<Kristin> hi, by the way :-)

<Judy> hi, Kristin

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<MomCat> hi, Evie

<EvieNC> Hi MomCat et al.

<Judy> hi, Evie

<Kristin> I was thinking of Bibi's "sneak in sneak out"- rule

<EvieNC> I am curious as to what "Minimalist Collage" means.

<MomCat> but class hasn't started

<EvieNC> You mean I am not late for a change? Hooray

<Judy> lol

<MomCat> The minimalist school of art, of course has much simpler forms than this

<MomCat> but if you compare this to a lot of the more "traditional collage"

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<MomCat> this is much simpler

<MomCat> and less intimidating

<EvieNC> What I like about this particular collage is that it follows a theme. Some of the busier ones have elements that have no relation to each other!

<EvieNC> This is nice, MomCat.

<MomCat> thank you

<MomCat> Looking at the first mermaid?

<EvieNC> I think so.

<EvieNC> Coral Reef Queen?

<MomCat> yes

<EvieNC> bootiful

<MomCat> ty

<Judy> yes, it is beauteous

<MomCat> there's "creativity" story to this piece

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<MomCat> I won some fibers at a social

<MomCat> and when they came, I thought that one of the green fibers

<MomCat> looked like sea-weed and one of the yellow fibers looked like mermaid hair

<MomCat> so I bought this mermaid stamp

<MomCat> and in the mean time the collage pack company that I got the fibers from

<MomCat> had asked me to teach a collage class

<MomCat> so I requested the undersea pack

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<MomCat> talking about the coral reef queen, Paivi

<MomCat> but when I got the mermaid stamp

<MomCat> the fibers didn't work the way I thought they would

<MomCat> It's important to not force your art into

<MomCat> any preconceived notion of your own

<MomCat> and especially not to somebody else's formula for "artistic" work

<MomCat> The ocean bottom here is sand paper which I also use for beach and desert scenes

<MomCat> I did something else with this one that I don't usually do

<MomCat> which is to consciously follow a "line of movement" in the composition

<MomCat> I knew the mermaid needed something behind her back

<MomCat> but I couldn't come up with any thing I liked

<MomCat> then I noticed that the mermaid/s body and tail and the sea-weed on the right and the starfish

<MomCat> described part of an oval

<MomCat> so I put the other piece of sea weed so that it closed the oval

<MomCat> This one is done in a CD case

<MomCat> any questions?

<Judy> this is really neat, MomCat!

<MomCat> ty

<EvieNC> Very nice, now we know why the design "works"

<MomCat> Usually I don't know why they work, but this one I did

<MomCat> :)

<Judy> :)

<EvieNC> A good lesson there.

<MomCat> THE BLUE CORAL REEF QUEEN IS JUST 2 PIECES AND SOME LAYERING

<MomCat> SOMEBODY ASKED ME ONCE "WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAYERING AND COLLAGE?"

<MomCat> AFTER THINKING ABOUT IT

<MomCat> i DECIDED THAT LAYERING FRAMES THE ART

<MomCat> AND THE PIECES OF A COLLAGE ARE PART OF THE ART

<MomCat> AND THIS BLUE QUEEN SHOWS BOTH

<MomCat> THE PIECE WITH THE SQUARES AND SEASHELLS IS JUST ONE PIECE OF FABRIC

<MomCat> WHICH i GLUED TO PLAIN WHITE CARD STOCK WITH WHITE GLUE

<MomCat> i LET IT SIT OVER NIGHT TO BE SURE IT WAS DRY

<EvieNC> Are you talking about a different example now?

<MomCat> THE bLUE CORAL REEF QUEEN

<EvieNC> I'm sorry, I don't understand the squares and seashells fabric piece.

<MomCat> i CUT OUT THE EDGES OF SOME OF THE ANIMALS ON THE FABRIC

<MomCat> iT IS A PIECE OF PRINTED FABRIC

<EvieNC> OIC

<MomCat> SLIPPING THE EDGES OF THE MERMAID UNDER THE EDGES OF THE ANIMALS ON THE FABRIC

<Judy> great idea!

