Riding the Creative Flow
Commissions, New Projects, Works in Progress, and Collage Inspirations
It's been a busy two weeks, dear readers. At the beginning of the month, I started work on a commissioned collage art piece (a triptych) for a client. We've signed a contract and she's made her down payment. Surprisingly, she found me on Instagram. Considering I have barely 1,000 followers and have been on the platform, posting on and off, for 11 years, I guess it's worth keeping my account—you never know who's looking.
I've also been collaborating with
of "A Considerable Age" since March, providing digital collage art for each weekly story. Mostly it's original pieces, but sometimes we agree to use past artwork that pairs well with an upcoming story.
This grew from an unexpected connection. Previously, I had subscribed to Alice's newsletter, commenting on how much I enjoyed the weekly stories, which are uplifting, funny, and heartfelt. When Alice proposed the collaboration, I was thrilled! This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for both of us to combine our creative strengths and reach new audiences. It's especially exciting for me to contribute visually to stories I already admired and to grow further as an artist. I'm looking forward to seeing how our work together evolves and the new creative directions it might inspire.
Speaking of inspiration,
shared a note nine days ago about Artvee.com.What was supposed to be a quick check on a link turned into an unexpected collage session. I've always loved the chiaroscuro lighting in 17th and 18th century paintings, particularly the portraits and floral still lifes. A thought struck me as I was scrolling through the site: "What if I combined these two? What would that look like?" I've also been fascinated by elaborate headdresses in haute couture fashion and recently watched Season 3 of "Bridgerton" on Netflix, where Queen Charlotte's coiffure was intricately styled, rising at least a foot above her head. This sparked another idea: "What if I transformed these flowers into ornate headdresses?"
And, voilà ! I was so pleased with how they turned out, dear readers! I just kept going—my excitement after completing each piece fueled the next one. There's so much more to explore but, alas, there is never enough time. Still, I've found this idea so inspiring that I'm sure I'll keep working on it. There's definitely more to uncover in this direction.
So, thank you, Seth for posting about Artvee.com on Notes!
I also revisited my abstract typography collage series this past two weeks. Working on an analog project like this helps me reduce screen time. For those of you who have recently joined, I wrote earlier this year about how challenging it was for me to delve into abstraction. Then, further plunging into it as I grew my confidence.
While in Manila, my sister Malyn offered me two packs of unused inkjet photo paper she no longer needed. The paper had a glossy sheen on the front and a regular paper surface on the back. Although I don’t own an inkjet printer and wasn’t sure how I would use them, I accepted. Later, while scrolling through Notes, I came across
‘ collages from the Index Card A Day challenge (ICAD). This inspired me to create these pieces using the paper. They turned out to be the perfect size for this project.Thank you, Duane for the inspiration!
I shot this video so I can include all the collages I’ve created so far. By the way, I’m left-handed, so I hope you don’t mind that I’m flipping the paper from left to right.
My favorites from the batch were the last four minimalist assemblages. I quickly photographed them with my iPhone and then laid them out in Canva to show you.
The one on the top right was particularly influenced by a portrait of I.M. Pei by Arnold Newman. Everything has a connection to photography, which will always be a source of creativity for me.
I am all over the place, don’t you think? Sometimes, I feel like I should just stick to a thing or two and sort of have a path that I’ve known for. But then, that would be too stifling. There’s so much to explore! Curiosity is more meaningful—it fuels joy, inspiration, growth and so much more. At the end of the day, that’s what truly matters.
That’s it for now, dear readers. As always, let’s meet each other in the comments section below. Let me know what you think of these new works. If you are interested in any of the collages as wall art, send me an email at photo@kalaw.com or a direct message here on Substack.
See you all next Sunday!
ANOTHER WAY TO SUPPORT SUNDAYS WITH STELLA
Great news, dear ones! I've listened to your requests and created a support page on my website. Now you can contribute to 'Sundays with Stella' in any amount using your credit card, PayPal, or Venmo. Your generosity is truly appreciated!
My goodness!! You amazing, prolific, creative, happy, busy soul!!!! What joy! An extraordinary update. Go girl!! 😃🤗🥳🎉😘
Keep exploring, Stella! I am totally with you, that growth, joy and inspiration comes exactly from that. You collages are the best examples that you should keep going. You are inspiration!