Collage ink on calligraphy paper on top of a watercolour

Remember those ink experiments I did on practice calligraphy paper? Well I decided to experiment with them, by tearing one or two of them up and gluing them to a watercolour piece I wasn't happy about.  I added a bit of soft pastel. It probably needs something more to anchor it. But it will be interesting to see where it goes.

Working in ink to explore those shapes

Played with ink on practise paper for calligraphy, which is really thin! My idea was to explore some of those circular shapes I see in the mountains and the coast on the peninsulas in the West (near Beara Bowl, Caha Mountains, across the bay from Cill Rialaig, e.g.). I got quite carried away with inks, but ended up with lots of pages of interesting marks and colours, which I might glue onto some thicker paper to see what happens. I'm just curious to see how it will behave. I have no idea if this particular paper is acid-free -it's Daiso's calligraphy practise paper. I had stared with Sumi ink, then moved onto Pilot colour inks. Because the paper is so light, the result is really transparent, and I loved looking at it against the window. It was like a stained glass window!

You can see I had fun. I even kept some of the paper I had set down to protect my desk from stains!

Cropping and exploring

Remember that A2 piece on cartridge paper that I was reluctant to crop? Well I took the bull by the horns today and went for it!

Crop and collage 1. Love the marks and colours and shapes. Might need something with darker values somewhere, but it's got enough interest for now, to inspire me to get moving again.

2 is quite a vertical view, a slice of that big wide landscape on I could see from Bolus Head during my Cill Rialaig residency. I found it interesting to narrow the view so much.

3 is really all about the vegetation and wildness of February on that barren coast. It doesn't have as much in terms of composition, but I want to keep a record of those marks and colours. Maybe it's about the roots that appear where the road has been cut and the stones have collapsed. And the mountains on the other side, so far away, and yet so close.

Cropped (and collaged?)

I cropped and collaged that large sheet of cartridge paper. The feeling of winter emerges. A dusting of snow. Some pieces didn't fit into a square.

Cropping for composition - We can be as one.

I'm still working from my memories of the Beara Peninsula - I think the West of Ireland has a liftetime of inspiration for me. I've done a few pieces with lots of textures and others more flowing. I'm always working from creative shift words. The ideas that have been on my mind for a while are on the themes of connections, protection, breathing space, and one's light shining through. I do love words, although my brain seems to be losing many words in the last few years. So maybe this is my way to hold on to words that matter to me. And sometimes, I hear a song I haven't listened to in a long time, and the lyrics feel just right. 

I didn't have the energy for painting today, but cropping and collaging felt good. I used that piece of cartridge paper that I wasn't too happy with, and it felt great to crop it and collage with it.

Une chanson douce - remix

 

I'm not sure this will go anywhere yet, but I do enjoy the mix of shapes and lines. There is a softness to it

Crops from previous pieces

While I was at it, I decided to crop a couple of pieces that I wasn't sure about. Also included here are crops of pieces I did on location in Allihies - as I didn't want to cut up the original, I printed them and cropped the printout. I'm trying not to be precious, but it's not easy! They're now safely glued in my studio book. They will be there when I need inspiration.