Clare Murray Adams
Stuck and Struggling
5/29/2025
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
-Maya Angelou
Do you ever get stuck? Don't know where to start? What to do next if you have a start? Get interrupted and lose the flow of what you were doing yesterday, last week, a month ago? I can relate. I am there right now.
I created a lot of work last year and at the beginning of 2025. Then my time was dedicated to getting ready for the solo exhibit that just closed in Oberlin. There was framing to do and a presentation to prepare and practice. It is spring in Ohio and time to start working on the garden. So I did some of that until the rains and cold weather set in. One would think that would send me back to the studio until I could finally start gardening. But that just did not happen. I went to the studio but I didn't have a plan. I didn't even want to play. I did clean and organize, but still I was left empty of ideas, ambition, inspiration.
As I think about the problems/struggles I am having in the studio right now, I feel I can attribute some of it to being away from the studio for such a long time.
I have lost the thread and continuity of my intentions.
The flow of ideas and the process have become fractured.
Discontent and insecurity have set in.
I think these thoughts are as much a part of the process as the actual making of work. But knowing this doesn't get me unstuck. Here are some more concrete ideas that might help you get going again if you are stuck.
Play, Don't Plan
* Doodle, make marks, do a blind contour drawing, use your non-dominant hand.
Limit Your Tools
* Use only one color or medium for a day.
* Make a work using unconventional tools (like sticks, Qtips, sponges, fingers)
Find New Inspiration
* Visit a museum, gallery, or library.
* Observe the shapes, colors, and textures in nature.
* Look through art books, Instagram, or Pinterest - but set a time limit!!
Do a creative Warm-up
* Try a 10-minute art challenge (like draw 10 objects in 10 minutes).
* Set a timer and make lines, patterns, and marks in your sketchbook.
Try a Different Medium
* If you usually draw, try digital art or photography
* If you usually paint, try collage.
* If you usually colllage, try working with fabric, found objects, or stitch.
Learn from Others
* Watch a YouTube video on a new technique.
* Watch a video about a new material you'd like to try.
* Watch some Art 21 Videos about contemporary artists and their processes.
Use Prompts or Challenges
* Google 'Daily Art Prompts' or 'Daily Painting Prompts' and see what pops up.
* Check out art prompts like Inktober or #30daysofart.
Reconnect with Your Why
* Write a short reflection: Why do I make art? What themes matter to me?
What are my favorite materials to work with?
* Look at your old work to observe your growth or look at your old sketch
books for ideas that you didn't follow through on.
* Set a small goal: one page, one sketch, one color.
Embrace Rest
* Allow yourself a break without guilt - rest is important to the creative process.
* Read a book, take a walk, or take a nap.
* Sometimes stepping away can be the key to coming back refreshed.
As for me, I am starting some new work by pouring inks instead of painting with a brush. The pours and marks are very organic and unexpected. I want to try incorporating collage and markmaking with the paint, but remain loose, telling myself "Don't overthink this, Clare!" The work below is my start at getting "Unstuck".
Work In Progress
12 x 16" on Yupo Paper
Where this will take me, I don't know yet. I do know it feels good to be experimenting and working in the studio again. Let me know what you do to get unstuck.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
"Creative blocks are not a lack of ideas, but a fear of imperfection.
Let go, and let the process guide you." -Anonymous
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
5/29/2025
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
-Maya Angelou
Do you ever get stuck? Don't know where to start? What to do next if you have a start? Get interrupted and lose the flow of what you were doing yesterday, last week, a month ago? I can relate. I am there right now.
I created a lot of work last year and at the beginning of 2025. Then my time was dedicated to getting ready for the solo exhibit that just closed in Oberlin. There was framing to do and a presentation to prepare and practice. It is spring in Ohio and time to start working on the garden. So I did some of that until the rains and cold weather set in. One would think that would send me back to the studio until I could finally start gardening. But that just did not happen. I went to the studio but I didn't have a plan. I didn't even want to play. I did clean and organize, but still I was left empty of ideas, ambition, inspiration.
As I think about the problems/struggles I am having in the studio right now, I feel I can attribute some of it to being away from the studio for such a long time.
I have lost the thread and continuity of my intentions.
The flow of ideas and the process have become fractured.
Discontent and insecurity have set in.
I think these thoughts are as much a part of the process as the actual making of work. But knowing this doesn't get me unstuck. Here are some more concrete ideas that might help you get going again if you are stuck.
Play, Don't Plan
* Doodle, make marks, do a blind contour drawing, use your non-dominant hand.
