Altered Papers

So today I got out on my flea market purchases, and thought I would at least make a couple of small collages. Wrong. I thought they needed a little marking up, so I started spraying, painting, sponging and in general messing with them. People always ask me how I do a certain portion of a painting, and sometimes I cannot remember. Sometimes I think they feel I am being evasive, but truly, once I get into the zone, I just start making shit up and I don't record it for posterity. I couldn't tell you everything I did today, but I tried to take pictures, even though I lost my phone at some point under the papers! This is so much fun, I complet

ely lost track of time- which is s good sign..! I feel like I could do this forever, but I suppose at some point I would want to try and assemble them. And that is the next task. But for today-a lot of fun was had marring up an Encyclopedia Britannica from 1911, poetical works, and the "Secretary’s Desk Book" from 1933, which cracked me up with everything included that they considered imperative for a secretary to know....  

Here's some of the ways in which I "altered" the papers I collected..........          

I pulled out some stencils I had forgot about to get me going ...   

Then pulled out my new favorite- walnut ink!!  Gorgeous sepia tone I couldn't get enough of....

 

Picked up the excess...

Then, feeling on a roll, pulled out even more potential papers.  

These are prints that I made that didn't make the cut for various reasons- but are on gorgeous printmaking papers and still have portions that are printed well...-so- lets muck em up! 

Start out with some subtle pan pastel...

Sprayed ink...

and walnut inks! 

What the hell- lets throw some acrylic ink on there...

OK, maybe too much...

Use another print to pick up the excess....

and an encyclopedia page as well (apparently I overdid it!)

Then- I had bought some marbled paper that I just loved the pattern of- but just wasn't my color palette exactly- so- put on another layer on them as well! (or 3...)

Little too much- so- lets transfer it to another (a monoprint by some standards- I think not so much...)

                               

OK- not much room left!! better give it up for the night...