Inspirational Findings

‘Sunday Stroll’ by Vintage Findings

These days when I come across art or photography that really tickles my fancy I often just click on the ‘share on tumblr’ button in my browser. Mainly because it’s so handy - it uploads the image straight from its source and includes all the proper titles, links and credits. Used properly, it’s a really easy way of blogging someone else’s work with all due acknowledgment. (Unfortunately it isn’t always used properly by everyone, but that’s a story for another day.)

I often feel quite lazy and anonymous, though, silently blogging into the Tumblrsphere. So this evening, due to the guilt I’m feeling about neglecting this blog in favour of that oh-so-convenient  honey trap, I thought I’d give the work of this lovely lady a proper post - using words and everything :) 

Working under the name Vintage Findings, I stumbled upon the Californian gal on Flickr a yesterday while on one of my inspiration-seeking quests.  Her photostream is wonderful and extensive, with hours worth of wandering potential through her beautiful photography and stunning digital collage.  It was, however, her art journal set which first grabbed my attention.

 

As I perused her pretty pages, my first thought was to my own poor abandoned journal lying in a pile on the floor behind me somewhere. I had an urge to turn off my computer, forget the plans I had for trying stuff out on Gimp that night,  and get the glue and scissors out. Then something rather exciting came to my attention - her pages were digital! I honestly didn’t realise at first, they’re so well done. Later when I found her webpage I discovered she prints them in such a way they look like pages from a book.
 

On her website you’ll also find a link to her blog, which isn’t just inspirational - it’s educational too. Here she often explains her methods and sometimes even brings you on a step-by-step tour of how she created her work.  A wonderful resource for someone like myself still learning about layers and textures and such things. There’s tons of tutorial sites out there on the web, but a lot of those are written by fellow amatuers yet only learning themselves. At the Vintage Findings blog you get an insight into the creative of process for some really quite excellent art!

All in all, I think yesterday was quite a good day at the Flickr office. I’ve often thought about trying out digital collage but the furthest I’d ever got was making my blog header and buttons and stuff. Now I’ve found Vintage Findings I’m thinking of giving it another go! If I ever manage to create anything even a fraction as fabulous as these I’ll be a happy bunny.