Limit Your Tools
* Use only one color or medium for a day.
* Make a work using unconventional tools (like sticks, Qtips, sponges, fingers)
Find New Inspiration
* Visit a museum, gallery, or library.
* Observe the shapes, colors, and textures in nature.
* Look through art books, Instagram, or Pinterest - but set a time limit!!
Do a creative Warm-up
* Try a 10-minute art challenge (like draw 10 objects in 10 minutes).
* Set a timer and make lines, patterns, and marks in your sketchbook.
Try a Different Medium
* If you usually draw, try digital art or photography
* If you usually paint, try collage.
* If you usually colllage, try working with fabric, found objects, or stitch.
Learn from Others
* Watch a YouTube video on a new technique.
* Watch a video about a new material you'd like to try.
* Watch some Art 21 Videos about contemporary artists and their processes.
Use Prompts or Challenges
* Google 'Daily Art Prompts' or 'Daily Painting Prompts' and see what pops up.
* Check out art prompts like Inktober or #30daysofart.
Reconnect with Your Why
* Write a short reflection: Why do I make art? What themes matter to me?
What are my favorite materials to work with?
* Look at your old work to observe your growth or look at your old sketch
books for ideas that you didn't follow through on.
* Set a small goal: one page, one sketch, one color.
Embrace Rest
* Allow yourself a break without guilt - rest is important to the creative process.
* Read a book, take a walk, or take a nap.
* Sometimes stepping away can be the key to coming back refreshed.
As for me, I am starting some new work by pouring inks instead of painting with a brush. The pours and marks are very organic and unexpected. I want to try incorporating collage and markmaking with the paint, but remain loose, telling myself "Don't overthink this, Clare!" The work below is my start at getting "Unstuck".
Work In Progress
12 x 16" on Yupo Paper
Where this will take me, I don't know yet. I do know it feels good to be experimenting and working in the studio again. Let me know what you do to get unstuck.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
"Creative blocks are not a lack of ideas, but a fear of imperfection.
Let go, and let the process guide you." -Anonymous
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
"A View from the Easel"
4/25/2025
"To get good, it's helpful to be willing, or even enthusiastic about being bad. Baby steps are the royal road to skill." -Daniel Coyle, The Talent Code
"Easel" 2019 22 x 15"
Oil and Cold Wax on Board
In Hyperallergic Newsletter, which I receive online, there is a weekly segment titled "A View from the Easel", where they 'visit' two artists each Friday who have answered the questions they ask of every studio artist they interview. I really enjoy seeing other artists' workspaces and reading what they write about their space and how it influences their work. Any artist can answer the questions and submit their interview online. Then (I think) they select two to publish each Friday from the ones submitted.
Each interview has two photos of the studio accompanying the answers to the interview questions. I have taken the liberty of including other images images along with the answers to the questions. The one above is my usual way of introducing the monthly Newsletter. A few studio pictures are below, with my answers to their questions.
Some of the studios in the Hyperallergic Newsletter are almost glamorous. Others are humble. Some artists have large spaces, others small. Some artists have been in their spaces for many years. Others for as short a time as 1 year.
I thought answering the interview questions might make an interesting topic for my Newsletter. Especially since I just cleaned and reorganized my studio. So I copied the questions they ask of those who submit, and I am posting my answers just to you, my readers.
How long have you been working in this space?
I have been here for almost 20 years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Each day is different, as I am still doing some teaching. I'm not going to lie, I don't get in there every day, especially in the summer when there is the garden to look after. But I try to do something that is studio related everyday. Sometimes it is a 15 minute markmaking sketch. Other days I am able to move a mixed media work along, work on a painting, or make a small collage that involves sewing the drawing lines on the machine. Writing this Newsletter is something I consider to be part of my studio practice.
How does the space affect your work?
The fact that it is a separate building allows me to work and just leave things in progress. It is not an open space but one that has various tables and shelving for all of the materials a mixed media artist needs. Having several different areas or zones for working on different media helps me stay somewhat organized. And there is a synergy to having lots of media going on simultaneously, which causes unexpected interactions with the materials.
Painting areas
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
We live in a rural area, so I don't have neighbors or work in a communal artist setting. But I love taking a walk around our farm or working in the garden,which is meditative time that informs my artwork. I have made several series of works based on places and events that reflect nature...like the piece below from my Farmscape Series.
What do you love about your studio?
I love that it is my space alone. I tend to work better alone and without music.
Just the sounds of nature that I can hear from my open door.
