Recently, I have really gotten into collage. Maybe I should say, I've enjoyed revisiting it: we all collage a bit when we are young, right?
This group of small 5 x 7 inch canvas mixed media paintings has been a fun form of play for me. I've created them while joining my children outside as they have been playing in this unseasonably warm South Carolina weather.
The first layer of these compositions is an old paint palette that I used while painting.
The next layer is torn and cut papers and fabrics that have been layered together to create floral shapes. The papers have been painted and drawn on while working on other paintings. And some of the papers are from Chinese newspapers. I took a class with Dr. Gary Bodner a few years ago, and he encouraged me to use them in collage work because the newspapers add a punchy graphic layer to the collages.
I am absolutely crazy about Chinese food, so adding this feature was a fun, unexpected design element.
The third layer is oil pastel and acrylic paints that have been manipulated with stamps and pencils.
And for the last layer, I added a clear varnish to set the composition.
This group of works will release on the website on Friday, February 21st at Noon. I hope you enjoy them: they were a joy to create!
