Art Advantage One of the many advantages of having baskets (let’s be honest: rooms!) full of collage fodder is never having to buy cards. It’s pretty easy to whip one up for any needed occasion. In this case it was a thank you card to present to my incredible orthopedic surgeon at my first post-op visit. 

  Script The focus on these collages was script in a variety of forms. The color palette felt cheerful, and I wanted to play with a painted and collaged background. Mounting the mini-collages on black gave them their own frame. 

Let the Recovery Begin Today marks a huge milestone in my life. This is the first piece of artwork created since I had major surgery on Jan. 30.  The whole ordeal was a life event I hope to never have to experience again. . . The prep, the anesthesia, the operating theater (sci fi to the max), the 2-day stay in the hospital, and that first week home. It was with much excitement that I limped into my art room, and sat down at my work table to create my first collage with a new hip. I felt a bit rusty; I have not been away from my passion for that many consecutive days. This is what came to be. 

More Primaries Another play with limited palette, narrowing things down to just primary blue, primary yellow, white gesso, and some collage fodder. Oooh, that lime green. Tasty! 

Primary School Playing with a limited palette is so very interesting. This was as basic as one can get. Liquitex acrylics : primary red, primary   blue,  primary   yellow, and some white gesso . I love the colors that resulted. I finished them off with some mark-making using Posca pens. Simple. Primary. Fun.  

Blue Marble The sections of blue created by finger painting with watered-down acrylics looked to me like blue marble. Nothing else to really say about this one. 

Sees Possibility What my friends now know is that, for me, receiving a present is a two-fer. Not only is the present itself a treat, so is the packaging in which it comes. Tissue paper, wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, and kraft paper all get folded neatly and stashed away in my fodder baskets, which are growing exponentially and taking over my art room and studio.  For Christmas every year my friend gifts my husband and I a box of Sees candy. She hand picks the best dark chocolate goodies, and we allow ourselves one piece per night. The box gave up the last of its contents several days ago. In past years, I never gave the packaging a second of thought. This year, however, I’ve become a fodderaholic. Nothing gets pitched in the trash until it is assessed for its potential as a texture tool, additional storage, or collage fodder. Bingo! The plastic liner, when a tissue paper layer is peeled back, is a fab texture tool, as is the divider . Circles and lines on the gel plate.   I us...