The 'Winter' Series

I have had three exhibits of the 'Winter' series of postcards in the past year+.  

In December, 2011 the panels, as well as 13 single collages, were on display at the the Emile A. Gruppé Gallery - http://www.emilegruppegallery.com/ - in Jericho Center, VT. 

In January, 2013, the panels were on display at Studio Place Arts, in Barre, VT. http://www.studioplacearts.com/

And now, just as I'm about to take down the last showing of the season from the walls of Toscano's Cafe - http://toscanocafe.com/ - where they've been on display since February! - I decided I should give the series some blog coverage!

This 'sampler' panel is composed of all the 'Winter' postcards, plus a few seasonal ones* that were not a part of the series:

                 

This is the story: In 1991, I made the first postcards in the 'Winter' series: 

Maybe 40 or 50 of them that year.   I chose postcards because they were an economical way to reach as many people I as I could, during the holiday season.

And in order to produce as many of these cards as I would need each year, I cut out, tore, and sometimes stamped, many multiples of all the elements that went in to each year's composition. 

Then, in 2009, during the production process, as I was gazing down on a table covered with 40 or 50 of “Winter XVI”:

I was struck by how effective and pleasing this collection of repetitive images was.**    

And thus was born the inspiration for this display of 19 'Winter' postcard panels – panels composed of multiple cards from each year.

And, since over the years, I had become aware that several people had been collecting my cards, I knew that there was a good chance that I could realize this vision!

What happened next was that Winter XVI's postcards were all sent out in envelopes that year, with an enclosed letter proposing the project, and asking any of the many postcards recipients over the years if they'd like to contribute any of the cards they might have saved.

And saved they were!!  I gathered back 292! of these 'Winter' cards, from the collections of MANY wonderful friends and family!   

Here are the individual cards and their resulting panel compositions.

Winter II, 1993

Winter III, 1994 

I tried to compose with efficiency in mind:  the 'snowflakes' in the sky above the cabin (below)were created by dipping (some of) the tips of a hairbrush (one of those plastic-pronged ones) in white paint, and 'stamping' each card, just once.  This also made for very orderly 'snowflakes' – a graphic result that I liked:

 Winter IV, 1996 

 Winter III, 1994 & Winter IV, 1996

I found this cat paper punch:

and then touched up the black cat with the whiskers, white tips and tuxedo that our beloved young (at the time) cat, Sisko*** sported.

Winter V, 1997 

 Everyone loves the kitties!

Winter VI, 1998

 Winter VII, 1999 - introducing sheet music!  

Which I've since been incorporating into MANY collages!

This panel makes me think of a Japanese Obi.

 Winter VIII, 2000 - This is another crowd pleaser!  

I was working for an international forestry certification non-profit 

(based in Richmond, VT, of all places!) when I did this one - trees trees trees. 

Winter IX, 2001

I'm very fond of Winter IX, and have sort of incorporated this and Winter VIII in these compositions:

Wall hanging, 2011, 5'x7' - this hangs on the wall of my mother's apartment.

This was my submission to Burlington City Art's 2012 (Facebook)
Vermont Postcard Design Contest:

And this one (2011) is actually cut down from a larger one I did on poster board - 
it warped from my wet glue!   So I salvaged this less-warped section:

Winter X, 2002

This panel was the one I used for the promo postcards for the 2011 show 

at the Emile A. Gruppé Gallery:

And then, 2003, there was 'Crossroads'!  A lot was turning in our lives in 2003!  Mule retired after 30 years at IBM; we got married after living together for 10 years.  And, it was my last year before turning 50...

I made 2 versions of 'Crossroads': 

There is this one, of which I only made 4, one of which I mailed to my friend, Meg - 

so...  I call it "Meg's":  

This panel of the (only) 4 cards is included in the 'Winter" show:

But this 'Crossroads' - inspired by my view of the trees and vines (across the road) 

from my customary living room perch - is the version that I ended up sending out as 

2003's 'Winter' card:

Center collage (2011) that I made just for the panel composition:

The next year, I decided to switch from 'portrait' to 'landscape' orientation.

Winter XI, 2004 (see the kitties??!  lower r., beneath the 'birches')

 Winter XII, 2005 - Debut of WASPS NEST as 'mountains'!!  
I love this abstract one - it's one of the 5 designs that I currently have as printed postcards - but it's not one of my more popular ones!

I had made another prototype for Winter XII's card, but it really did not seem very wintery.  I still like it, and included it in the 'sampler' panel:

 Winter XIII, 2006 - first use of rubber stamps!

 

 Winter XIV, 2007

This looked so impressive on the Studio Place Arts wall it had to itself! 

 My favorite instigator, Jen.

Winter XV, 2008 - a quiet abstract: 

I don't have a photo of just this panel, but here are 2 from 2 different 'Winter' shows!

Biker bitches - Joann, Kathy & Alora (biker/collagist!) at the 2011 Gruppé opening; 

  on the SPA wall, 2013:

So now you've seen all but the last...
Winter XVII, 2010

 A panel of 65!!

'Winter' postcard panels were made possible thanks to the collections loaned from the following:

Emilie & Stuart Alexander; Jessica  Alexander; Susan Alexander & Kirk Lord; Gordon Baker; Joan & Walter Barndt; Bob & Mary-Dana Bentley; Gary & Ruth Blodgett; David Boedy; Paula Burkholder; Ron Burns; Thomas & Ann Busby; Dan & Kathy Couillard; Roland & Cindy Campagna; Pam Cummings & George Rice; Debbie Dattilio; Jen Dole; Paula Dowen; Dunkling & Penney; Stacey Ladd; Erin Farrell; Robin Fawcett; Ward & Nancy Fitch; Joyce & Ted Flanagan; Wendy Gibson; Steve & Alora Goodkind; Anne & Bob Goudreau; Leslie Grove & Allan Viges; Marianne & John Hammond; Margaret Harmon; Cynthia & Louis Haviland; Connie & Dick Hayes; Rory Hayes; Eric Herrmann; Terry & Andrea Hooks; Jericho Center Library; Dean & Judy Jones; Al & Cindy King; Penny Klein; Laughing Bear; Susi Letourneau; Marcia & Jake Levison; Karen Lorenz; Nancee Mae; Susannah Magee & Scott McGrath; Brian Martin; Elaine & Paul Manghi; Bob & Deborah Messing; Sue & Wally Mick; Andrea Mills; Linda Mirabile; Pat Myette; Grace Nelson; Junko & Bill Newman; Sue & Gene O’Neill; Erika & Tom Reynolds; Jaquelyn Reike & B.O.B. Wolk; Kate Reininger  & Jerome Mendocino; Maddie Ruth; Neale Schuman; Kasha Samuelson; Patty Shortsleeves; Elizabeth & Peter Skinner-Sloan; Valla Ree Slayton; SmartWood; Pete & Andrea Sparhawk; Yves Thellend; Leroy & Sue Turner; Janet Van Fleet & R.D. Eno; Joanne Vecchiola & Bill Blakeney; Barb & Justin Willis; Meg Willis; Rick Winston & Andrea Serota; Peter Wolf

*These are the other 2 wintery collages that are included in the 'sampler', but not actually a part of the 'Winter' series:

March's Postcard of the Month, 2012:

 January''s Postcard of the Month, 2013:

**Even though multiples of this year's card instigated this whole project, this panel is actually my least favorite.  And, during the Studio Place Arts show, (here it is, in it's own little hall space)

vibrations from road construction caused it to fall off the wall!  But the glass didn't break!  Not THEN.  It did break, however, as it was being carried to the car, as we dismantled the show!

*** Sisko (1995-2009), pastel, 2010