Painting with Paper

I recently had a fun weekend art retreat with a couple of friends.  We wanted to try creating art with coloured paper in the style of  Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson.

I had an image picked out from a catalog - an abstract painting of a white sea bird.

 I started by drawing the bird on my cradled canvas board.  Then i filled in around it with torn pieces of blue and green paper - to create the sky and the water.

 Then i cut about a hundred feather like pieces of white and ecru paper for the feathers.  I glued everything down with matte medium.  Then i added skinny little strips of brown and green for the fronds and trees.  I gave the sky a bit of a wash of blue glaze to tone it down and make it more cohesive.  I am really happy with how it turned out!

 I started a second piece using two smaller cradled boards.  I did a rough painting of the 5 birds on a branch.

I didn't get very far before we packed it up for the day - just had time to add three different text papers to the branches.  light to medium to dark to try to create the depth and shadows.

My friend S had a plan to create a large canvas with koi fish.  She sketched the fish on paper and glued them to the canvas.  Then she painted a blue background for the water.

 Next she painted the fish if vibrant gold and pinkish tones.

 The she started to do her signature intricate collage work.  All those patterns on the fish are torn pieces of dozens of different hand painted and dyed papers.

She did not get her piece finished  - i cannot wait to see how it turns out!

 K decided to create smaller works - about 5 inch square - one for each vegetable she selected.  She started by drawing each veggie on the canvas.  then she painted each one to see the depth and shadows which she could use as a guide for the collage.

 Here are three of her veggies - maybe almost done.  She plans a background and perhaps some wording.  

Here is a closeup of the pepper - look how much texture there is from the collage.

Here are a few more K painted after i left.  Once you get started, sometimes it is hard to stop!  These will all get collage papers and be the ultimate artwork for a crafty cook's kitchen!  Thanks Elizabeth for the inspiration!  Your work is stunning....!!