What do you wish were different?
I do wish it were larger, but then I would probably have more horizontal flat surfaces that I would fill up with more media and more collections of "stuff".
I also wish the heating system worked better in the winter.
What is your favorite local museum?
It is a good hour to any museum from my rural location. But I like visiting the
Butler Museum of American Art in Youngstown, as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art.
What is your favorite material to work with?
As someone who started as a contemporary quiltmaker, I still love including fabric and stitch in my work in some way. Even if it is only conceptually.
Sewing Nook
Here are a few more pictures of my studio and the way I store things, like books, materials, and paintings.
I would love to hear about your studio space. What do you like? What do you wish for? How does the studio affect your art practice?
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
I want to say "Thank You!" to all who attended my solo exhibit,
bought an artwork, or wrote to me about your experience at the exhibit.
Your words and encouragement mean a lot to me. -Clare
Here is where you can find me this Spring:
Exhibiting at Kendal in Oberlin Ohio. Solo Exhibit of Recent Work!
April 1 - May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at Ohio Designer Craftsman's Best of 2025. Ohio Craft Museum
May 4 - July 5, 2025. Opening Reception May 4, 1-4PM
Exhibiting at Wayne Center for the Arts. Best of 2025
August 28 - October 23, 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
4/25/2025
"To get good, it's helpful to be willing, or even enthusiastic about being bad. Baby steps are the royal road to skill." -Daniel Coyle, The Talent Code
"Easel" 2019 22 x 15"
Oil and Cold Wax on Board
In Hyperallergic Newsletter, which I receive online, there is a weekly segment titled "A View from the Easel", where they 'visit' two artists each Friday who have answered the questions they ask of every studio artist they interview. I really enjoy seeing other artists' workspaces and reading what they write about their space and how it influences their work. Any artist can answer the questions and submit their interview online. Then (I think) they select two to publish each Friday from the ones submitted.
Each interview has two photos of the studio accompanying the answers to the interview questions. I have taken the liberty of including other images images along with the answers to the questions. The one above is my usual way of introducing the monthly Newsletter. A few studio pictures are below, with my answers to their questions.
Some of the studios in the Hyperallergic Newsletter are almost glamorous. Others are humble. Some artists have large spaces, others small. Some artists have been in their spaces for many years. Others for as short a time as 1 year.
I thought answering the interview questions might make an interesting topic for my Newsletter. Especially since I just cleaned and reorganized my studio. So I copied the questions they ask of those who submit, and I am posting my answers just to you, my readers.
How long have you been working in this space?
I have been here for almost 20 years.
Describe an average day in your studio.
Each day is different, as I am still doing some teaching. I'm not going to lie, I don't get in there every day, especially in the summer when there is the garden to look after. But I try to do something that is studio related everyday. Sometimes it is a 15 minute markmaking sketch. Other days I am able to move a mixed media work along, work on a painting, or make a small collage that involves sewing the drawing lines on the machine. Writing this Newsletter is something I consider to be part of my studio practice.
How does the space affect your work?
The fact that it is a separate building allows me to work and just leave things in progress. It is not an open space but one that has various tables and shelving for all of the materials a mixed media artist needs. Having several different areas or zones for working on different media helps me stay somewhat organized. And there is a synergy to having lots of media going on simultaneously, which causes unexpected interactions with the materials.
Painting areas
How do you interact with the environment outside your studio?
We live in a rural area, so I don't have neighbors or work in a communal artist setting. But I love taking a walk around our farm or working in the garden,which is meditative time that informs my artwork. I have made several series of works based on places and events that reflect nature...like the piece below from my Farmscape Series.
What do you love about your studio?
I love that it is my space alone. I tend to work better alone and without music.
Just the sounds of nature that I can hear from my open door.
What do you wish were different?
I do wish it were larger, but then I would probably have more horizontal flat surfaces that I would fill up with more media and more collections of "stuff".
I also wish the heating system worked better in the winter.
What is your favorite local museum?
It is a good hour to any museum from my rural location. But I like visiting the
Butler Museum of American Art in Youngstown, as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art.
What is your favorite material to work with?
As someone who started as a contemporary quiltmaker, I still love including fabric and stitch in my work in some way. Even if it is only conceptually.
Sewing Nook
Here are a few more pictures of my studio and the way I store things, like books, materials, and paintings.
I would love to hear about your studio space. What do you like? What do you wish for? How does the studio affect your art practice?
