Archive for the ‘Haus of Cards’ Category

and He was born for thee . . .

Sunday, December 25th, 2022

Beyond the trappings of any birthday,
each of us was born to serve a purpose.
 

Makin’ Christmas collage again!

Friday, December 23rd, 2022

 

Friday, December 24th, 2021

Holiday therapy, aesthetic exercise, creative ritual, intuitive workout, craft drill, thematic meditation — call it whatever we want. It’s that season to make and send tree miniatures to those we treasure.

Have a Merry-Merry, everybody!
 

Four Tree Miniatures for Christmas
collage greeting cards by J A Dixon

The surreal meaning of Christmas

Friday, December 25th, 2020

 

Natal Homage
collage greeting by J A Dixon
private collection

Bringing the ‘Haus’ repository up to date . . .

Sunday, March 22nd, 2020

“Once you’re over the hill you begin to pick up speed.”
— Charles Schultz
 

I think back to when John’s Haus of Cards produced 200-to-300 handmade cards a year — for birthdays and celebrations, for sickness and sorrow. Compare that to my current output, and I’m certainly not “picking up speed.” But I have no thoughts of giving it up. It’s still one of my favorite things to do. Check out my full archive of greetings.
 

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Sweet Petite
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of D L Dixon

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!     collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Daughter + Mother
collage greeting cards by J A Dixon
series Alpha/Omega hybrid, private collection

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Mighty Joan
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Alpha, collection of J D A Wood

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Sym-patti-co
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of P Powell

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Bouquet of Hearts
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, private collection

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

A Natalie Day
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Alpha/Omega hybrid, collection of N Sluga

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Foot’s Choice
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of W W Barefoot

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

For Alyx
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Alpha, collection of A Kenner

Mindful of the most vulnerable

Sunday, March 15th, 2020

There is no profit in worry for something beyond one’s control. It is a time to think clearly, to focus on what one can actually affect, to be extremely inquisitive, to be self-sufficient, and to take care for the vulnerable. Here is a collage miniature that I attached to a hand-crafted card for a friend, good patron, and person of faith who is currently at high risk.

In Praise of Prayer
greeting card miniature by J A Dixon
4.8125 x 5 inches
private collection

New note cards for the season!

Wednesday, December 5th, 2018

If you send hand-written messages during the year-end season, you may want some new note cards that feature collage artworks from my series of Christmas-tree greetings. Each large, blank card is 5.125 x 7.75 inches and is folded along the left vertical edge. Matching envelopes are included, of course.

Click below to buy with your PayPal account or a credit card.
No extra charge for shipping, handling, or state taxes within the USA.
International customers, please contact me directly.

Thank you!

 
 
Assorted vertical-format cards ~ 5 cards, 1 each of 5 ~ $27.50
     larger note cards that feature collage artworks from
     my series of handmade Christmas-tree greetings

 

 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Preview each distinctive
seasonal note card

Be mine . . .

Wednesday, February 14th, 2018

 
Valentines by John’s Haus of Cards!

Valentines by John’s Haus of Cards!

Wednesday, February 7th, 2018

Happy Birthday to Meg Higgins, an exceptional collage artist!
 

Love of Beer ~ series Pi ~ from John’s Haus of Cards!

Love of Beer
collage on Samuel Adams coaster, 4 x 4 inches
Haus of Cards, series Pi, J A Dixon
collection of M Higgins

Haus of Categories

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

“As an art of its time, collage art — its imagery, its techniques, its attitude — speaks to our confrontation with a fractured multifarious image of the world in an age of information overload. The activities of sifting, sorting, organizing and prioritizing has become the basis and the goal of artistic activity in this hummingbird era of ADHD”
— Cecil Touchon

“A light bulb in the socket is worth two in the pocket.”
— Bill Wolf
 

Categorization is integral to the practice of collage. It is part and parcel of the ongoing acquisition, storage, and retrieval of compositional ingredients. I doubt if there is a dedicated collage artist out there who does not possess a particular method of processing the studio material that results in a work of art. We do relish the hunt, and, to some degree, we enjoy accumulation for its own sake, but, more than that, we like to be able to find our stuff when we want to use it.

Not long ago, Allan Bealy brought an article about the library of Vito Acconci to my attention. Like many artists, I devised a method of classification early in life and refined it over the years, and I found benefits in developing a “morgue” according to my own “creative code” rather than adopting a predetermined system. In whatever way we catalog it, we must be able to access the ingredients we need without impeding a flow of intuitive spontaneity. My studio repository began as a few “youthful” files of tear sheets that simply caught my eye as catalytic images. With the demands of professionalism, it grew into an illustrator’s resource that spared me many a trip to the public library. It mushroomed over time and finally evolved into a collage artist’s stash, with many subdivisions (such as antiquity, language, creatures, environments, attire, icons, themes, botanicals, patterns, vintage, surreal, and cosmic).

Individualized categories also help me to organize self-perceptions of what I make, even if these “sets” or “series” make limited sense to others. Although crafting personal greeting cards continues at a significantly reduced rate, I can now look back on the life-long activity as a key practice in my transition from applied to fine arts. It has had a strong influence on how I codify work that typically begins with intuition and ultimately ends with inclusion within some sort of idiosyncratic classification.

Please examine seven images recently created for my outgoing cards (with their designated categories). Some are considered hybrids (for lack of a better term). Those with an interest can find more at The Collage Miniaturist with this link and its associated archive.

Long live John’s Haus of Cards!

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

BodoMason
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega/Pi hybrid, collection of W Bates

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Eagle Nest Goddess
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Pi, collection of J Hellyer

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Existunt
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of R W Breidenbach

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

G is for Gray
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega/Pi hybrid, collection of G Zeitz

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

Nurse Saw It
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Pi, collection of R K Hower

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

IcogNeato
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of J M Hoover

collage greeting card by John’s Haus of Cards!

O Lovely Perch
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
series Omega, collection of W W Barefoot

Merry Merry!

Tuesday, December 19th, 2017

 

Cyborg Santa
John’s Haus of Cards!
collection of J M Strock, Jr