<MomCat> HELPED TO HOLD HER IN PLACE AND MADE HER VISUALLY "ONE" WITH THE FABRIC

<MomCat> TY

<Judy> thought they were added pieces

<MomCat> THE WAVES YOU SEE IN THIS ARE MADE BY THE SCANNER AND DON'T REALLY EXIST

<MomCat> THAT MANY PIECES ADDED WOULD BE TOO MUCH WORK FOR ME!

<MomCat> <g>

<Judy> lol

<MomCat> THE LAYERS ON THIS ONE PICK UP THE COLORS OF THE FABRIC

<MomCat> ANY QUESTIONS?

<Judy> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<EvieNC> Was it difficult to cut around the animals after you glued the fabric to the cardstock?

<Paivi> are these really minimalist? :)

<MomCat> NOT AT ALL

<EvieNC> Did you cut thru paper AND fabric?

<MomCat> PAIVI TECHNICHALLY THESE ARE NOT MINIMALIST

<MomCat> BUT IF YOU COMPARE THEM TO MUCH OF THE OTHER COLLAGE IN BOOKS AND ON THE NET THEY ARE MUCH SIMPLER

<MomCat> AND WE NEEDED A CATGHY NAME :)

<jb> what is minimalisst collage?

<MomCat> eVIE YES THE PAPER AND THE FABRIC WERE GLUED TIGHTLY TOGETHER

<Judy> have never thought of using fabric on a card - this is great

<MomCat> jb - IT'S WHAT i CALL MY SIMPLE COLLAGES

<MomCat> JUST A TITLE CAK AND I MADE UP

<jb> is there a website to look at them?

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<jb> ty

<MomCat> YW

<MomCat> ON TO THE GOSSAMER CORAL REEF QUEEN

<MomCat> ONE OF THE THINGS WORKING IN THIS ONE

<MomCat> IS THAT i WAS VERY TIRED OF CUTTING OUT HAIR WISPS

<MomCat> BUT I DIDN'T WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE A LIGHT COLORED EGG ON A DARK BACKGROUND

<MomCat> SO i LET SOME OF THE TAIL STICK OUT WHICH HAS AN UNIFYING EFFECT

<MomCat> tHE WAVY PATTERN BEHIND THE MERMAID

<MomCat> IS ONE PIECE OF PAPER

<MomCat> AND I "BROKE A RULE" WITH THISD

<MomCat> USUALLY YOU WOULD NOT PUT AN ELEMENT ONTO A SURFACE THAT IS THE SAME COLOR

<Judy> but that looks great, MomCat - looks complicated

<MomCat> BUT SINCE THE DARK BLUE WAVES BLEND INTO THE BACKGROUND

<MomCat> THE WAVES STAND OUT

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<MomCat> AND NOT COMPLICATED AT ALL, jUDY

<Judy> just need the right paper?

<MomCat> RIGHT

<MomCat> AND THE "RIGHT" EYE AND MIND SET

<Judy> where did you find the paper?

<MomCat> WHATEVER YOUR STYLE IS

<jb> sorry - I got kicked off when I tried to look at the website. when I click on the address it has a hand with an "x" on it and it doesn't go to the web site

<MomCat> TRAIN YOUR EYE TO SEE THINGS THAT WILL FIT INTO YOUR STYLE

<MomCat> http://www.dm.net/~cak/crqueens/

<MomCat> SORRY jb

<MomCat> MAYBE YOU COULD TRY ANOTHER BROWSER

<MomCat> BUT THE SITE IS WORKING FOR THE REST OF US

<Judy> right click on it and choose "Open in another browser"

<MomCat> tHE RIBBON WAS ADDED FOR VISUAL "BALANCE"

<MomCat> AGAIN IT HAS A UNIFYING AFFECT SO THAT THE ENTIRE "CANVAS" IS "INHABITED"

<MomCat> THE PAPER CAME IN THE COLLAGE PACK

<jb> the finger pointing hand still comes up with an x on it - I know this isn't very technical talk -

<Judy> I guess the x means no can do

<MomCat> i AM SORRY, BUT WE DON'T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO HELP YOU

<MomCat> ANY QUESTIONS?

