Piecing Possibilities
Celebrating World Collage Day
I’ll have to admit. I’m struggling to find the words to write about today’s post for World Collage Day. I feel like I have to say something elaborate but the medium itself is so accessible and inclusive that it leans on simplicity. So, here it goes.
The common thread to the way I approach collaging is the process–It’s piecing possibilities together with imagination. It’s similar to jazz improvisation. It starts out with a few notes to create a melody. Then the magic begins. There’s the layering of elements such as adding a groovy baseline or a catchy drumbeat. Pretty soon, things start to flow. For me, it always starts with a photograph. I choose a few objects, it could be a typewriter or as random as a cookie, then move them around like chess pieces until something emerges. From there, it’s all about following where it will lead me. Sometimes, I end up nowhere and that’s ok. Sometimes, they just come together effortlessly. I never know the outcome but keep returning to it because the process is engaging. The most important thing is that collaging gives me tremendous joy. It’s food for the soul.
These are two of my latest ones. If you’ve been with me for the past month, I’ve been incorporating the mid-century modern color palette into my current collages. I’ll probably be on this train for a while so I hope you’re enjoying this journey as much as I do.
For World Collage Day, I’d like to share the evolution of my digital collage work over the last two years. They all started with imagination and a willingness to piece possibilities together to create a collage. I’ve experimented with different techniques and color variations. I’ve revisited some old ones and updated them. I’m quite pleased that they are visually cohesive.
If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments section below. Also, I'd love to hear your answer to this question:
What are the things you are piecing together that bring joy to your life?"
Happy World Collage Day, Stella! Hard to pick a favourite, but the paper aeroplane piece is stunning, and I love the one with the roof and all the wires. Such beautiful work, all of them. 😊
“What are the things you are piecing together that bring joy to your life?”
So many things to attend to -- at home, among families and friends, at work with its endless messages and meetings, in our community, and the country and countries beyond. Trying to place all these fragments into a (metaphorical) mosaic has been unsatisfying.
I like the idea of collage, though - the pieces can move around, I can move the pieces around (at least to make sense for me). Collage allows for agency and a more authentic response, vibrant and true.