Old China

I created this collage during an event for a small town near me.  The town hosts local artists.  I enjoy the event as it gives me a chance to watch reactions to my work.  It also forces me to use just the paper I take with me.  I take small stacks of paper and create collages throughout the evening.  This is my real challenge use just the paper in the several stacks that would fit in a small box.  This collage is on watercolor paper rather than matboard.  It has layers of found paper that provide interest and color.  Once I got the collage home, I knew it needed something.  The palette was flat, and there was not enough interest.  I added the transfer image.  I love the image of this woman.  She is intriguing.  The transparency of the transfer technique adds to this element.  The collage has this juxtaposition of old and new, organic and inorganic.  Look beyond.

Collages & Picasso

I am beginning to create a series of collages for the International Collage Show. I have entered collages in this show before, but not the last several years. I have been otherwise occupied--teaching and my day job. I am getting re-engaged. I am in awe of the focus and dedication of a real artist. I am in awe of Picasso. His collages and his focus. Incredible! As I create my collages, I will post for all to see. Some will make it others will not.




Here is my personal inspiration. A collage that is clean. It is visually interesting. There is content interest. There are only 5 pieces to this collage.  "I need to frame this collage." 

Inconsistency

This collage began with some abstract brush strokes on mat board. The Mader Hodel found paper created bold interest, while the found black papers and leaves provided balance. The page from a writers dictionary provided intricate detail and the name of the collage, "Inconsistency". The page includes the following quote "Mutability of temper and inconsistency with ourselves is the greatest weakness of human nature." --Addison

A person who is cold one day and hot the next is troublesome and difficult.

Don't Lose It --- Use It

This collage is part of my collage card series. You see the post card tucked behind two pieces of found paper. The label provides the title of the collage "Don't Lose It -- Use It".
I started the collage with a painted background with tissue paper and a found image from a book. I added the image of the gentleman for interest. The image of the women is transferred using matte medium. This technique lets you see the gentlemen through her. I think this provides interest and to me contains a message of transparency. Transparency can be positive or negative. The card, black paper, and envelope flap were layered last for additional interest and meaning.
I was intrigued by the message on the flap. The flap could be worth money to you. If you don't use the flap, you will lose the flap.

Tariff of Charges

This collage started with a combination of black silver metallic paint. It is painted in wide brush strokes. The found papers are a combination of music score, college entrance exam table of contents, and an advertisement. There are two modern women in the image. The one woman is only visible as her pink dress. The other woman is a transfer image. It is this woman that really adds the meaning and interest to the collage. She did not become part of the collage for year after the collage was first completed. She is seductive in her appearance and demeanor. She symbolizes a certain type of female. The title "Tariff of Charges" indicates the danger of an entanglement with this beautiful woman. A relationship with her will come at a high price.

Equally Wicked

I have had this picture for months and months and months. It was one of those images that I just can not let go. It was on a table in my studio for that time. I would see it from time to time in stacks of paper. I found this poem with the had written commentary Equally Wicked and knew this was the beginning of a collage.
The support of the collage is painted and distressed. The other papers are there to provide some texture and some interest. I spray painted the texture with a stencil to add some interest and lead the viewers eye.
It is so interesting to me that the commentary point to a lawyer and priest being equally wicked. I feel like somehow this woman understands that they are equally wicked. Her response is demonstrated. I intentionally created the worn and wrinkled appearance to suggest her torment and struggle.

Now Open For Visitors

This collage is #3 in the postcard series.

The postcard is oriented at the bottom on painted background. The background has a lace appearance because of a wax resist.

The postcard was the first piece of found paper added to the collage. The other pieces of paper were added to provide interest and detail.

The different layers of paper as well as the detailed background provide a great deal for the viewer to interpret. I used this activity to symbolize the amount of information, events, and commitments that can consume a modern woman's life.

There is pattern, texture, and color layered and competing for the viewer's attention. I used the pattern pocket to be a barrier from the woman.

She is so together. She looks almost perfect. I was struck by the contrast to the amount of stuff she stands beyond. I added the paper that provide the title "Now Open for Visitors" To communicate the idea that so many woman think that their lives have to be perfect before they can open it for visitors.