Side Projects Archives - Page 2 of 6

Rust & Olive Branches

Ingrid Murray digital collage with textural and plant elements, black scribbles, and yellow, pink, and peacock drips.

I created this digital collage the same day as this one. Here, I pulled together images from last year’s trip to Tunisia (the olive branches at the bottom of the collage), a rusty sheet of metal, images of my own mixed media art, and part of an old family photo. I added some digital marks on top.

I’m still exploring the basics of digital media: what is possible? What process do I enjoy? What compositions feel right? I’m also wrestling with my preference to have digital pieces look analog, and the reality that it’s a different process (and outcome) altogether. More play is required, I suppose.

While I used Photoshop for this piece, I have loved using Pixlr as a quick substitute — it’s free, requires no sign-in, and has many of the same features. It’s also a great tool for editing photos more generally on the fly.

Looking Up

One great aspect of storing all my photos in Google Photos is the ability to search through years’ worth by keyword. It helps me notice what I pay attention to.

Here are the past few months of my life, as captured by photos of the sky.

Digital Collage: Grandma Cordie

I’ve been exploring digital collage, remixing my own art and photography into new creations. (I even did a recent collaboration with Max Devereaux.)

I still prefer analog collage: it’s a more intuitive process, and I enjoy the serendipity of using what I find on my desk. There is also nothing that can replace the process of touching and interacting with physical art; it’s a much more emotional medium for me.

Digital collage, though, allows me to play with composition, use text in new ways (I don’t like printing out exactly what I need or want for an analogue piece, preferring to communicate with my art and not dictate it), and even incorporate and manipulate photos that have significance, like this one of my great grandmother.

Max Devereaux Collab

In early August, artist and musician Max Devereaux reached out about doing a digital collaboration. We swapped some images, then played around to create new compositions. Here are the results!

I haven’t done a lot of digital work before, but was grateful for this opportunity to try something that pushed me into a space of learning and experimentation. It is, after all, only by exploring new materials, techniques, and pursuing new ideas that we grow.

You can see more of Max’s work — and other collaborations he’s done — here.

ICAD 2022

Here they are: all 61 index cards created over the past two months as part of the Index Card a Day (ICAD) project. I used the same materials as last year: 4×6″ index cards, collaged papers, acrylic paint and ink, tempura paint sticks, oil pastels, and various mark-making utensils. Visit my Instagram to see each card in more detail.

This project continues to challenge me, pushing me to focus on creating rather than judging or overthinking. And when you create consistently, with an emphasis on process over outcome and quantity over quality, magical things happen.

Read more about the ICAD daily challenge on Tammy Garcia’s website, and see some of my favorite 2021 cards here.