Collage-a-Day for a Year Project Day 1

As a recent graduate from Northern Illinois University with a BFA in Printmaking, it has been very nice to not have the pressure of school. However, that pressure is good for completing projects! And I really miss the community of serious artists always admiring and encouraging everyone's work.

Since I do not have a fully functioning studio, YET!, I decided to still create art, everyday, for a full year. It sounds daunting but so far it has been fun and interesting. I decided to do a collage every day.

The medium and project was inspired by two people: Noah Scalin who started his own daily project and made a skull-a-day for a year and posted it online everyday. You can check his work and blog out and he has a fun book out too. A local artist who I have met in Rockford, IL is Jennifer Mullin. She is a collage artist and is a local art teacher. You can check her work out on Etsy

So far I have done 26 days worth of collages. I've made limits to keep it under control so here is my criteria:
- Collage on one piece of one page of an early 1900s medical dictionary
- I love using the black and white images from old almanacs and dictionaries, but I don't have to use them if I don't want to
- Use gouache if I want to
- Must be made in one day. If need be, can let dry overnight in order to finish it properly
- I press the collage under lots of heavy books to keep them flat
- Eventually incorporate small prints collaged or printed right on the medical dictionary page

Some that I've finished, I want to go back and add just a tiny bit because it really needs something, otherwise it looks like a failure or I just didn't care, which is probably what I was feeling that day. It is difficult to stay motivated sometimes! Some of my collages I really like, some I don't. I plan on doing a full year's worth and have an exhibit in the local area - but one day at a time here!

I will try to start posting them everyday but I need to back up 20-some days so here is Day 1 = February 16th, 2011:

I really didn't know what I was doing - I don't like the composition, I don't like the gouache, I really don't like this one at all. But you can't succeed without failing! Tomorrow I'll post the next one. (CLICK to see bigger!)

 Here's also a video on Noah Scalin - They didn't record the presentation from the Etsy Symposium
Video of Noah Scalin at Gel 2009 - Gel Videos

Click image to enlarge and zoom for details!

DAY 1 - 2/16/11 - "Above Us"