The Birth of Collage Your World

Michelle Casey, “In Memoriam: Elizabeth Wortman”, 6 x 8.5 inches, Collage/Mixed Media Journal Page, January 2010. Women like my neighbour, “Bessie” Wortman, made me realize the importance of following my dreams. See below for text of this journal page.

Lately I’ve been reminiscing about the day I came up with the name for […]

Collage Tip #14: Incorporating Quotes into Your Collages

There’s No Right or Wrong Way to Collage a Quote…

I thought I’d end my writing series (for now) with another fun tip for integrating words into your collage and mixed media pieces. We’re not all great writers and thinkers so it’s a good thing there are plenty of wonderful quotes out there that […]

Everything Old is New Again: Re-inventing Stories to Collage

Since time immemorial, story tellers have been taking old stories and making them new again. Walt Disney after all was not the first man to relay the tale of Cinderella – its origins are centuries old and it has been re-crafted by many cultures around the world. You can use this same exciting tactic […]

My Father’s Hands: Writing, Collaging, Commemorating

Practicing what I preach, I thought it might be cool to share a minimally edited excerpt of one of my creative writing journal exercises of 2005 with you and reveal how some of its iconography and memories manifested itself in a visual journal page I created in 2010. That April day the writing prompt […]

How Writing Can Inspire Your Collaging

So, some of you more timid souls might have gotten out your pens and markers and went about writing on your collages as I encouraged last week. If so, I applaud you. Perhaps, however, you’re still feeling frustrated. Maybe the words aren’t flowing out as smoothly as you’d like them to. In order to […]

Conquering Your Fears of Adding Text to Collage

Recently I was asked to give some further advice on adding text to collage. The person inquiring feared that adding words to their beautiful pieces might potentially ruin them if they did the wrong thing. Having been there myself, I could really relate to their apprehension. As a result, I’ve decided, for the next few […]

Finding a Sense of Purpose

Its funny how every so often when I’m feeling depressed about choosing the artist’s life, the universe seems to give me a sign that my struggles are not in vain. Here’s a great example of one such experience…

Last week I was sitting at Tim Horton’s having a coffee feeling very miserable. I’d been […]

Anne’s Vision Board: Words to Live By

My first few email discussions with Anne B. led to a flurry of misunderstandings on my part. When she described herself as a retired, single woman needing to build a positive outlook in her life, I envisioned a little old lady stuck at home alone (even though I should know by now that 60 […]

Student Spotlight: Sarah’s Vision Board Magic

Sarah Bentley, Vision Board, Collage, 16 x 20 inches, April 2011

Would you believe with a little help from her Mom, my friend Maggie Jordan and a psychic, that Sarah Bentley found her way to my workshop?! Well, it’s true… read on for the intriguing way her vision board story unfolds…

Book Review: Boosting Your Creative Brain Powers!

There’s a popular myth out there that states only some of us have the “natural” ability to be creative. My Aunt always laments that her daughter doesn’t have a “natural” talent for making art like me; this never fails to irk me. I firmly believe that although we may not have all […]