Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May good luck be with you Wherever you go , And your blessing outnumber The shamrocks that grow!

R.I.P. Darby

Saddly, my betta fish Darby died this weekend. It will remain a mystery why he perished. He was acting sick for a few days, I tried various remedies to no avail.

I got Darby right before my 18 year old cat Zizka passed away last April. It's a weird time for me as I have always had a pet, usually multiple pets. I actually bonded with this very social and interactive fish. He was the perfect transitional pet for me for the time, something to take care of without getting too attached. Maybe it's time to think about getting another cat? Maybe.

I haven't done much collaging lately, but I did one here in memory of Darby.

My Collages

As much as I enjoy working on and developing my blog, I realize that lately I feel the need to use my hands and touch some paper. I guess my main inspiration comes from this "blog of note" recommendation, "Papiers Colles". This woman has the incredible ability to put together these beautiful, sometimes haunting collages that really capture emotion.

I went to the local thrift store and bought up all of the magazines they had, I even found some perfectly unused canvas boards, a whole slew of paper collage goodies for about $5.00. I got home, spread the magazines all around me and started to dig in. I cut out hundreds of images of anything and everything that caught my eye. The trick is putting the images together in a cohesive or interesting way. The more I do it, the more options I can imagine, and they are endless. I am also experimenting with adding fabric, paint, pressed flowers, buttons, you name it.

To date, I have completed four collages. Each one gets more and more detailed, more complicated, but more fun. I've learned that it is a very personal art form, other people probably don't "get it" the way I see it, but I guess all art is like that really. What matters is what I get out of it and what I learn about myself in the process.

I'm having trouble photographing the finished projects, I blame a little bit on my lack of camera features, and a lot on my lack of photography skills. Hopefully I can improve my skills on both fronts, until then, please enjoy what I have so far.