Collagescapes – Phase 1

Collage + Landscape = Collagescape

Collagescape Prototypes, mixed media on board, 6”x6” each

 Part of the work of making collage is the time and effort spent seeking material that I refer to as collage fodder.  I find the hunt enjoyable poking around thrift stores, yard sales etc.  I also have a great network of friends and family who are always making contributions.  My current show, the Art of Beer, would have been impossible without their help.  That said, I have had a nagging feeling in recent years that the days of collage as we know it, could be numbered.  Basically, as we become a paperless society, or a less-paper society, we are leaving behind less and less ephemera to work with. 

We are still far from the collage crisis, but I am already thinking ahead.  During the 2011 Project I started with the idea of making my own collage material.  For last year’s installation I even made my own “vintage” luggage tags for a collage.  In my latest series, I am carrying the idea further, where I am making all my own collage fodder from scratch.

When I am not working on collage, I usually am painting.  I typically paint western landscapes.  Not that I would dare compare myself to the genius of Diebenkorn, but this summer I was reminded of a certain kinship with his palette.  It’s a palette that most California painters work in.  As I make material for this new series, that is the palette that I am using.  I started with the California landscape, making big fields of color to be cut up and reconfigured into collage landscapes or collagescapes.  A certain reference to maps or aerial imagery, but I am not seeking to be too literal with the finished pieces.  This new series is essentially a coming together of many of the different but connected elements I have been working on for years – landscape, maps and collage.

Shown are some examples from the Phase 1 in the Collagesacpe Series.  Phase 2 will be more place specific, capturing places I love such as Point Reyes and Mount Diablo.

Prints and other accessories of some of the images are available from Society 6.  Contact me directly regarding the originals. 

California Collagescape, mixed media on board, 12”x16”