Illustration Friday: Modify -

"Modify"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... too long in the snout,
too much dip in the hip,
a tall middle reaching for sky,
too drab all about,
too much drip, too much slip,
a small fiddle fix? modify ..."

NEW from The Birdhouse Series -

"Birdhouse XVII"
digitally manipulated fractal flame collage by Mick Mather

I haven't posted much from this series in a while. While working on one of the new pieces to be included in the upcoming Disintegration Collaboration Project reveal on August 1st, it occurred to me that I ought to put this one up. In addition, I dedicate this one to Lisa Sarsfield.

At the eleventh hour, I've decide to add this to Thursday Challenge, theme this week is earth, even though it's not a photograph.

I'm in love -

"Stimulus Package II (Big Blue Frog Version)"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... The neighbors are against it and it's clear to me
And it's prob'ly clear to you
They think value on their property will go right down
If the family next door is blue ..."
- Peter, Paul & Mary

Along the shore -

"The Lifeguard"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... I wanna be a lifeguard ..."
- Blotto

NEW from The Mister Existence Series -

"Sister Existence Revels in the Deep Shade"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I've been playing around with a new set of plug-ins while working in an old way of digital cut and pasting before running everything through the Secret Visual Laboratory. Can't stay to chat, lot's of work to do.

Disintegration Colaboration -

"Stimulus Package II (Circle I)"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

It's high time for me to get back to work on the next step in Seth Apter's Disintegration Collaboration project. The reveal is due on August 1st and a series of digital photographs of what remained of my original piece needs attention. So, back to the drawing table.

Dots, fingerprints and squares -

"Chuck Close's Ride"
digital collage by Mick Mather

“Part of the joy of looking at art is getting in sync in some ways with the decision-making process that the artist used and the record that's embedded in the work.” - Chuck Close

Illustration Friday: Idle -

"Idle Talk"
digital collage by Mick Mather

“Nudge nudge, know what I mean, say no more.”
- Eric Idle

Buried Treasure II -

"Fierce"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Here we are at part deux of Seth Apter's project, Buried Treasure. The piece you see here was originally posted last year, in June 2008, along with an alternate version at No Matter What Shape-The Archive. Another bit of good fortune shows that hot is this week's Thursday Challenge theme so, once again, I have the opportunity to double down.

Return when empty -

"Reporting Marks"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... one stretch of track was so crooked
we met ourselves coming back ..."
- Unknown

NEW from The Trinity Series -

"Trinity #19 - Jones Road Readymade"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

Here's another readymade from The Trinity Series. Since I have more than one proposal to assemble and submit for calls requesting works of public art, do forgive the hit and run posts this week.

Location, location, location -

"In A Favored Place"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see ..."
- Henry David Thoreau

NEW from The Mister Existence Series -

"The Dog Walking Mister Existence I"
relief print by Mick Mather
- click on image to view full size -

While preparing a short foray into my old method of working - block-relief printmaking - I turned up this embossed styrofoam print while doing the research. What's that? Since you ask, it's a simple drawing on a piece of styrofoam so the pencil embosses (leaves a groove) the material. After inking the surface and laying it to paper, you get a print as seen here. Almost any kind will work and I've often used the lids to those containers restaurants give to carry home leftovers. A relatively simple and fun way to enjoy printmaking, especially with children.

A seaside secret -

"Mystery of the English Cove"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... a relatively benign-looking bay seemed an odd backdrop for the abandoned vehicle. The famous brothers could smell more than the clean, salt air as they began taking notes and searching for clues. For instance, why was this stretch of Long Island dunes known as English Cove? ... "

Unearthing one more treasure -

"The Tango Judges II"
digital collage by Mick Mather

A stroke of luck this week at Illustration Friday. I just happened to have an old piece dedicated to that same theme, tango, and I'm now able to finish the work week with one more image befitting Seth Apter's project, Buried Treasure.

Buried Treasure -

"The Electric Chair II"

digital collage by Mick Mather

The original version of this piece was first posted a month shy of 2½ years ago. I also seek to serve two masters with the updated version seen here; one for Seth Apter's project, Buried Treasure and the other for this week's Thursday Challenge theme, power. I have to admit, it's been a blast looking back at the old work and adding to a few of them. Seth, this was fun!

Further back -

"Peanut Butter Cup"

tempera-on-paper by Mick Mather

One of my own personal favorites from a series of small paintings I did more than a few years ago. I've sold a few of the others that were painted around the same time as this one. Anyway, one more oldie before the "Buried Treasure" post tomorrow.