<jb> thanks anyway - I will just read along.

<Judy> copy site address and look at later

<jb> ty

<MomCat> ON TO THE MAP TURTLE

<MomCat> THIS IS A VISUAL PUN

<MomCat> THERE ARE TURTLES CALLED MAP TURTLES

<MomCat> THIS TURTLE IS FROM EVOLVING IMAGES

<MomCat> AND IS FROM A SET OF STAMPS i ASKED EVO TO MAKE

<MomCat> BECAUSE THEY ARE OPEN AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THEY ARE STAMPED ON

<EvieNC> Very clever1

<MomCat> i FOUND THIS MAP IN AN OLD TOUR GUIDE BOOK

<MomCat> TY

<EvieNC> have never heard of map turtles. Where do they live?

<MomCat> AND THE TURTLE SHELL LINED UP BEAUTIFULY WITH THE LINES ON THE MAP

<MomCat> nOT SURE, EVIE, EXCEPT NOT IN THE WESTERN U.S.

<MomCat> AND THEY ARE NORTH AMERICAN

<EvieNC> Very interesting. Now I will have to find out.

<Judy> do google search

<MomCat> THE MAP IS LAYERED ONTO A PICTURE OF WOOD FROM A VOGUE ADVERTISEMENT

<EvieNC> a wide variety of habitats from Florida to Texas, and north to the Dakotas and Quebec.

<EvieNC> Now we all know.

<Judy> ty, Evie!

<MomCat> BECAUSE i THOUGHT IT LOOKED RUSTIC AND OLD FASHIONED

<EvieNC> So Wyoming is probably one of its habitats.

<MomCat> ANY QUESTIONS?

<MomCat> MAYBE

<Judy> love this one, MomCat

<EvieNC> The wood is the perfect background for this.

<MomCat> EVIE SEND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO momcat@dm.net

<EvieNC> uh oh...have I been bad?

<MomCat> AND i WILL GIVE YOU THE SCIENTIFIC NAME

<EvieNC> OK, will do.

<MomCat> WHICH MAKES IT EASIER TO SEARCH ON THE WEB

<MomCat> TY, jUDY

<MomCat> SPHINX AT THE GATE

<MomCat> THIS USES TWO STAMPS WHICH ARE FROM A COMPANY THAT IS NOT CURRENTLY IN BUSINESS

<MomCat> THE ARCHWAY IS ACTUALLY THE OUTER EDGES OF A STAMP WHICH HAS TWO LARGE FIGURES IN IT

<MomCat> DON'T ALWAYS LOOK AT STAMPS AS A WHOLE IMAGE

<MomCat> THINK HOW YOU MIGHT USE PARTS OF THE IMAGE

<MomCat> THE BACK GROUND IS A PICTURE FROM A TRAVEL MAGAZINE

<MomCat> AND THE LAYERS PICK UP THE COLORS OF THE SHADOWS AND SKY IN THE PICTURE

<MomCat> ANY QUESTIONS

<EvieNC> Is the frame embossed?

<MomCat> YES

<EvieNC> Should say archway, I guess.

<EvieNC> Thanks

<MomCat> ALMOST OUT OF TIME

<MomCat> JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE LIZARD IS STAMPED ON A PICTURE OF A BEADED PURSE

<MomCat> AND THERE ARE BEADED LIZARDS WHICH ARE CLOSE RELATIVES TO GILA MONSTERS

<MomCat> THANKS FOR COMING!

<Judy> lots of great ideas here, MomCat. Thanks!

<Paivi> thank you, but in my opinion, those are not minimalist cards :)

<EvieNC> Thanks very much, quite interesting.

<Judy> next class is Quickies in #rubberclassroom

<Kristin> thank you MomC!

<Kristin> Great, as usual

<MomCat> YW

<MomCat> THANKS FOR COMING

<EvieNC> Thanks for the class and the examples. BYE