This week’s Art Journal Adventure prompt was “opposites”. I ran through a lot of ideas in my head before choosing to depict Night and Day as female figures. This was something I had tried before in my Rainbow Art Journal but I had not been satisfied with the result. This was an opportunity to revisit the subject and hopefully accomplish a better outcome. Whereas before I had worked across two pages, this time I confined the composition to a single page. To further enhance the concept of opposites, I placed the figures top to tail as I knew I had liked that composition when I used it in my most recent Red Riding Hood page.
To create a bit more visual interest to the page, I adhered some collage materials as a first layer and ensured that those still showed through subsequent layers in places. While the composition and colour scheme places the Night and Day figures in opposition to each other, I also wanted to connect them, because they are cyclical, so I drew their hair swirling into the sector of the other and had the metallic dots sweep across the diagonal dividing line in places.
A Pict in PA 
Wow. What a cool, creative approach, Laura. There are so many wonderful details in this painting. I love the way that you started with a collage and the specific postage stamps you selected were a really nice touch,
Thank you, Mike. My Grandad was a retired postman and stamp collector so any time I use stamps in a collage it makes me feel connected to him.
Fantastic composition! I am really collage-challenged, so I appreciate being able to see how you did yours. And the “connecting dots” are a grat touch.
Thanks, Ellie. I’m not great at collage either. I can do it as just a background, visual interest layer like this, but I can’t do properly curated, well-considered collage.
Very nice design! I like the yen-yang of it! Your use of the purple blue and the yellow (the contrasting colors) accent your design well! Keep up the good design work! Btw: of the two categories “design” or “collage technique” the former is the difficult one – a collage technique can be learned and developed over time simply by doing it often – whereas learning to construct a good design is the stuff art schools at university are made of. Part of the good design you’ve constructed here is the use of the text and the stamps… it calls to my mind an exchange of letters between pen pals. As a result of your design and your choices of elements for the collage-ness of it you have a visual narrative… Good job!! Have you looked at the artwork of Nick Bantock? If not he has books out that you can probably find in your local library – oh and this http://nickbantock.com/
Oh my goodness. I love that idea of the exchange of letters by pen pals. What a lovely interpretation. Thanks you. Yes, collage, like all things, requires more practice than I give it. It is in my long list of things to really try to hone and develop. I have not heard of Nick Bantock but I will check out the link. Thanks!
I can see why your recommended him to me. I am really drawn to that mail art. It’s glorious. Thanks for bringing him to my attention. He is going on my list for books to find in the library.
Been on my mind to tell you – since you like the art-prompt books too – that Bantock’s “The Trickster’s Hat” is a wonderful exercise in creativity book. It’s not likely to be in your library – his collage story-books are more popular and worth getting especially if you like mail art!).
Thanks. I’m going to write that down.
Like a playing card. I love it.
Thank you. You know, I’ve thought about designing a whole set of playing cards before by altering a deck but I’m pretty sure I’d get bored part way through.
Could be fun until it’s not, though??!!
True. And as a long term project, I could give myself long breaks.
Yes. Work on it when you feel like it. Usually when I do that I find one completed phase peps me up for just one more…
You really nailed this one! I love the shapes and the collage details.
Thank you so much.