Still looking back -

"Empty II"
digital collage by Mick Mather

As I mentioned yesterday, I'll continue to post old work through Thursday. I took the liberty of expanding this piece that was accomplished during a period when I often used text with my images. Each was a short, short, short story or vignette ... this is one of my favorites.

Buried Treasure -

"The Chairs Journal #19"
erasercut & collage by Mick Mather

Those of you who already know about Seth Apter and his fine blog, The Altered Page, will already be aware of his new project, Buried Treasure. The basic premise is "digging deep to uncover some hidden gems". The big posting day is this coming Thursday, July 16th and I've been scouring the old back-up files for something ... the trouble you ask? I've got too much stuff from which to choose! I may, therefore, post something from the archives all week. Check it out and send Seth an email if you wish to do likewise.

On the beach -

"Tangerine Bikini"
digital collage by Mick Mather

“... My life is like a stroll on the beach...
as near to the edge as I can go ...”
- Henry David Thoreau

Spindle and fold -

"A Failed Origami Elephant"
fractal flame by Mick Mather

“In the divine Scriptures, there are shallows and there are deeps;

shallows where the lamb may wade,

and deeps where the elephant may swim”

- John Owens

Illustration Friday: Hollow -

"Lonesome Dove Surveying the Hollow"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

I went way back in the photo archives to get today's image for Illustration Friday and the theme of hollow. This little hole in the wood was always a rewarding view and all I had to do was look out the window. I miss that place.

NEW from The Selfportrait Series -

"Selfportrait of the Artist Admiring 'Celebration' on Hockney's Birthday"
digital collage by Mick Mather
- "Celebration", 1991, diptych by David Hockney -

This week's Thursday Challenge theme is celebration. Since today is David Hockney's birthday I thought about doing another piece for The Selfportrait Series that would include his diptych titled "Celebration". Alright then, let's all have a piece of cake and go sit by the pool, shall we?

Where and when -

"Moonlight Swim"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... You came to me one summer night,
and from your beam you made my dream,
And from the world you sent my girl,
and from above you sent us love ..."
- The Beatles

Made for each other -

"The Harlequin's Wife"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... jugglers and impostors do daily delude them ..."
- Sir Thomas Browne

Weeding time -

"A Strange Little Garden"
manipulated digital drawing by Mick Mather

"A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Odd jobs -

"The Rainmaker"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

"... from the north, crossing a failed field of dusty stubble,
came the rainmaker, making his way to a croppers' shack ..."

Ain't No Cane on the Brazos -

"Crow and Snake"
manipulated fractal & digital drawing by Mick Mather

It's been a long time since I watched a pair of crows dispatch a black snake but that image has always stuck with me. The other day, as I was fiddling around with an old fractal in one of my digital drawing programs, this piece popped out. I was also thinking that "Crow and Snake" would be a great name for a new brand of virgin rum and, voila! Here's the label art. Question: is there any interest in seeing me complete the label? Okay, I'll settle for a toast to Independence Day instead.

Happy Birthday America

Illustration Friday: Shaky -

"Shaky"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... Min was feeling square, out of sorts, shaky ..."

NEW from The Selfportrait Series -

"Selfportrait of the Artist as Poppa"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather
- photograph taken by Leighlund Ruth Vincett -

It's always an adventure when I get to share my art activities with both of my beautiful granddaughters, Leighlund and Paige. Today's post is inspired by this week's Thursday Challenge theme, male, and a fortuitous photograph that Leighlund took (using my Kodak Z740) during the documentation of Lieghlund's Cairn I. There's also a second piece, Leighlund's Cairn II, that has never been posted - it's waiting for one of my land art books if the girls and I can complete another dozen works. As luck would have it, double duty means this can also serve as part of The Selfportrait Series ... who knew?

NEW from The Mister Existence Series -

"Sister Existence Realigns Divergent Parallel Universes"
digitally manipulated collage & digital drawing by Mick Mather

Once again I was puttering around in the secret visual laboratory with a number of new ideas that have been spinning 'round in my head. Pretty soon a digital drawing was created, layered over a digital collage and sent through the super secret array another time. By now my wild imagination is off into the field of quantum mechanics, parallel universes, Hugh Everett's relative state formulation and that darned cat ... Schroedinger's to be clear. Anyway, our good sister, convinced that she alone is the unifying center, is busy with realignment.