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
I want to say "Thank You!" to all who attended my solo exhibit,
bought an artwork, or wrote to me about your experience at the exhibit.
Your words and encouragement mean a lot to me. -Clare
Here is where you can find me this Spring:
Exhibiting at Kendal in Oberlin Ohio. Solo Exhibit of Recent Work!
April 1 - May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at Ohio Designer Craftsman's Best of 2025. Ohio Craft Museum
May 4 - July 5, 2025. Opening Reception May 4, 1-4PM
Exhibiting at Wayne Center for the Arts. Best of 2025
August 28 - October 23, 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
Sensing Place, a Solo Exhibit
3/24/2025
"Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings."
-Agnes Martin
"Abundance" 20 x 20" 2025
mixed media acrylic painting with collage
As an artist, there is something deeply gratifying about seeing a collection of my work displayed together in one setting. Many of us create in small studios where it's difficult to view a body of related work all at once, especially larger pieces. While I can arrange smaller works in my space, I don’t often have the opportunity to see how larger works interact with others that share similar colors, themes, and imagery. That’s why this exhibit at Kendal of Oberlin is so exciting—it brings together new pieces that explore recurring ideas alongside experimental works in a way that reveals their connections.
"Soft Surrender" 10 x 10" 2025
Looking back on my artistic journey, I realize that I have always had a deep connection to nature, to the materials I use, and to how they relate to my personal space. This body of work reflects what I observe in my garden and the rhythms of nature—the cycles of growth, harvest, and decay. Through paint, collage, and stitch, I explore the ways gardening intertwines the natural and domestic worlds, shaping my sense of place.
"Waste Management" 2023-25
Repurposed cardboard and painting remnants
The exhibit consists of three bodies of work, each reflecting cycles of renewal, memory, and domesticity—recurring themes in my practice. The mixed media works about nature speak directly to renewal and decay, while the Waste Management series on cardboard, incorporating remnants from previous artworks, blurs the lines between what we discard and what can be revived.
"Interior no. 3" Mixed Media Construction
"Soft Exterior no. 1" Mixed Media Construction
Interiors/Exteriors brings the natural and domestic worlds together, questioning where the boundaries between self and place truly exist.
"Deconstructed Bed" Mixed Media Painting with Collage
The paintings of domestic and household objects, like The Reading Hour and Deconstructed Bed reflect the cycle of memory and self where I respond to the places that I inhabit in the same way that Nature inhabits the garden.
Sensing Place is about more than seeing—it is about feeling, remembering, and responding to the places we call home, both wild and familiar. This exhibit invites you to reflect on your own surroundings and the cycles of nature, home, and materials that shape your personal sense of place.
For those of you who are local, you can see the exhibit at
Kendal of Oberlin
600 Kendal Dive
Oberlin OH. 44074
April 1 - May 15, 2025
The Artist Talk is on April 11, 2025, at 4:00PM
As always, thank you for reading and responding to my writings. It is truly appreciated.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
Here is where you can find me this Spring:
Teaching at Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls Ohio
Conceptual Collage Class: Exploring Themes Through Mixed Media
Tuesdays 10-12:30. April 14 - May 24, 2025
Register here.
Exhibiting at Fairmount Center for the Arts. Faculty Exhibit
March 10- May 30, 2025
Exhibiting at Kendal in Oberlin Ohio. Solo Exhibit of Recent Work!
April 1 - May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at Ohio Designer Craftsman's Best of 2025. Ohio Craft Museum
May 4 - July 5, 2025. Opening Reception May 4, 1-4PM
Exhibiting at Wayne Center for the Arts. Best of 2025
August 28 - October 23, 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!
Final Thoughts
"Some memories I would give anything to forget.
Others I would not give up upon the point of
death, they are the bright hawks of my life."
- Mary Oliver
3/24/2025
"Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings."
-Agnes Martin
"Abundance" 20 x 20" 2025
mixed media acrylic painting with collage
As an artist, there is something deeply gratifying about seeing a collection of my work displayed together in one setting. Many of us create in small studios where it's difficult to view a body of related work all at once, especially larger pieces. While I can arrange smaller works in my space, I don’t often have the opportunity to see how larger works interact with others that share similar colors, themes, and imagery. That’s why this exhibit at Kendal of Oberlin is so exciting—it brings together new pieces that explore recurring ideas alongside experimental works in a way that reveals their connections.
