THE YEAR 2020 Can't End Fast Enough!

 

The Year 2020 - Curious Things Stamp Sheet

The early part of 2020 was quite enjoyable when we were oblivious of the Covid pandemic and we could still travel. Some good days related to our exhibition of mail art - gleaned from our archives - shown at the Manchester Metropolitan University special collections gallery.  It was supposed to finish on the 3rd April but was closed early during the first lockdown. It's been there ever since and apparently will be on for most of 2021. Sadly only seen by staff and students who book in advance. We had a great meet up with John Held from the USA who came to do a talk about mail art which included a rubber stamp "workshop" with students and visiting artists from around the country.  I made a stamp sheet for that day to pass around and this collage reflects that community spirit  of collaboration and fun.
 

A Weird Collage for a Weird year.

“Another thing that got forgotten was the fact that against all probability a sperm whale had suddenly been called into existence several miles above the surface of an alien planet.

And since this is not a naturally tenable position for a whale, this poor innocent creature had very little time to come to terms with its identity as a whale before it then had to come to terms with not being a whale any more.

This is a complete record of its thoughts from the moment it began its life till the moment it ended it.

Ah … ! What’s happening? it thought.
Er, excuse me, who am I?
Hello?
Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life?
What do I mean by who am I?..

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371724/characters/nm0047155

The Year 2020 - Year Of The Plague

 

The Year 2020: Zoomy Toons Goes Live

Theme for next 2 weeks: The Year 2020

It's a busy time for all of us these next couple of weeks. So, if everyone’s ok - I’ve made 2020 the theme to cover both 24th and 31st. Any aspect of this past year welcome - a year like no other. I'll continue the themes in January.

A very different Festive Season (to say the least) from the usual but wishing everyone and their families,

A Very Merry Christmas & A Happy Healthy New Year! #StaySafe

Here's a little seasonal ditty from The Fabs to end. Ron :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB7LX8mRRHM

Christmas: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree!

Bit of a seasonal collaboration here. Some of my doodles with thanks to son Johnny for the tree, snowman & logo.

Happy Christmas One & All!

Merry Fishmas!

 Another from the archives ! 

CHRISTMAS: Christmas Cards for Children

 I've had this cute (empty) box for years. Time to collage it for this theme!

HAPPY HEALTHY HOLIDAYS to ALL!!

Christmas: Half-Price Christmas

From the Archives

Father Xmas has a new suit.

 

Christmas - Black Sheep

One from the archives.

 

 Baa baa black sheep have you any crackers?
Only those down in the anderson shelter
We have been saving up all our metal pots and pans
To make pile them up in the furnace smelter

One for the master and one for the dame
And one for the rag and bone man
Down Oil Drum Lane.
 

Theme: Christmas

Nice to see the Festive Kollage Kit banner Michael. It's that time again, at the end of a year to remember or forget. All things Yule, Jolly, Merrie Olde Time or Topical welcome as well as Scroogey or Grinchey! - Ron

GREEN & RED: Artworks Owned by the Rich & Famous

 

Assemblage of Red and Green from the Xmas cupboard.

 

Green and Red - The Velvet Underground

 

red-&-green: Frankenstein's red and green dream

GREEN & RED: "The Lair of the Painted Turtle"

 

Green and Red - Daily Doodle

 A page from the current sketchbook that I have been trying to add to every day. Mostly drawings but sometimes the occasional collage. 

Red and Green - Green Collectors

 One from the archives.

Theme: Red & Green

...should never be seen together some say but we'll make an exception for Kollage Kit. Red and green to feature somewhere this week. Time to STOP, now I'll GO. Ron :)

Alternate Film Poster: Forrest Gump (1994)

ALTERNATE FILM POSTER: "UNDERWATER!"

 Along with his partner, Dominic (Gilbert Roland), and his lovely wife, Theresa (Jane Russell), intrepid treasure hunter Johnny Gray (Richard Egan) embarks on a quest for sunken treasure in the Caribbean.

 1955 film.

(That's a plesiosaur, they were about 50 feet long and lived in the sea.)

Alternate Film Poster - Modern Times

 

Alternate Film Poster - The Cake Cut

 Rather distracted by Sky Arts documentaries, films and the snooker championships to do much collaging but one is in progress.  This one in the meantime is from a few years back - a chopped up version of "The Black Cat"  , a creaky B picture starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.

