(585) 704-6419
jeanne beck studios: this creative life
abstract collage. mixed media. markmaking. painting. creative process journal.
NEW WORK
This is a new series of large acrylic and oil paintings based on an idea of creative energy taking form. They develop and evolve through adding and masking multiple layers of gestural marks and shapes. This process adds depth and dimensionality. As the paintings evolve, additions or subtractions become more thoughtful and intentional. However, at any point inspiration for a whole new direction may emerge and a major change may happen. It is exciting and humbling to be learning to listen to that inner guidance and direction.
handmade & altered books
Winter Solstice 2022
Altered children's hard panel book
I planted an amaryllis bulb in October to keep my spirits up through the dark days of November and December. As I looked at it, the ridges on the bulb began to fascinate me. I took numerous photos of it from all directions, then cropped and edited them in Photoshop. I printed out copies, cut and collaged them and then over-painted them. I also took some photos of the dying crab apples outside.
It was an amazing process. Each day of the 12 days before Winter Solstice, I worked on a single page or two-page spread. I worked with these limited images and let my mind wonder and play with ideas, then committed to gluing and over-painting. I didn't worry about finishing a page a day, sometimes worked on two at a time, sometimes went back to an earlier one and added or removed something more. The process felt free, relaxed, focused.
Handmade Accordion Book Collaboration
To learn more about making handmade books, I signed up for Cover to Cover, an online class from Sallie Hirst, a wonderful tutor from the UK. I signed up to participate in a concertina collaboration and worked with a wonderful partner from northern California. We sent the books back and forth three or four times, each time adding elements or responding to what our partners had done with the pages.
I chose a simple theme, circles, and a complementary purple and gold palette with rusted and printed papers collaged to the surface with some drawn or stitched accents. Then I completed the book with a simple cover in a shade of gold that seemed the right fit for it.
