So far my plans for smarter working this year are going well, and I’ve found a little time here and there for some creative play. I’m not entirely comfortable calling it ‘studio time’ because I don’t have a studio and also I’m not ‘an artist’ in the establishment sense of the word. Middle-aged woman tearing up paper in the spare bedroom doesn’t really sound all that engaging though.
I guess we are all artists, in our own way.
I’ve been working on (playing with) collaging the pages of an old 6″ x 8″ notebook, using my own painted papers. You learn how to do this in my Painted Collage Paper and Mark-Making course, by the way. A little self-promotion there from my Marketing Manager (that’s me).
I’m intending a celebration of winter in this sketchbook. If you’ve been with me a while, you’ll know it’s my favourite season, and January is my favourite month. It’s cold, it’s still dark, it’s grey, it’s quiet, and nothing much happens, and all of that suits me perfectly. And we’re half way through it already. It’s ok, I like spring too.
For now all I’ve done is cover the pages with printed/painted papers. I’ll go back in to each page with either more paint, mark-making, more collage, or some text.
I’m really enjoying the muted colour palette.
There is, however, a slightly perplexing problem. I appear to have developed contact dermatitis, but only this week, and only on my right hand. Since I’ve been handling paper with both hands, my prime suspect is the acrylic medium I’ve used to stick the papers down. It seems odd to suddenly develop an allergy to something you’ve been using for years, but I can’t think what else it could be. I’ll try some (biodegradable) gloves and see if that solves the problem.
Wearing gloves is probably sensible in any case when working with paints and inks.
It’s been a good few months since I made time for activities like this, and I realise how important and restorative it is. I’m being very strict about my working hours (no social media at weekends, no working beyond 5pm, and a weekly half-day for creative exploring).
So far so good. Wish me luck with the gloves!
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Absolutely, wishing you luck with the gloves – it’s exasperating to find oneself suddenly allergic to something that used to be ok!
It’s not a colour palette I would use, but I love what you’ve put together, the harmonious tones and the rhythm of the markmaking.
thanks so much Rachel, it’s a strange thing to suddenly have this problem. I do get very dry hands in the winter anyway but this is something else. Looking forward to working a little more on this sketchbook once I’m suitably decked out in the right PPE 😆
That’s excellent well done. I love the stuff you are doing!
)you send me emails already!) Thank you
thanks so much Amanda 🙂
You are an artist and life is your studio. Your work is beautiful!
Good luck with the gloves. They surely will help!
Susan💕
thanks so much Susan, I love that ❤️ And thank you, I have high hopes of gloves solving this little problem 🤞🏻
You are an artist in my opinion💙
Love those collage papers, and I’ve been told before that you can develop an allergy at any time from things you’re used to using. I hope the gloves workout.
thanks so much, Pam 💙
The whole sudden allergy thing seems very odd to me, but I think I’ve read something similar too. (Gloved) fingers crossed! 🙂
I love your pages, such beautiful colours and perfect for the season. Good luck with the gloves and I hope the dermatitis clears up.
thanks so much Lin 🤞🏻Looking forward to diving back in to this one
Karen, don’t use latex gloves if it’s an allergy.xxx
yikes, I hope I’m not allergic to the thing that’s supposed to resolve the allergy! What’s a girl to do? 😄 Thanks for the advice though; I’ll keep you posted 🤞🏻
PS (edit) – I just checked my order and they’re not latex after all
Thank you so much for posting more videos of your daily stitching. I love them! I also enjoy learning about your collage work. I am always pulled in more directions than there is time and find myself wanting to do many things with fabric, thread, and paper! I know you have your business which focuses you; but, I’m curious how you arrived there.
Best of luck with the gloves!
K
thanks so much Kay. I guess similar to you, wanting to try all the things: paper, fabric, thread, paint etc. Initially I did all that in my spare time but then I got tired of working in jobs I didn’t enjoy so took the leap of faith to see whether I could work for myself. It’s harder than working for someone else and it’s less pay, but so much more satisfying.
I have high hopes for gloved hands 🙂
Karen,
I love it all – the way you work, the collages, your generosity with explanations (learned so much from 2 courses!!), the way you look at photos and turn them with papers and fabrics to inspiring art. And I loved this – Middle-aged woman tearing up paper in the spare bedroom. Laughed a lot. Thank you.
ha, that’s all it is really 😆 but thank you, you’re very kind ❤️
Karen, in my book “ Middle-aged woman tearing up paper in the spare bedroom” translates directly into “Creative lady repurposing cellulose-based resistant materials in stimulating designated work space”.
