I’m back in the blogiverse!

Some readers may know me from my Instagram, my studio at Western Ave, or maybe you’re even a treasured friend. In any circumstance, I’m glad you’re here and thank you for supporting me and what I do!

On this blog, I’d like to share with you some behind the scenes pictures and videos of my creative processes and my studio space. I may also take a shining to using this little online nook to share personal stories and life updates (if you’re an OG from my Blogspot days, you’ll remember the vibe).

To get us started off, here are some behind the scenes photos of my creative process for the Vice Man piece! He was my last collage of 2020. This piece was inspired by a quote I heard from my dad, “A man without vices is like a sinking ship with nothing to throw over board.”

I found this perfect 80s cigarette ad hunk on the back of a magazine cover and here he is, in all his wicked, vicey goodness!

As you can tell, I took some liberties with the splatter paint… My garage floor is very pretty now! haha

Recently, I’ve been getting back into the “mixed media” aspects of collage and trying to incorporate more painted elements into my pieces. It’s something I started out doing, but fell out of because I got distracted by using various background images that I could find in my source materials. It’s nice to return to it! I’ve found, it makes the pieces feel a bit more personal and “homegrown.”

My giant circle cutter got some use here too. Circle cutters are one of those tools that I’m very grateful exists. Without it, I’d STILL be agonizing over making the perfect circular shapes.

For his menagerie of vices, I used some of my on-hand stash of vintage alcohol and cigarette ads, fittingly kept in old cigar boxes! I like to pepper in a vintage whiskey bottle here and there in my work (bit of a motif of mine, being a big Kentucky bourbon fan), so I try to keep a stash of pre-cuts on hand. It’s one of the very few elements I keep pre-cut; I work mostly by gathering materials in one shot and cutting them up on the spot. Storing pre-cuts is a pain, in my opinion, and it adds to the process to be able to cut when I have the urge, instead of reaching into a binder or a bin to assemble.

I often use this dresser as a work space, as it provides plenty of horizontal space to scatter over. I can’t remember exactly what movie I was watching on my VHS/TV, but it was probably a Schwarzenegger flick of some variety… 80s/90s action and scifi movies are my go to for background noise (in my headphones of course, don’t want to disturb the neighbors with gratuitous, over the top explosions and snappy dialogue)!

As far as glue/liquid adhesives go, I’m a paper cement gal, through and through. My favorite brand is the Best Test White Rubber Paper Cement. It doesn’t stain and it blends super cleanly, with easy touch ups. Low key, I absolutely despise Elmer’s Glue products for collage, glue sticks or otherwise. I find they don’t hold and they stain the paper material in older magazine pages. If you’re looking for a good rubber cement, I would always recommend Best Test. I usually glue up on a pane of glass, as this makes clean up extra easy with a non-scratch Brillo pad. I learned this trick from Mixed Messages Club on Instagram (Hi J.J.!!)

For certain pieces, I also use a fair amount of double sided tape. I get mine from JOANN Fabrics in the scrap booking section. It comes in big rolls that are usually offered in a few different and convenient sizes. Some cut outs warrant paper cement, others double sided tape. It all depends on the location, how much detail is in the cutting, and what I’m trying to achieve with it (i.e. layering, background, foreground, etc).

This dude was a lot of fun to bring to life! Thinking about him out there on the road, making ALL the wrong decisions, riding through the desert on his motorcycle, indulging when and where he feels free— what a guy.

Anyway, Happy New Year to you all! Pick up some bad habits and vices this year, goodness knows you’ve earned it after surviving the dumpster fire that was 2020!

Stay tuned here for more updates in the future and thank you so much for checking out my blog! Hope you come back next time!