocket 2x3" Instant Smartphone Photo Printer, which allowed him to take pictures, print them out, and put them into his journal with the peel-and-stick adhesive that was on the back of the photos. Pretty nifty!
When you are used to having all of your art supplies available, I found it a bit challenging to rely on just the limited supplies I chose. That forced me to do more drawing than I normally do. That was a good thing.
I was glad I brought the white gesso. I use a lot of white, and the contrast on the tan journal pages added another element to my work. That white area on the left page has a rubbing of our room number from one of the places we stayed. On the right side, I used a scrap of cardboard to make a template that allowed me to draw the tessellated tiles we saw everywhere.
These two pages are examples of working with the mixed media supplies I brought. We did buy the map you see here and shared different portions of it
for use in our journals. I tore up some notes I had taken and included them along with that key which came on the back of something associated with our hotel room
As you can see, I wasn't going for a blow-by-blow accounting of each day. I wanted to respond spontaneously to the day with the materials I had collected.
John's journal has a more day-to-day accounting of what we did because he had the photo printer he bought.
Of course, we took pictures. Lots and lots of photos! I was drawn to the ancient walls and the tiles, which I felt I could use in artwork when I got home. I have always loved courtyards and alleys in any place we travel, so there are lots of images of these as well.
This is one of the walls I photographed, showing the broken tiles on top of the rock wall. Below is the mixed media painting I made of this wall when I got home.
I did print out the tile image and used it as a collage element in the painting along with that beautiful blue color that I had always associated with Morocco.
We had so much fun ending the day or taking a break from the guided tours to work on our journals, sitting in the warm Moroccan sun, or on the hotel balcony.
Are you traveling and creating a journal to capture and document your experience?
Let me know what materials you packed and how traveling impacted your artwork. This Inquiring Newsletter Writer wants to know!
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
MAKE A JOURNAL FOR YOUR TRAVELS!
Along with many other book structures!
BOOKMAKING BASICS VALLEY ART CENTER CHAGRIN FALLS OH
Six Tuesdays, February 25- April 1, 2025. 10-12:30pm
Click here to register!
Click here to see where I am exhibiting and teaching.
Reflect and Renew
1/1/2025
“Quantity produces quality.
Theorizing is death. You need to move to be proactive.”
-Summarized by Ian Brown from The Clay Pots story in Art and Fear
by Bayles and Orland.**
My Studio 1/1/2025
As we start the New Year, I see this as a time for reflection and renewal. For me, 2024 was a year of creative strengthening. Two online classes reawakened my interest in drawing and mark-making, sparking new directions in my mixed media and collage work. While I didn’t produce much exhibit-ready art, I gained many challenging and exciting experiments. The volume of drawing and collage work—some successful, some not—led to a few finished pieces I’m proud of and ideas I’m eager to explore further.
What was 2024 like for your artistic growth? Did you experiment with new materials, take a class, or perhaps solidify your ideas into works addressing social or political concerns? Maybe you started teaching or took your work in a bold new direction. How do you think these experiences will shape your work in 2025?
Last year, I wrote about the difference between New Year’s Resolutions and Intentions. How did you fare with yours? I followed through on my intention to keep a journal and write more often. However, by June, I fell back into scribbling notes on scraps of paper instead of committing them to my journal. Some scraps eventually made it into the journal, but others were lost—including potential titles and concepts for future work. This year, I’ll rededicate myself to keeping my journal close at hand.
The New Year is an ideal time to clean, organize, and reassess your studio. Does your space need rearranging? Are there materials you no longer use that you could let go of? Or are you drawn to try something new? Setting up a dedicated area for a new process—like gelli plate printing—can encourage you to explore it fully. Personally, I’ve long wanted to attach a large sheet of paper to a wall and work on it freely over time, layering marks, paint, and collage. This year, I’ll make that a reality: the paper is ready, and so am I.
Do you have rituals that influence your creative process? Some artists begin their day with quick sketches or small collages like these:
Others set specific studio hours or start with breathing exercises or music to establish the right mindset. Rituals can help overcome procrastination and set your creative day in motion. Simply getting into your studio space is often the hardest—but essential—step. No art can happen if you’re not there.
And don’t stress if you don’t always fulfill your intentions. That’s the beauty of intentions versus resolutions—you can always start again. Mondays, like New Year’s Day, offer a fresh chance to redefine your goals, reassess your work, and move forward. Start over or keep going—either way, just begin.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
Clare
Here is where you can find me in 2025:
Teaching at Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls Ohio
Hand Stitched Paper Collage Sat. Jan. 25, 2025. 10:00am - 1:00pm SOLD OUT!