You’re an artist!
Christine.
made me smile, thanks so much Christine ❤️
It sounds as if you are off to a great start with your 2026 plans. Keep up the good work!
yes! [raises a fist as triumphantly as a middle-aged British person can] It’s working so far and I’m sticking to it 🙂
Drat the Dermatitis! Hope the gloves solve the happy ‘playing’ time and enable you to continue. There’s never enough hours in the day as you move past ‘middle’ age. So it’s a matter of grabbing any time that’s available. Love seeing what you do and the inspiration that passes on to me.
Mary :))
Thanks so much, Mary. Sore hands are annoying for sure but hopefully easily rectified. I know what you mean though, never enough hours in the day! I’m sure days used to be longer when I was younger 😆
I laughed about the middle-aged woman tearing up paper in the spare bedroom – you’re the antithesis of what that image conjures up! I love the muted colours and tones in the winter sketchbook so far. Looking forward to seeing how it develops. I hope you get the dermatitis under control soon and importantly, find the cause.
ha, thanks so much Susie. I’m pretty sure it has to be the matt medium, but I guess I could be wrong. I may have a look at the various collage glue alternatives out there too. Looking forward to doing more in this sketchbook when I’ve got everything under control 🙂
Wonderful work, as always. I love winter too, because when it gets cold enough to snow all of my arthritis pains go away.
Sorry to hear about the allergy. I recently developed an allergy to the latex and nitrile gloves that the doctors are using. Produces blisters that look like burn blisters. I’ve also had an adhesive allergy for years, so check your glue.
This year I am going to try and finish some of my needlework and EPP. I have a bad habit of putting projects down several days before they are finished and moving on to another one. Ij also have a bridge for sale. LOL!!!
Thanks so much Doris 🥰 Interesting about the cold weather and arthritis… I broke a bone (that pesky right hand again!) a few years ago and it aches more when it’s cold. I still love it though, I wish it could be winter all year. I should probably move to Norway 🙂
I sincerely hope I’m not allergic to the gloves on top of everything else! I’ve got the nitrile ones as I’d heard latex can cause problems for some people. Suspect number one is the matt medium so I’ll investigate some of the alternatives.
Good luck with finishing the stitching and EPP. And good luck with selling the bridge too…
Yamato Rice Paste in a green plastic squeeze tube or their Nori paste in a jar is kind of nice to work with when you are doing collage. That may be less aggravating. When you are exposed to something frequently over a long time, you can develop rashes. Take it from someone whose whole family has sensitive skin. But you can also use scrap paper to make little folded tabs to drop your paper into place and a credit card, roller, or squeegee to flatten it down. (A chunky stencil brush if it’s going on a lumpy surface.) Hope this isn’t ‘too much information!’
thanks so much, that’s really helpful. Funnily enough I’ve just been investigating the Japanese-type pastes this morning, thinking they might be a bit more ecologically sound than acrylic. I’ll use up what I’ve got and then change to something else, I think.
It’s always a joy to see what you’re doing, Karen. Oh, that you might feel as if you aren’t a “true” artist is amusing. You most certainly are plus so generous and gracious in sharing and teaching. I hope any physical ailments are soon a thing of the past. Enjoy these winter days! I’m rejoicing that I see the first signs of spring on the coast of Northern California. 💕
thanks so much Stephanie, funny really that we can’t see ourselves as others do 🙂 I have as much of an imposter complex as anyone else but I do enjoy myself when I get the time to explore. After only one day of gloves my hands are already a lot better so I think this can be filed under problem solved. So lovely to see the first signs of spring, we have the tiniest tips of crocuses poking out through the soil here 🌱
Good luck. And you can develop an allergy at any time. Something “triggers” a change to make your immune system go bonkers and there you are! Gloves do sound like a great solution!
thanks so much Ruth, it really is strange how these things come from nowhere for no apparent reason. But gloves – so far – seem to be helping a lot so hopefully this is the answer 🤞🏻
Lovely moody pages for your book. Thanks for sharing 😌
thanks Annie, had an enjoyable few hours doing this 🙂
I love the collages pages! Hope the gloves prove to be e a remedy.
Thanks for the fun sharing.
Janice
thanks so much, Janice. Gloves seem to have completely solved the problem 🤗 Relieved!