Please click on thumbnails to see the full art work.
Statement
Collage has become a form of meditation for me; a relaxing and de-stressing time out, which allows me to really SEE things and bring something from deep inside me to the surface. I get lost in what I would call a FOCUSED UNFOCUS. Collage is calming, where I find other forms of art and mediation frustrating, and it’s a means of expression I come back to again and again. It’s very positive and liberating, and I get something TANGIBLE and beautiful and amazing to boot!
Initially, after illness left me stuck in bed, I began cutting out PAPER SNOWFLAKES with nail scissors. Now, after a number of years of exploration in various mediums, I’m making INTRICATE COLLAGES with a finger craft knife, adapted to suit frames found in charity shops. (I have outlined my journey in more detail on my website)
I didn’t realise, when my life was so limited that cutting out paper snowflakes was my only means of expression, that I was following in MATISSE’S FOOTSTEPS. Similarly, when instinct took over drawing nudes with a marker pen. My plan now, is to explore collage further (and read about Matisse’s cut outs), before combining the two strands in collage figures.