"Soft Surrender" 10 x 10" 2025
Looking back on my artistic journey, I realize that I have always had a deep connection to nature, to the materials I use, and to how they relate to my personal space. This body of work reflects what I observe in my garden and the rhythms of nature—the cycles of growth, harvest, and decay. Through paint, collage, and stitch, I explore the ways gardening intertwines the natural and domestic worlds, shaping my sense of place.
"Waste Management" 2023-25
Repurposed cardboard and painting remnants
The exhibit consists of three bodies of work, each reflecting cycles of renewal, memory, and domesticity—recurring themes in my practice. The mixed media works about nature speak directly to renewal and decay, while the Waste Management series on cardboard, incorporating remnants from previous artworks, blurs the lines between what we discard and what can be revived.
"Interior no. 3" Mixed Media Construction
"Soft Exterior no. 1" Mixed Media Construction
Interiors/Exteriors brings the natural and domestic worlds together, questioning where the boundaries between self and place truly exist.
"Deconstructed Bed" Mixed Media Painting with Collage
The paintings of domestic and household objects, like The Reading Hour and Deconstructed Bed reflect the cycle of memory and self where I respond to the places that I inhabit in the same way that Nature inhabits the garden.
Sensing Place is about more than seeing—it is about feeling, remembering, and responding to the places we call home, both wild and familiar. This exhibit invites you to reflect on your own surroundings and the cycles of nature, home, and materials that shape your personal sense of place.
For those of you who are local, you can see the exhibit at
Kendal of Oberlin
600 Kendal Dive
Oberlin OH. 44074
April 1 - May 15, 2025
The Artist Talk is on April 11, 2025, at 4:00PM
As always, thank you for reading and responding to my writings. It is truly appreciated.
Until next time, keep mixing it up!
-Clare
Here is where you can find me this Spring:
Teaching at Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls Ohio
Conceptual Collage Class: Exploring Themes Through Mixed Media
Tuesdays 10-12:30. April 14 - May 24, 2025
Register here.
Exhibiting at Fairmount Center for the Arts. Faculty Exhibit
March 10- May 30, 2025
Exhibiting at Kendal in Oberlin Ohio. Solo Exhibit of Recent Work!
April 1 - May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at Ohio Designer Craftsman's Best of 2025. Ohio Craft Museum
May 4 - July 5, 2025. Opening Reception May 4, 1-4PM
Exhibiting at Wayne Center for the Arts. Best of 2025
August 28 - October 23, 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!
Final Thoughts
"Some memories I would give anything to forget.
Others I would not give up upon the point of
death, they are the bright hawks of my life."
- Mary Oliver
Collage. Assemblage. Construction
2/26/2025
"A wonderful harmony arrives from the joining together of the
seemingly unconnected." Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher
Collage. Assemblage. Construction. What do these terms mean? How are they different and which do you use to describe your work?
Collage refers to creating works of art out of paper items, such as photos, newspaper, magazine images, books, etc. I have made a lot of collages in my time, often with other materials incorporated, like paint, colored pencil, fabric and stitch.
When I am using such diverse media I label the work as 'mixed media collage'.
"Resilient". mixed media collage
Assemblage is a three dimensional art form that involves putting together different parts, often found objects, to create a new piece. "Silver Spoon Secrets" is a whole series of boxes featuring spoons and the stories that they tell.
"Silver Spoon Secrets" assemblage
Construction in art is the process of breaking down complex shapes into basic forms and then reassembling them. It is a fundamental drawing technique but I use it to refer to art works that are collaged or stitched together to create an artwork that in my mind is not exactly a paper collage nor is it an assemblage work. It is how I feel when I am creating the piece. I feel as if I am constructing something that is somehow different from a collage or an assamblge piece.
"Soft Exteriors no. 3: Garden Wall" above is a piece that I feel is a construction. It is made of more fabric pieces than paper pieces. The fabric area on the lower right corner has joint compound on it to create the cracked texture of a wall. The upper left hand corner is from a printing process that etched those vine and leaf lines into the paper. In contrast, "Interiors no. 5" below was created using primarily paper pieces from a few discarded paintings with additions of fabric and quilt remnants. It also employs some netting and plastic elements. It is the diverse elements and the slight bas-relief surfaces that lean these works toward the dimensional.
Just as titling an artwork is a difficult task, so, too, is the labelling of the work which can enhance a viewer's appreiciation of your intentions.
So that is how I am mixing it up this winter in my studio! How about you?
How do you label the techniques you use in your art work?
-Clare
Here is where you can find me this Spring:
Teaching at Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls Ohio
Accordion Spine Workshop Sat. March 8, 2025. 11-1:30 SOLD OUT!
