Sun Prairie WRAP Show Demo

Portrait drawing has been collaged onto the background.
The next step will be to develop the hat and bodice, 
and blend the figure with the background.

Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) exhibits always culminate with a Workshop Day consisting of a morning workshop and an afternoon critique by the show judge of the artwork that was given awards - 1/3 of the entries receive "State Awards" and move on to an annual State exhibit in Madison in September.

I was given the opportunity to be the morning workshop presenter at the Sun Prairie WRAP Workshop Day on Nov 2nd. Many workshop leaders present a retrospective of their work, but I was asked to do a demo of my mixed media collage techniques, specifically how I create the backgrounds for my figurative collage pieces.

The Sun Prairie WRAP show is large with about 45-50 participants, mostly painters. What a great group they were! Lots of interest in what I was doing, even though it was quite different from what they do. Lots of questions and dialog. A truly enjoyable morning.

I showed how to do a mixed media background with layers of collage materials and paint, using stamps and stencils for pattern. I then talked about how I "find" an image in the chaos of the background and add one of my portrait drawings (well actually, a scanned copy of a drawing).

In the sample at the top above, the figure has been added but not yet enhanced or incorporated into the background. There is a clear suggestion of a hat and a bodice in the background pattern. These will be enhanced and the figure will be blended into the background.

Below is a sample layered mixed media background. There is just a slight hint of where a portrait could go with a top hat and a bodice. The next image shows the same background with the portrait in place and the hat and bodice outlined.