MAKING ART: THE ART OF COLLAGE

MAKING ART THE ART OF COLLAGE

I like to make things (make art) using a variety of techniques and materials. Over the past nine years i have devoted a great deal of my art making time to an exploration of the art of collage. My interest in collage was re-ignited the first year i was teaching Art Appreciation at Carroll Community College when i discovered the work of Hannah Hoch. 

My first major collage project was “52 Weeks”; which was a way to motivate myself in the studio the first summer after i moved to Maryland. My practice prior to this move was large scale, abstract sculpture, not feasible in my current space. “52 Weeks” was a commitment to create a collage a week for a year, ergo, “52 Weeks”. Yes, a major commitment, however a more likely one than a friend’s (Dan Johnson) who wrote a grant that required him to create a piece of work every day for a year. Yes, a lot of artists are more than a little crazy.  Obviously some ground rules were necessary to keep a handle on a project this large. I really only had two, one the size of the paper i used, 8.5” x 11”, and the paper it self, which was a mid tone khaki. If only you could throw out the first few collages like the first pancake of the batch! I kept a journal about the process. The entire series as well as my writing about it is available at gailelwell.com

My collage practice was predicated by the physical limitations of my new studio space. Does this sound familiar? Little did i know…

I almost never use computer generated images in my collage work.  Most of my sources are art history books, arts and cultural magazines from say the 50’s through the 70s, once i scored an amazing run of Southby’s auction catalogues at a local Goodwill, handyman’s periodicals and stuff even older, there are some amazing images in woman’s magazines from the turn of the century, 19th that is. I think that i don’t use the computer generated stuff because i almost never work to a theme. Ergo i never (almost) have a specific image in my mind - i prefer serendipity to uncover the image that will work best. I may ‘know’ when i sit down that my intention is to create a work that will fit into one of my ongoing series, such as “Divided Mind”, or “Womandela”, etc. The shape of, the narrative and imagery of each piece happens through the process of making and i never really know where i’m going until i get there. Maybe a little like therapy?

Divided Mind #1, 2014

Early on in the collection process i learned very quickly that i could not keep the books i was buying to cut up as books. They simply take up to much room, and here on the boat they also weigh too much. In the beginning i was buying up collections, often twenty plus books at a time - rapidly running out of room here! So i initiated a practice that i still follow, which is cut and file. I will sit down with two or three books per session and go through the entire book, harvesting any image or text that jumps out. These are then filed either by title i.e., Horizon magazines are simply filed as such, with the date. Art history books i usually cut than sort by style, religious, portrait, still life, etc.

But wait, don’t throw out that empty shell of a book, you might be able to use it to make more art. Altered Books are fun to make. I’ll do an entry on altered books soon.

So where do they come from? How do i put them together? I sit dow with a blank piece of paper and a folder of images and i start looking. Naturally content will be predicated by the material being used. Sooner or later an image strikes my fancy, i cut or tear it as my whim takes me and i continue looking. Each of my series have formal structural elements - “Womandala” the mandela pattern embedded somewhere in the composition, “Divided Mind” uses the split portrait, to reveal whats on a man’s mind. So it goes, wander through more imagery, cut our a few more pieces, put them down, look at the relationships and all of a sudden a narrative begins to develop. Move images around, look at the color and spatial elements, reject the image i started with because it no longer fits the narrative and continue on. Of course by this time, particularly if i’m working with Horizon (an arts and cultural magazine published from the mid 50’s thru the late 70’s) i have stopped to read at least three articles.

Womandala #1

I never glue anything down in my collages until i have the entire piece laid out. Why? Because during the composition process i find myself constantly shifting the edges, changing the layering until the piece gels. If i am working on a large very complex piece i will often take photos of the work at this point. I’ve “ruined” more than one piece by neglecting this step. Okay so its glue time. I use Aileen’s tacky glue although any PVA glue will work. I like Aileen’s because it is slightly more viscous than most of the white glues on the market, so there is less chance for unsightly ooze developing. So first i determine which piece of the careful crafted puzzle  i have just assembled is the background, the piece that lies underneath everything else. I lightly mark with a pencil any reference points i can, gently mover all of the elements that overlap it (of course everything else will move as well, photo please) flip it over, apply the glue, and unless you are 100% sure that you will never want to change the layout, don’t run your glue all the way out to the edge. You just might change your mind! Reassemble the pieces, correct the relationships, choose the next piece to adhere, and so it goes.

Womadala #3, Unplugged

Most of my current collages are completed within three days. The smaller size lends itself to a fairly rapid mode of work. When i was an active partner at OFF TRACK ART (check them out, 11 Liberty st, Westminster, Md) i would often create a piece during my shift, usually a three hour stint. Working with that sort of deadline was a way to sharpen my design skills. Enough meandering. I will write more later about image choice, messaging, etc. Until than check out the Hannah Hoch link, (the Guardian article is very interesting) if you are unfamiliar with her life and work, and check out my website gailelwell.com, for “52 Weeks” and other cool art. Enjoy the images.

More later

Morgainne

Hannah Hoch, Art's Original Punk

Also check out our other blogs floating empire ,Onboard Cooking