Collage Art
I thought it would be fun to show some of my work that has been purchased and is in private collections from time to time. This one came to mind today. The background area is composed of generic order receipts from a restaurant. I envisioned it as a visual conversation that might take place over a meal. The size is 24 x 18".
ma·quette (m-kt)
n. A usually small model of an intended work, such as a sculpture or piece of architecture. [French, from Italian macchietta, sketch, diminutive of macchia, spot, from Latin macula.]
I've been asked to do a maquette for a potential commission. This sample collage is only 1.5 x 6 inches... the final piece would be 20 x 60 inches. This is one of two concepts that I am submitting.
The finished collage would not look exactly like this... at this point I'm just trying to get across the feeling of movement and the color range I am proposing. If I begin work on a large version, many hundreds of pieces of paper would be combined to try to achieve this sort of design, so the level of detail would be quite different.
A closer look at the top portion of the collage. The finished piece is 36" high x 18" wide -- composed of contemporary papers mounted on a wood panel that has a 1" depth so the collage wraps around the edges.
Yesterday I went to an opening at the Loveland Museum Gallery to see how my piece looked in the Character Sketches show -- where about 30 artists were given a poem to inspire their work. The show is really varied and wonderful, with the assigned poems mounted next to each work. Media ranges from installation to film, sculpture, ceramics, and 2D.
I was thrilled to discover that my piece was used on banners hung downtown to promote the show. It's fun to be "famous" every once in a while! There is also a great full color catalog to go along with the show that pairs each work of art with its poem.
The very talented poet is Hilary DePolo. Each of her poems tells a story and outlines a character. My poem was about a saintly woman named Dovie Harris who mourns her husband for decades, to the extent that "tears stained grooves into her coffee cheeks... years later when she finally smiled... dark lines shimmered on her face." I used a silver mylar strip for the vertical line you see in the photos. (It doesn't quite read as metallic in the photos...)
Stop by and see the show if you happen to be in Loveland, Colorado between now and the end of March!