Bookmaking Basics 6 Tuesdays: February 25- April 1, 2025 Register here.
Accordion Spine Workshop Sat. March 1, 2025. 1:30-1:00 Register here.
Teaching at Fairmount Center for the Arts, Novelty Ohio
Landscape Collage Sat. March 15, 2025 10-12 noon. Register here.
Exhibiting at Massillon Museum in Massillon Ohio. Stark County Artists Exhibit
until January 15, 2025.
Exhibiting at Peg's Gallery in Hudson Ohio. Timeline: A Retrospective until 2/7/25.
Exhibiting at Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls. Student/Faculty Art Exhibit
January 24- March 6, 2025
Check out my SHOP for small works for sale from $50 to $66 with Free Shipping!
So affordable!
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who would enjoy the Newsletter please forward it to them. They can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
1/1/2025
“Quantity produces quality.
Theorizing is death. You need to move to be proactive.”
-Summarized by Ian Brown from The Clay Pots story in Art and Fear
by Bayles and Orland.**
My Studio 1/1/2025
As we start the New Year, I see this as a time for reflection and renewal. For me, 2024 was a year of creative strengthening. Two online classes reawakened my interest in drawing and mark-making, sparking new directions in my mixed media and collage work. While I didn’t produce much exhibit-ready art, I gained many challenging and exciting experiments. The volume of drawing and collage work—some successful, some not—led to a few finished pieces I’m proud of and ideas I’m eager to explore further.
What was 2024 like for your artistic growth? Did you experiment with new materials, take a class, or perhaps solidify your ideas into works addressing social or political concerns? Maybe you started teaching or took your work in a bold new direction. How do you think these experiences will shape your work in 2025?
Last year, I wrote about the difference between New Year’s Resolutions and Intentions. How did you fare with yours? I followed through on my intention to keep a journal and write more often. However, by June, I fell back into scribbling notes on scraps of paper instead of committing them to my journal. Some scraps eventually made it into the journal, but others were lost—including potential titles and concepts for future work. This year, I’ll rededicate myself to keeping my journal close at hand.
The New Year is an ideal time to clean, organize, and reassess your studio. Does your space need rearranging? Are there materials you no longer use that you could let go of? Or are you drawn to try something new? Setting up a dedicated area for a new process—like gelli plate printing—can encourage you to explore it fully. Personally, I’ve long wanted to attach a large sheet of paper to a wall and work on it freely over time, layering marks, paint, and collage. This year, I’ll make that a reality: the paper is ready, and so am I.
Do you have rituals that influence your creative process? Some artists begin their day with quick sketches or small collages like these:
Others set specific studio hours or start with breathing exercises or music to establish the right mindset. Rituals can help overcome procrastination and set your creative day in motion. Simply getting into your studio space is often the hardest—but essential—step. No art can happen if you’re not there.
And don’t stress if you don’t always fulfill your intentions. That’s the beauty of intentions versus resolutions—you can always start again. Mondays, like New Year’s Day, offer a fresh chance to redefine your goals, reassess your work, and move forward. Start over or keep going—either way, just begin.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
Clare
Here is where you can find me in 2025:
Teaching at Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls Ohio
Hand Stitched Paper Collage Sat. Jan. 25, 2025. 10:00am - 1:00pm SOLD OUT!
Bookmaking Basics 6 Tuesdays: February 25- April 1, 2025 Register here.
Accordion Spine Workshop Sat. March 1, 2025. 1:30-1:00 Register here.
Teaching at Fairmount Center for the Arts, Novelty Ohio
Landscape Collage Sat. March 15, 2025 10-12 noon. Register here.
Exhibiting at Massillon Museum in Massillon Ohio. Stark County Artists Exhibit
until January 15, 2025.
Exhibiting at Peg's Gallery in Hudson Ohio. Timeline: A Retrospective until 2/7/25.
Exhibiting at Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls. Student/Faculty Art Exhibit
January 24- March 6, 2025
Check out my SHOP for small works for sale from $50 to $66 with Free Shipping!
So affordable!
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who would enjoy the Newsletter please forward it to them. They can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
Holiday Musings
12/15/2024
Bright lights in the kitchen are a favorite part of my holidays.
