Tag Archives: suzanne wegh

My first collage!

collage by Suzanne Forbes photo by Suzanne Wegh Feb 14 2018We had a Women’s Art Lounge for Galentine’s Day.

collage detail Suzanne Forbes Feb 14 2018On February 14, a small group of female-identifying people gathered at Ludwig Berlin to make art out of a pile of magazines, glue and scissors.

With the help and support of Suzanne Wegh, I tried paper collage for the first time. What a startling process!

It was not at all like I thought it would be! It was confusing, and mysterious! I thought it would be challenging, but it was in fact quite a bit harder than it looks.

First of all, it never occurred to me that you could move the pieces of the picture around before you glued them down.

Until Suzanne explained that’s what she does! I was as startled as I was the first time someone showed me windows being minimized and moved around on a computer, in 1996. With my bricolage shadowbox projects, I glue each thing down as I go.

This idea of fluid composition broke my brain!

Then, it didn’t go the way I planned. I had some ideas, and a color scheme, and the first collage  I did was actually the complete opposite of them.

I saw this greyed out pastel flower paper and wound up choosing a palette of images and materials related to it, and then making this rococo chicken being ridden by a chicken princess.

I wanted to make a Baba Yaga! What the heck??

So I decided to just go with the process, even though for someone as afraid of artistic failure as me that was pretty scary. I’m learning things I never expected to about composition, pattern and color from my bricolage and mixed media work. I can see how those things could be put to work in making collage art, but I’m a long way from being able to do it.

photo by Suzanne Wegh from Galentines Collage night Feb 14 2018

photo by Suzanne Wegh from Galentines Collage night Feb 14 2018

I was really amazed at how the other women could make their collages look like something so easily. I mean, make them look like resolved images. The one below, which Suzanne made, is just beautiful. You can read about her experience of our collage adventure on her Patreon here.

Collage by Suzanne Wegh Feb 14 2018

Collage by Suzanne Wegh Feb 14 2018

The Medusa with butterflies at the top was actually the third I made, and the only one I felt sort of resolved into an actual picture. And that expresses my style, with its beetles and jewel colors! Why is Megan Markle’s head on fire? I have no idea! It just happened!collages by Suzanne Forbes Feb 14 2018

I don’t know if I’ll try collaging again right away; it was pretty disorienting for me. But I’m so glad and proud we created a safe space for me to try it.

First Women’s Halloween Art Salon!

women sketching Oct 30 2017 photo by Suzanne Wegh

I hosted an art salon for female-identifying people in our flat the night before Halloween.

It was wonderful! It was incredibly special to have a group of women artists gathered in our home, feasting on veggie and vegan treats before settling into a life drawing session with a professional artist’s model. It was like Eat and Draw instead of Drink and Draw!

Miss Natasha Enquist with crow friend by Suzanne Forbes Nov 5 2017I made vegan pumpkin pie, which is weirdly way better and easier than the dairy version. Way pumpkinier too!

Many people had not previously had pumpkin pie, which isn’t a thing in Germany or really most of Europe, and are now very seriously into it. Suzanne Wegh helped organize and brought hardcore salty Dutch licorice, which I thought I would not be into but really enjoyed.

Thanks to my Patrons on Patreon and their financial support, I was able to hire my favorite artist’s model, electro-accordion chanteuse Miss Natasha Enquist.

I met her teaching at ESDIP Berlin, and we became friends and now I hire her when I need a terrific life modeldraw at all her superb music performances and also we go to sex clubs and leather daddy cigar lounges!

Miss Natasha Enquist with skull by Suzanne Forbes Oct 30 2017Although I do love two-minute gesture poses, for the salon we went right into short poses, ten to fifteen minutes, then twenty minutes. Everyone wanted time to capture MNE’s whole lewk!

We used lots of props! Our house is so full of weird stuff and dead stuff and creepy stuff, we were spoilt for choice.

Miss Natasha Enquist And Giulia Caruso by Yvonne Prott Oct 30 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist And Giulia Caruso photographed by Yvonne Prott, Oct 30 2017

Almost everyone came prepared to draw or paint, except for Yvonne Prott of Yves_Art, who takes amazing photos and shot a collection of beautiful spooky images.

Yvonne Prott self portrait Oct 30 2017

Yvonne Prott self portrait, Oct 30 2017

Clockwise below, Giulia Caruso, Ksenia Shaw, a redheaded visitor from Australia, Suzanne Wegh, Daria Rhein and Marina Belikova. Sorry about my terrible photography “skills”!

womens art salon oct 30 2017 photo by Suzanne Forbes

 

Marina and Daria at womens art salon oct 30 2017

Everyone made such beautiful drawings. It was incredible, such a gleeful creative energy in our safe space!

I loved all the different styles. Lydia is a crackerjack draughtsman with terrific style. Her character selfie drawings on her Insta give me life.

Miss Natasha Enquist drawn by Lydia photo by Yvonne Prott Oct 30 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist drawn by Lydia, photo by Yvonne Prott, Oct 30 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist with Crow by Natascha Artworx Oct 30 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist with Crow by Natascha Artworx Oct 30 2017

Here are two of the many drawings made by Natascha Artworx. 

She came down from Hamburg for the salon despite the storm, and she has a lovely post about it on her Patreon!

She and Suzanne Wegh and I previously collaborated, and worked with Miss Natasha, for our A(RT)ffair at Ludwig this summer.

It was pretty funny having only two names to go around that time; we’ve gotten better at it now!

 

Miss Natasha Enquist by Natasha Artworx Womens Art Salon Oct 30 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist by Natasha Artworx at the first Womens Art Salon, Oct 30 2017

 

Miss Natasha Enquist with Natascha Artworx and Kelsey Bass Oct 30 2017, photo by Suzanne Wegh

I adore this digital version Kelsey Bass made of one of her drawings!

Miss Natasha Enquist by Kelsey Bass Oct 30 2017

Miss Natasha Enquist by Kelsey Bass Oct 30 2017

Each artist brought their unique style and approach to the poses.

Daria, who has been doing a lot of digital work lately when she isn’t tattooing, used watercolors. Keep an eye on her art Instagram and you might see ’em!

Crucial event support and photography provided by Suzanne Wegh; check out her Patreon!

Top photo by Suzanne Wegh, left to right: Daria Rhein, Marina BelikovaNatascha Artworx and Kelsey Bass.

Artwork made at the First Womans Art Salon Oct 30 2017 photo by Suzanne Wegh

Artwork made at the First West Berlin Womens Art Salon, Oct 30 2017, photo by Suzanne Wegh