Conceptual Collage Class: Exploring Themes Through Mixed Media
Tuesdays 10-12:30. April 14 - May 24, 2025
Teaching at Fairmount Center for the Arts, Novelty Ohio
Landscape Collage Sat. March 15, 2025 10-12 noon. Register here.
Exhibiting at Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls. Student/Faculty Art Exhibit
January 24- March 6, 2025
Exhibiting at Fairmount Center for the Arts. Faculty Exhibit
March 10- May 30, 2025
Exhibiting at Kendal in Oberlin Ohio. Solo Exhibit of Recent Work!
April 1 - May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at Ohio Designer Craftsman's Best of 2025. Ohio Craft Museum
May 4 - July 5, 2025. Opening Reception May 4, 1-4PM
Exhibiting at Wayne Center for the Arts. Best of 2025
August 28 - October 23, 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!
Parting Thoughts
The sea can do craziness, it can do smooth,
it can lie down like silk breathing
or toss havoc shoreward: it can give
gifts or withhold all: it can rise, ebb, froth
like an incoming frenzy of fountains, or it can
sweet-talk entirely. As I can too,
and so, no doubt, can you, and you.
-Mary Oliver
2/26/2025
"A wonderful harmony arrives from the joining together of the
seemingly unconnected." Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher
Collage. Assemblage. Construction. What do these terms mean? How are they different and which do you use to describe your work?
Collage refers to creating works of art out of paper items, such as photos, newspaper, magazine images, books, etc. I have made a lot of collages in my time, often with other materials incorporated, like paint, colored pencil, fabric and stitch.
When I am using such diverse media I label the work as 'mixed media collage'.
"Resilient". mixed media collage
Assemblage is a three dimensional art form that involves putting together different parts, often found objects, to create a new piece. "Silver Spoon Secrets" is a whole series of boxes featuring spoons and the stories that they tell.
"Silver Spoon Secrets" assemblage
Construction in art is the process of breaking down complex shapes into basic forms and then reassembling them. It is a fundamental drawing technique but I use it to refer to art works that are collaged or stitched together to create an artwork that in my mind is not exactly a paper collage nor is it an assemblage work. It is how I feel when I am creating the piece. I feel as if I am constructing something that is somehow different from a collage or an assamblge piece.
"Soft Exteriors no. 3: Garden Wall" above is a piece that I feel is a construction. It is made of more fabric pieces than paper pieces. The fabric area on the lower right corner has joint compound on it to create the cracked texture of a wall. The upper left hand corner is from a printing process that etched those vine and leaf lines into the paper. In contrast, "Interiors no. 5" below was created using primarily paper pieces from a few discarded paintings with additions of fabric and quilt remnants. It also employs some netting and plastic elements. It is the diverse elements and the slight bas-relief surfaces that lean these works toward the dimensional.
Just as titling an artwork is a difficult task, so, too, is the labelling of the work which can enhance a viewer's appreiciation of your intentions.
So that is how I am mixing it up this winter in my studio! How about you?
How do you label the techniques you use in your art work?
-Clare
Here is where you can find me this Spring:
Teaching at Valley Art Center, Chagrin Falls Ohio
Accordion Spine Workshop Sat. March 8, 2025. 11-1:30 SOLD OUT!
Conceptual Collage Class: Exploring Themes Through Mixed Media
Tuesdays 10-12:30. April 14 - May 24, 2025
Teaching at Fairmount Center for the Arts, Novelty Ohio
Landscape Collage Sat. March 15, 2025 10-12 noon. Register here.
Exhibiting at Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls. Student/Faculty Art Exhibit
January 24- March 6, 2025
Exhibiting at Fairmount Center for the Arts. Faculty Exhibit
March 10- May 30, 2025
Exhibiting at Kendal in Oberlin Ohio. Solo Exhibit of Recent Work!
April 1 - May 15, 2025
Exhibiting at Ohio Designer Craftsman's Best of 2025. Ohio Craft Museum
May 4 - July 5, 2025. Opening Reception May 4, 1-4PM
Exhibiting at Wayne Center for the Arts. Best of 2025
August 28 - October 23, 2025
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MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER!
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Parting Thoughts
The sea can do craziness, it can do smooth,
it can lie down like silk breathing
or toss havoc shoreward: it can give
gifts or withhold all: it can rise, ebb, froth
like an incoming frenzy of fountains, or it can
sweet-talk entirely. As I can too,
and so, no doubt, can you, and you.
-Mary Oliver
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.
