ACEO #9 in "Paisley Images" Series - Sold

Paisley Images #9, originally uploaded by sugarpinkrose.

This is an original collage/mixed media piece made with my own hand-dyed papers, plus a paisly woodblock print that I made using an antique wooden batik block from India. I bought that block, along with a couple others, on ebay! They were so expensive- more expensive than a rubber stamp would be- but sooooo worth it.

I originally purchased them for the surface design class that I was teaching because I wanted my students to have some really neat things to use in class. Quite a few of my students used it to create their own T-shirts and garments, and it blows my mind how everyone who has used the stamp has managed to make their image look totally different and unique.

I am amazed at how many different images can be created from one stamp. One of my favorite magazines, Somerset Studio, has even done a column in the magazine called "With One Stamp" that shows a variety of different art projects that were made with one rubber stamp. That really inspires me.

In the past I have stayed away from using rubber stamps in my own artwork because I like knowing that my pieces are one of a kind and original. In the future I might start using rubber stamps though. Playing with these woodblocks has been so much fun that I can see the attraction of owning a huge hoard of stamps and blocks.

I have seen hundreds of different vintage and antique woodblocks but I've never seen another one exactly like the ones I own- which makes me happy. I wouldn't be able to say the same thing for rubber stamps, but even so I think that it would still be possible to create fairly original art pieces using stamps. Just browsing the internet, I have seen so much amazing art that incorporates rubber stamps...

Anyway, this is only one card in the "Paisley Images" series that I am working on. So far there are 10 cards in the series and a couple of larger (but still small) collages. I'll be posting more of them in my blog soon.