DROPPING: Winter Solstice, December 22, 2024!
Because I'm observing the actual solstice on the 21st.
Original Artwork Series
Only 1 of each exists!
Artists: Colored by Natalie, drawn by Ruth Soffer
Series: “Kitsch Colored Pages, Stained Glass Birds”
Media: Crayola markers on transparent coloring page
Dimensions: 7.75”x 10.75”
Created & Released: 2024
Signature: Hand signed by Natalie
8 in Series
The Story of “Kitsch Colored Pages, Stained Glass Birds, Originals”
From the Oxford Languages Dictionary:
kitsch
/kiCH/
noun
art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.
"the lava lamp is an example of sixties kitsch"
adjective
considered to be in poor taste but appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.
"the front room is stuffed with kitsch knickknacks, little glass and gilt ornaments"
Like so many of you out there, sometimes I like to sit down and just color aimlessly while listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more. It helps me relax, unwind, and it’s a simple way to get a small sense of self-accomplishment. I have created a set of coloring pages myself, and even though I am an artist who likes to draw, sometimes I don’t want to! Instead, I want to get right into the coloring part! Keeping a couple of coloring books on hand by other artists helps me accomplish this by giving me a break from my own work and head.
Artist grade supplies are usually the way I like to go since they are USUALLY far superior in most ways to introductory and student grade art supplies. However, for this series, “Kitsch Colored Pages, Stained Glass Birds”, I went beyond “Old School”. I went to “elementary school” by using a set of 20 Crayola Super Tip Washable Markers, a coloring book that wasn’t drawn by me, and a complete abandonment of realistic colors! Long story short, the washability along with vibrancy and gliding-ease of the markers made them perfect for using them like watercolors while also being able to preserve a hardline and childish joy when I wanted. The pages are printed on transparent paper to give them a “stained-glass” effect (especially when held up to the light) and holds up well when being gently treated like watercolor paper. Other than a lot of wrinkling anyway. I even taped them down along the entire edges AND prepared them by adding a layer of clean water over the entire taped pieces and letting them dry again before applying colors. With typical watercolor papers, this usually reduces the amount of wrinkles down the line. I tried to iron and press out as much of them as I could with my low-tech iron, papers, and heavy books as a press. Despite my efforts, you’ll notice in the images online that there appears to be some “banding” around the perimeters of each image. Those are actually wrinkles in the paper! This REALLY bothered me at first, but the more I viewed the series together, the more I fell in love with the wrinkles. The imperfections add to the nature of what defines the series “Kitsch” fine art.
If you’ll notice, I’ve only included 8 pages out of Ruth’s Coloring Book. That’s because, again, in true “kitsch” fashion, the book came into my possession after many pages had already been colored in by a loved one. The pages that are included in this series are ones that were completely blank before I began. They’re also arranged in the same order as they appear in Ruth’s Coloring Book.
The framing options I’m providing with these pieces also fall in line with the meaning of “Kitsch”. Choices are between Black or Barnwood generic, mass produced, float frames from retailers around my local vicinity, or receiving it unframed either rolled in a tube or mailed flat in an envelope.
N+ An Artist Supporting Other Artists
I want to give artists the credit they deserve wherever possible. That’s why my signature for this series, “Kitsch Colored Pages, Stained Glass Birds” carries the “+” with it. It symbolizes the additional input to the piece by another artist, and my own acknowledgement of this fact.
The original drawings for each of the images of this series is originally from the 2004 Dover Publication, Favorite Birds Stained Glass Coloring Book, by Ruth Soffer. Ruth might be difficult to find online, but you’ll find dozens of coloring books, covers, and illustrations she’s done over a long career with Dover Publications. Using her images for my work is a little bit of a gray area, and I always want to make sure artists get the credit they deserve. That’s why a small portion of the profits I receive from this series, “Kitsch Colored Pages, Stained Glass Birds”, will go to Ruth!
Follow this Amazon Associate Link to purchase and color your own Favorite Birds Stained Glass Coloring Book by Ruth Soffer. And try using a 20 count set of Crayola Super Tip Markers to color them too. Since these are associate links, I receive a small commission (between 5-10%) on each purchase when these links are used all the way through checkout.
Read more about why I use watermarks on my Blog →
Available for purchase & download in my store.
