Introducing Speckled Canary: Creative Art Projects for Everyone!

Today, I’m really excited to announce a new endeavor I’ve started: Speckled Canary! It’s focused on creating art projects for everyone to enjoy. They’re fun and sometimes-collaborative, launched on a global scale. Participants sign up for different creative explorations that will push them to make new and exciting work in ways that they never expected.

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you’ll probably remember the Collage Scrap Exchange. Planning that project, with its nearly 1,000 participants, was so rewarding. I loved seeing what different artists came up, all united under one theme.

I decided that I wanted to make this a regular thing. I have a lot of ideas for projects that include a wide range of media, so I’m excited to see how they take off!

Introducing Speckled Canary’s first project: Mapping Memories (in washi tape)!

Memories are a powerful thing. Sometimes, they’re so clear that we can recall how something looked, smelled, or even tasted. Speckled Canary’s inaugural project celebrates this phenomena and invites you to recollect memories with washi tape!

How it works: Using washi tape, you’ll recreate a memory – it can be anything – using washi tape. It should be nearly (if not all) made with washi tape. If you want to draw accents on top of the tape, that’s okay – but remember the point is to build a composition with it.

Washi tape comes in all sorts of colors and patterns. For this endeavor, Speckled Canary has teamed up with a great shop called Omiyage who hand-selected beautiful, high quality tapes. Be sure to check out this online store. Marisa stocks it with so many wonderful things (washi and beyond)!

My example: While I love using washi tape in my day-to-day life, I had never tried making artwork out of it. One afternoon I sat down to give it a try and had a lot of fun! You can layer and combine colors and patterns to create multi-layered, complex compositions. The possibilities are endless. Here’s what I made:

This project has two parts: your memory (made with washi tape), and your memory that appears on a customized world map (see what that looks like). Once your artwork is done, submit it to Speckled Canary with a short description. The more people that participate, the more we’ll see special memories from around the world! Read more about the project here. 

So, what are you waiting for? Sign ups begin now! And don’t worry if you don’t have any washi tape. I’m selling special washi tape starter kits that’ll have what you need. All participants will also have access to a special Omyiage promo code and other fun extras.