Kathy Johnson
  • Home
  • Collage
  • Mixed Media
  • About
    • In the Studio
    • Press
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Classes

Monday Concertina Sketchbook Collage - August

8/30/2023

0 Comments

 

A pink and orange combo always captures my attention with its playful energy. 

Picture



​Augusts concertina sketchbook was a joy to put together. I decided to go with hot pinks and oranges in a patchwork layout of blocks and stripes. 

The materials I gathered are repurposed packaging, a postcard, bags, tidbits of painted papers and a few paste paper too.


​Week 1
Picture

​
​Week 2
Picture

​
Week 3
Picture


​
​Another month ending - week 4 of my August Concertina Sketchbook


"Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August."
~ Denise Levertov



Picture

​
​The finished 4 panels 
Picture


​End of the month collages using leftover scraps 
Picture
Picture
Picture


​Pink and orange are a great color combo in the garden too. The photo on the left is from Harkness Memorial State Park. I took a walk there this week and the cutting garden was amazing. They change it up a little each year with different color and plant combinations but it is always lovely. The other two photos are of  my garden. A light pink cosmos and a cactus zinnia mixing with orange cosmos.

Picture
Picture
Picture

​
You can read more about these monthly concertina sketchbooks and how they got started here.



0 Comments

My #1 'must have' flower for eco-printing

8/11/2023

0 Comments

 

​It can be tricky to get successful eco-prints from flowers. You've chosen bright-colored flowers to use, and you're all excited about unwrapping your bundle after 'cooking'. Then you see very little or nothing at all on the paper. I've been there and know that feeling of disappointment : (

This used to happen when I was first learning the eco-printing process. Now after much research and many experiments, I'd like to share with you my #1 'must have' and absolute favorite flower for making eco-prints is Cosmos sulphureus 'Cosmic Orange'.

​
Picture
​

This annual flower packs a big punch of happy color in the summer garden. They are super easy to grow and if you don't have space for a garden they also do well in pots. These are heat and sun loving flowers so I wait until the ground has warmed before planting. If the weather has been warm I'll plant them at the end of May but more often than not they get planted in early June. I don't bother starting the seeds indoors as they have always done so well when I plant directly in the garden. 

Cosmos flowers will bloom throughout the summer starting in late July until the first hard frost here in the Southeastern part of Connecticut. I always have more than enough flowers to print from fresh and to dry for later use. They can grow to approximately 3-4 feet tall with 2-inch flowers, love full sun, and attract bees and butterflies.

​ 


Picture


​The prints can range in color from pink, orange, to even red, depending on the paper and mordant used. They never disappoint, they 
make the best and most consistent prints of any flower I've tried.
Picture
Picture

​
​Bonus: The leaves, which have an attractive lobe shape, also print well.
Picture
Picture

​To keep the bees happy, and so I'll have seeds for next year,
I always leave some of the flowers unpicked.
​
Look how pretty these spiky seed heads are.
Picture
Subscribe to my StudioNews
and receive a free PDF featuring 'My 9 Favorite Flowers for an Eco-Print Garden!
0 Comments

    Author

    Hi, I'm Kathy an artist working in the mediums of collage, eco-printing, rust printing, and slow stitching who loves to teach. I enjoy sharing my process and guiding you on your creative journey. 

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    Collage
    Creative Play
    Eco Printing
    Exhibitions
    Free Tutorials
    Handmadebooks
    In The Studio
    Monday Sketchbook Collage
    My Connecticut Garden
    Online Workshops
    Recipes
    Rust
    Stitching
    Stitching On Paper
    Upcycling
    Workshops
    World Collage Day

    RSS Feed

KathyJohnsonArt  Privacy Policy  Cookie Policy
Subscribe to my StudioNews
© COPYRIGHT 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Collage
  • Mixed Media
  • About
    • In the Studio
    • Press
  • Connect
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Classes