Tiny Cells Secrets

I am a tiny person who likes tiny things and this is the first of my Tiny Cells series.

When I saw Charlotte Lyons What's Left Collages in Cloth Paper Scissors (Nov/Dec '07, pg 18) I was ecstatic to see that someone else was working in tiny spaces with minute pieces of found and salvaged items.

I don't know why it is that sometimes we have to see someone else doing it before we release a particular facet of our creative personna. Nowadays there are so many artists releasing so many new creative techniques and projects that none of us need feel that our persistant ideas will not be accepted, admired and respected, first by ourselves, then by others.

One of my favorite books, and a staple reference over the years, has been Paper Quilting in which the artist shows how she divides her work surface into various-sized grids. These are embellished with naturals, i.e., botanicals, buttons and stitching. Her small, divided spaces spoke to my spirit. I also get shivers of anticipation when I think about tag art and ATC's, other small spaces on which to create.

Over the years as I worked on a project, I often found myself focusing on one corner or small space within the project, enhancing and embellishing until I almost lost track of the overall dimensions. I would also save and reach for tiny pieces of salvaged, leftover and saved media, often chiding myself for being obsessed and working with stuff that was too small. Afterall, what good would it do if I worked smaller and smaller, until I needed a microscope? Lol.

I have also completed another Tiny Cells project: Dress Shop. Hope to upload a pic soon.

Keep creating and looking for the beauty around you.