Do you find it hard to get into your studio or keep up your journalling or art practice during the holidays? That time between Thanksgiving and Christmas often seems like a different kind of time and space. I feel like I should be able to keep up with my studio work, yet all of the extra demands of the holidays really makes that kind of impossible. Baking, decorating, shopping (even if it is done online), wrapping, and spending time with family and friends can put my daily art pratice on the back burner. So...what to do?
I don't want to totally abandon my artmaking, but I know I cannot make headway on that big painting at this time of the year. So I compromise. I make a pledge to do SOMETHING every day towards my artwork. Some days it is attention to my journaling or planning. Other days it is a commitment of time, even if it is just a half hour devoted to sketching or markmaking.
Sometimes, I find it helpful to "clean up my palette" by working in only black and white. It can offer a new perspective on the way you work with color. These pieces were worked on a black background instead of white, which offered a new starting point for the work.
I often use this time to tidy up (meaning really cleaning!) my studio and spend time looking over the drawings in my sketchbooks. There are often insights in these sketches that I meant to develop further or expand upon. Sometimes these sketches have notes on them about those developments.
I love working small and with a variety of found materials. The piece here is just 4x4" in a 6x6" frame but so satisfying to make. It allows me to incorporate items that I find during the clean-up and almost always demands that I stitch on them. Something I really love to do.
What are you doing this holiday season? Working small is a great way to satisfy your need to get some work done. All of these tactics help me to still feel creative and sometimes they spark new ideas and new work.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a productive 2025!
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
"Bookmaking Basics" Tuesdays, February 25 - April 1, 2025 10AM - 1:30PM
Valley Art Center Register here.
"Landscape Collage" Saturday March 15, 2025 10AM - 12PM
Fairrmount Center for the Arts Register here.
ARTWORK FOR SALE!
6' x 6" for $66
Need a gift for Christmas? Make it a gift of art! These small 6x6" pieces on board are unframed and come with an acrylic easel for display. The shipping is Free! What can be better than that?!
There are several sets in different color ranges. Click here to visit my SHOP.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
"Timeline: A Retrospective" Oct. 22, 2024-Feb. 7, 2025
Peg's Gallery Hudson OH
"Stark County Artists Exhibit" Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
Massillon Museum Massillon OH
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who would enjoy the Newsletter please forward it to them. They can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
12/15/2024
Bright lights in the kitchen are a favorite part of my holidays.
Do you find it hard to get into your studio or keep up your journalling or art practice during the holidays? That time between Thanksgiving and Christmas often seems like a different kind of time and space. I feel like I should be able to keep up with my studio work, yet all of the extra demands of the holidays really makes that kind of impossible. Baking, decorating, shopping (even if it is done online), wrapping, and spending time with family and friends can put my daily art pratice on the back burner. So...what to do?
I don't want to totally abandon my artmaking, but I know I cannot make headway on that big painting at this time of the year. So I compromise. I make a pledge to do SOMETHING every day towards my artwork. Some days it is attention to my journaling or planning. Other days it is a commitment of time, even if it is just a half hour devoted to sketching or markmaking.
Sometimes, I find it helpful to "clean up my palette" by working in only black and white. It can offer a new perspective on the way you work with color. These pieces were worked on a black background instead of white, which offered a new starting point for the work.
I often use this time to tidy up (meaning really cleaning!) my studio and spend time looking over the drawings in my sketchbooks. There are often insights in these sketches that I meant to develop further or expand upon. Sometimes these sketches have notes on them about those developments.
I love working small and with a variety of found materials. The piece here is just 4x4" in a 6x6" frame but so satisfying to make. It allows me to incorporate items that I find during the clean-up and almost always demands that I stitch on them. Something I really love to do.
What are you doing this holiday season? Working small is a great way to satisfy your need to get some work done. All of these tactics help me to still feel creative and sometimes they spark new ideas and new work.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a productive 2025!
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
"Bookmaking Basics" Tuesdays, February 25 - April 1, 2025 10AM - 1:30PM
Valley Art Center Register here.
"Landscape Collage" Saturday March 15, 2025 10AM - 12PM
Fairrmount Center for the Arts Register here.
ARTWORK FOR SALE!
6' x 6" for $66
Need a gift for Christmas? Make it a gift of art! These small 6x6" pieces on board are unframed and come with an acrylic easel for display. The shipping is Free! What can be better than that?!