ALTERNATE MOVIE POSTER: "The Iron Petticoat"

 Captain Vinka Kovelenko (Katharine Hepburn), of the Russian Air Force, angered at being passed over for military awards, flies a MIG to an American base in Germany. Flier Chuck Lockwood (Bob Hope) is assigned to convert her to democracy but she tries, simultaneously, to show him the advantages of communism. They go to London where she succumbs to the fleshpots of capitalism and soon abandons her uniform for frilly feminine things, drinks champagne and vodka, and ends up falling in love. Alerted to the situation, the Russian Embassy arranges to have her kidnapped and take her back to Moscow.

That is Kovelenko from the movie! The Bob Hope I found was holding an academy award, but I switched it out to a bottle of vodka.

Little Shop of Horrors

 

Theme: Alternate Movie Poster

'Tis the season to watch more movies, and starting off December with your alternative collage take on a favourite film. So, Scissors, Glue & Action... (maybe some paper & popcorn in there too!) - Ron

ART IN THE DESERT AND THE GREAT BEYOND -- Orbiting Space Sculpture

 

art-in-the-desert: Henry Moore's Family Group Road Trip

Art In The Desert - Desert Performance

 One from the archives.

TITLE: ART in the DESERT -- Chess Pieces by Man Ray (1890-1976)

 

Setting up a Lamp Exhibition in a quarry

 

Desert Sculpture - Teetering Piles

 This one from the archives cames to mind when I saw the title of the theme for this week!

THEME: Art in the Desert OR anywhere remote where you would never expect to stumble upon a work of art!

Inspired by the 3-sided, 10-12 foot tall, steel monolith recently discovered in Red Rock County, S.E. Utah Desert.

If you haven't heard, read the story here:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/24/monolith-utah-theories-what-is-it-mystery

BY THE WAY...this is the last theme I am picking for awhile and Ron has graciously accepted my invitation to carry the torch!

SONG TITLE: "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"

 

From the archives, for a different theme, but I thought I'd post it again.

SONG TITLE: "Be Careful, It's My Heart" by Irving Berlin

I like to combine works of art. In this collage:

"The House with Cracked Walls" 1892-94 by Paul Cezanne, 

"Madonna of the Sun" circa 1910 by Arthur B. Davies

 and the top-hatted gent is from "Camille Monet on a Garden Bench" 1873 by Claude Monet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK7rz535Rc0

Song Title: It's Getting Light Outside

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsFaxGrhMyo

A favourite track of mine by Clearlake. Title maybe sums up our hopes for the coming months.

Song Choice “Weapon of Choice”

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wCDIYvFmgW8&list=RDMMwCDIYvFmgW8&index=1

SONG TITLE: "I've Just Seen a Face"

 The central figure "the face" is an actual oversize photo-booth photograph that I cut out of the square format it was in, curtains behind her. I've looked at her face for a long time (she was sitting on my worktable, smiling at me in that Mona Lisa kinda way). The gent is from a DOVER book of Victorian portraits. He seems a smitten dandy sort.

SONG TITLE - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens (Louis Jordan & His Timpany Five )

 Hear the original 1946 hit HERE.

Bigger&Better: Putting the finishing touches to Mr Howard Keel's statue.

Still playing catch-up with last week's theme.

THEME: ILLUSTRATE a SONG TITLE via COLLAGE!

There are over 97 million songs in existence (and counting). Have FUN finding ONE and let's see what it means to YOU! (Or you could find TWO...)

Bigger and Better were not in Tommy's vocabulary...

 ...but BIGGEST and BEST were!

By the way, that is Tom Collins, a champion figure skater and former skater in Holiday on Ice. Collins organized an exhibition tour of the United States with world champion skaters in 1969. It was the forerunner of Champions on Ice, which became known to people in the sport as "Tommy's Tour."

As a travelling salesman, Marvin had to be a step AHEAD with BIGGER and BETTER ideas to close a deal

 

Bigger and Better...the chocolate pile can never be too large!

 

Bigger and Better - Big Cat

 

Bigger and Better - Big Fish

 

THEME: Bigger and Better

 Whatever that could mean! Have fun.

CELEBRATE: Deep Sea Party!!

 Complete with chocolate sponge cake!

CELEBRATE! with a Pancake Party

All Aboard the Party Train!

Let's Have A Party!

 

Let's Have A Party!

 From the archive.

Gerald always attracted the birds at any party he frequented.

 

THEME: PARTY PARTY PARTY -- Looks like a CELEBRATION to me!

 

Before the unveiling ... what monsters lie beneath?

 

More Exquisite Corpse's With Hazel Jones - November 2020