Show pieces

 
Toni Molleson, Art Director of the Harris Cultural Arts Center, stands in front of Janice Kennedy's watercolor and Sandra Babb is standing beside two framed les papier colles. Donna Hilley did a great job framing and displaying Sandra's two pieces in her shop, Artistic Gifts, before they were exhibited at the Regional Show in Calhoun.

To Begin Again by BJ Wright

12"x12" acrylic mixed media painting...SOLD and framed at Artistic Gifts and Framing in Dalton, GA...Other painted papers (les papiers colles) are available there and by contacting me at beejw@charter.net.

Color Changeling Bubbles by BJ Wright

...portion of a 12"x12" acrylic painted and stamped (on clothing pattern tissue) painting .... Reds and yellows merge into oranges, yellows and blues merge into greens...it's funny how the eyes will optically mix the colors. Overstamping with blue/purple serves to brighten the colors even more. I thought it whimsical to imagine square bubbles.

Purple Rain by Sandra Babb

"Purple Rain" is the backside or reverse side of le papier colle that was created in the winter of 2009. We had a lot of dreary rainy days. The other side is the "Dance of Spring" when the sun comes out let's party!

Permission to Play by BJ Wright

...a large portion of a 12"x12" acrylic painted/stamped paper...I originally saw a mountain under square drifting clouds when this image emerged. But after turning it 180 degrees, I smiled as I saw what appeared to be a boot. Thinking "there was an old woman who lived in a shoe; she had so many children she didn't know what to do"...I named this playful image "Permission to Play". Click on the image to see intricate patterns and coloring.

Droll and Delightful by BJ Wright

12"x10" acrylic paint, stamping, and inked book page on dry wax deli paper...The more I worked on this image, the more it became a clown/jack-in-the-box. Clowns can be kind of freaky, this one included. But I decided he just wants to entertain and have fun.

more papers in progress...

To the left is a 12"x12" of dress pattern tissue which has been painted on the reverse side, then stamped several times on the right side. Some pattern markings can still be seen...which is a good thing. They can be incorporated into the final image.

(By clicking on the image, you can see the mingling of colors and patterns starting to emerge)

The middle and right papers are both 10"x12" dry wax deli paper. The blue one has been painted on the back and then stamped (using hand carved rubber stamps) on the front. The round mandala stamp was painted using varying shades of primaries and then applied to the paper.

The green with red was painted with a thin green wash and then twine dipped in red paint was dropped on the paper. The twine was then pulled off the paper leaving a design...which looks like a clown (sort of).

The blue/green/yellow paper (top) was made by weaving strips of two different painted/stamped papers torn into strips.

These papers are still incomplete. They may be torn into shapes and used for other papier colle paintings...or they may be further painted and over-stamped until that "aha" moment when they shout "I'm finished!"

papers in progress...

This an example showing a painting in progress. The center painting is constructed of two separate 12"x12" acrylic painted papers roughly torn into strips and then woven together. (One corner is turned up to show the reverse side).

After the weaving process, over stamping was done on the reverse/back side and a transparent glaze of acrylic paint was applied to the front side. The terms 'front' and 'back' are often interchangeable. I'm still working to see what subject emerges from this one. It's somewhat like playing "peek-a-boo".

The surrounding papers will be further glazed, stamped, torn and further processed until a subject or theme emerges. A few final touches will be added and the finished painting will be laid aside awaiting framing.

Not a Knot by BJ Wright

This shows a portion of a 12"x12" acrylic painted tissue paper. Since my scanner doesn't accommodate a 12"x12" paper, I really must photograph the entire 12"x12" painting to get the full effect.
Layering the paints, stamping and stenciling lets my mind run free...seeing all the possibilities in subjects and themes.
All these painted papers are inspired by techniques taught by Anne Bagby http://www.annebagby.com/.

Purple Clematis on reverse of Red Tulips...by Sandra Babb

The back of the Red Tulips has another floral. The screws are painted black. The little triangle hooks work well for hanging. It's undecided if I'll use wire, chain, or ribbon for wall hanging.
Any ideas?

Red Tulips/Forced Bulbs...by Sandra Babb

Side one of a paper placed in a floater frame. This is a black wooden frame available at Hobby Lobby.

En Verso of the High Hat Lady...by Sandra Babb

When working with Les Papiers Colles the nature of the dress pattern paper allows the acrylic paints to be seen on the "back" side of the paper. When painting this paper and stamping the back I found I like to have a front and back of the paper pages. Anne Bagby suggested that the papers be "retired" when they have come together. After developing these designs, they may be put aside for framing, placing in a photo album, or cut apart for cards or decorating boxes.
Currently there are two frame shops working on a solution to framing with front and back visible.

Pillars of Thought by BJ Wright

Acrylic paints layered and stamped on 12"x12" tissue paper. After randomly applying layers of acrylic paint (beginning with opaque then adding transparent), a design or theme will appear. Letting the paper tell me what it wants to say (or be) gets me "off the hook" in deciding its subject. With the addition of a few final touches here and there, the paper is finished.

Fabled in Verse by BJ Wright

Beginning with a 12"x12" paper, layers of paint, stamping, stenciling, etc are applied. During this process, the paper can be turned so the image is viewed from different angles. A theme or object becomes clear and the process continues.

This particular painting began as dress pattern tissue paper. A layer of opaque acrylic paint was applied to the back side of the paper, giving it more body. Great care is needed when handling the wet tissue paper. Then the paper's right side is painted with layering of opaque and transparent paints applied using hand cut rubber stamps. We occasionally use purchased stamps...in this case the script.

hand carved rubber stamps

These are two rubber stamps being hand carved for painting papers for les papiers colles. Using the stamps to apply acrylic paints in layer upon layer results in unusual designs.

High Hat by Sandra Babb

One of many papers made in February of 2010 after taking a "Pretty Papers" workshop with Anne Bagby in the Fall of 2009. Painting,stamping,cutting,and gluing seemingly fragile paper has become one way to get the creative juices flowing during these winter months when going outside has not been so comfortable. The face has been painted with Golden Acrylic paints and the swirls of paint are just that - "swirls" of paint. Doesn't she just make you want to "high hat" her right back?

painted papers

Sandra has prepared these acrylic painted papers to be used in a papier colle painting.

in the beginning...

Starting with acrylic paints in bottles and tubes, the process of painting les papiers colles began. The painting support is lowly deli paper and clothing pattern tissue paper...yes, that's right. Deli paper and clothing pattern tissue paper! The dry wax deli paper and pattern tissue are fragile yet remarkably durable.

We, Sandra and BJ, have been experimenting with acrylic paints applied with sponge rollers, fingers, rubber stamps...just any way we can get the paint to the paper.

We've bought a few ready-made rubber stamps, but the vast majority of the stamping is done with our hand carved 10"x10" stamps. (A photo will follow showing a stamp in the carving process).