There are several sets in different color ranges. Click here to visit my SHOP.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
"Timeline: A Retrospective" Oct. 22, 2024-Feb. 7, 2025
Peg's Gallery Hudson OH
"Stark County Artists Exhibit" Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
Massillon Museum Massillon OH
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who would enjoy the Newsletter please forward it to them. They can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
Thanksgiving Wishes
11/13/2024
Creativity is Intelligence having fun. -Einstein
"Beyond the Fence" mixed media
On view at Massillon Museum Stark County Artists Exhibit
Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
I always say, "Thanksgiving is my holiday." I lean into my favorite flavors and enjoy creating a feast that incorporates items from my garden...carrots and onions, this year, it includes golden beets and Swiss chard. While I don't grow pumpkins, I always purchase pie pumpkins from a local farmer and make the puree for my pumpkin pies.
Gardening and using the produce is a creative process for me and an extension of my artmaking. Or perhaps, artmaking is an extension of my gardening!
I have much to be thankful for and you as readers of my Newsletter are most appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of my artwork, for taking the classes I offer, for reading the Newsletter, and for taking time to write, comment or email me.
I am teaching closer to home these days and you can find the classes and workshops I will be offering through Valley Art Canter (Chagrin Falls OH) and Fairmount Center for the Arts (Novelty OH) listed below. Also listed are my current exhibits and some NEW items for sale in the SHOP on my website.
Thank You so much! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
-Clare
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
"Hand Stitched Paper Collage" Saturday, January 25, 2025 10AM - !:00PM
Valley Art Center Register here.
"Bookmaking Basics" Tuesdays, February 25 - April 1, 2025 10AM - 1:30PM
Valley Art Center Register here.
"Landscape Collage" Saturday March 15, 2025 10AM - 12PM
Fairrmount Center for the Arts Register here.
ARTWORK FOR SALE!
6' x 6" for $66
Need a gift for Christmas? Make it a gift of art! These small 6x6" pieces on board are unframed and come with an acrylic easel for display. The shipping is Free! What can be better than that?!
There are several sets in different color ranges. Click here to visit my SHOP.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
"Timeline: A Retrospective" Oct. 22, 2024-Feb. 7, 2025
Peg's Gallery Hudson OH
"Stark County Artists Exhibit" Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
Massillon Museum Massillon OH
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who would enjoy the Newsletter please forward it to them. They can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
11/13/2024
Creativity is Intelligence having fun. -Einstein
"Beyond the Fence" mixed media
On view at Massillon Museum Stark County Artists Exhibit
Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
I always say, "Thanksgiving is my holiday." I lean into my favorite flavors and enjoy creating a feast that incorporates items from my garden...carrots and onions, this year, it includes golden beets and Swiss chard. While I don't grow pumpkins, I always purchase pie pumpkins from a local farmer and make the puree for my pumpkin pies.
Gardening and using the produce is a creative process for me and an extension of my artmaking. Or perhaps, artmaking is an extension of my gardening!
I have much to be thankful for and you as readers of my Newsletter are most appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of my artwork, for taking the classes I offer, for reading the Newsletter, and for taking time to write, comment or email me.
I am teaching closer to home these days and you can find the classes and workshops I will be offering through Valley Art Canter (Chagrin Falls OH) and Fairmount Center for the Arts (Novelty OH) listed below. Also listed are my current exhibits and some NEW items for sale in the SHOP on my website.
Thank You so much! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
-Clare
WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
"Hand Stitched Paper Collage" Saturday, January 25, 2025 10AM - !:00PM
Valley Art Center Register here.
"Bookmaking Basics" Tuesdays, February 25 - April 1, 2025 10AM - 1:30PM
Valley Art Center Register here.
"Landscape Collage" Saturday March 15, 2025 10AM - 12PM
Fairrmount Center for the Arts Register here.
ARTWORK FOR SALE!
6' x 6" for $66
Need a gift for Christmas? Make it a gift of art! These small 6x6" pieces on board are unframed and come with an acrylic easel for display. The shipping is Free! What can be better than that?!
There are several sets in different color ranges. Click here to visit my SHOP.
CURRENT EXHIBITS
"Timeline: A Retrospective" Oct. 22, 2024-Feb. 7, 2025
Peg's Gallery Hudson OH
"Stark County Artists Exhibit" Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
Massillon Museum Massillon OH
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who would enjoy the Newsletter please forward it to them. They can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
Searching for Spontaneity
10/2/2024
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who might like to read the Newsletter please forward it to them and they can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
10/2/2024
"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary
may speak." Han Hoffman
I spend a lot of time creating small collages.
While collage is my go-to way of expressing myself, in the work you see here I was interested in making collages that were simple vs. those with more complex layering.
It was interesting to see how pieces with simple shapes and lines used the space of the page. There is a certain dynamic that occurs with limited color and the way shapes and lines engage the space.
These pieces do have some paint but often it is minimal and used to
enhance or extend the already pale surfaces.
In the lower two collages I experimented with ways to use paint on the background or a combination of paint and collaged paper before adding other focal elements. In some pieces the paint was applied with a brayer leaving a mark different from that of a brush or palette knife.
Mark making became increasingly important as did the mark making tools:
sticks, skewers, brushes, crayons, pens, pencils.
I found myself collaging through-out the processes; I often found that I worked back and forth between collage, paint, mark making, and more collage and paint.
I ultimately wanted a surface that looked spontaneous and effortless.
The work was often neither spontaneous or effortless.
It reminded me of my work in quilt-making where I moved from creating pieces that were made with the rules of traditional quilt making (quarter inch seam allowances, a specifinumber of hand quilting stitches per inch, clean and neat) to raw edged pieces with a loose and free look.
It all takes time.
It takes a different mind set and a certain willingness to just "go for it!"
Easier said than done.
I am still working toward that truly spontaneous way of working.
To see more work with a spontaneous feel click here.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
Clare
www.claremurrayadams.com
www.instagram.com/claremurrayadams
EXHIBITS
may speak." Han Hoffman
I spend a lot of time creating small collages.
While collage is my go-to way of expressing myself, in the work you see here I was interested in making collages that were simple vs. those with more complex layering.
It was interesting to see how pieces with simple shapes and lines used the space of the page. There is a certain dynamic that occurs with limited color and the way shapes and lines engage the space.
These pieces do have some paint but often it is minimal and used to
enhance or extend the already pale surfaces.
In the lower two collages I experimented with ways to use paint on the background or a combination of paint and collaged paper before adding other focal elements. In some pieces the paint was applied with a brayer leaving a mark different from that of a brush or palette knife.
Mark making became increasingly important as did the mark making tools:
sticks, skewers, brushes, crayons, pens, pencils.
I found myself collaging through-out the processes; I often found that I worked back and forth between collage, paint, mark making, and more collage and paint.
I ultimately wanted a surface that looked spontaneous and effortless.
The work was often neither spontaneous or effortless.
It reminded me of my work in quilt-making where I moved from creating pieces that were made with the rules of traditional quilt making (quarter inch seam allowances, a specifinumber of hand quilting stitches per inch, clean and neat) to raw edged pieces with a loose and free look.
It all takes time.
It takes a different mind set and a certain willingness to just "go for it!"
Easier said than done.
I am still working toward that truly spontaneous way of working.
To see more work with a spontaneous feel click here.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
Clare
www.claremurrayadams.com
www.instagram.com/claremurrayadams
EXHIBITS
"Northeastern Ohio Textile Artists (NOTA) Innagural Art Exhibit
Sept. 12-Nov. 16, 2024 Beachwood Community Center. Beachwood OH
"NewNow 2024" Sept.12-Oct. 17, 2024 Tri C East Gallery
Highland Hills OH Reception Sept. 12, 2024 6-7:30 PM
"Tikkanen Painting Prize". Ashtabula Arts Center. October 5-31, 2024.
Public Reception Oct. 5, 2024. 6-9 PM
"Timeline: A Retrospective" Oct. 22, 2024-Feb. 7, 2025
Peg's Gallery Hudson OH
"Stark County Artists Exhibit" Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
Massillon Museum Massillon OH
Sept. 12-Nov. 16, 2024 Beachwood Community Center. Beachwood OH
"NewNow 2024" Sept.12-Oct. 17, 2024 Tri C East Gallery
Highland Hills OH Reception Sept. 12, 2024 6-7:30 PM
"Tikkanen Painting Prize". Ashtabula Arts Center. October 5-31, 2024.
Public Reception Oct. 5, 2024. 6-9 PM
"Timeline: A Retrospective" Oct. 22, 2024-Feb. 7, 2025
Peg's Gallery Hudson OH
"Stark County Artists Exhibit" Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 15, 2025
Massillon Museum Massillon OH
MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
If you know someone who might like to read the Newsletter please forward it to them and they can get on my list by clicking this link:
Get the Newsletter!
