"A picture is worth..."                                                                                  Inez Dunn©2015

                               

Collage: A work of art in which various materials are arranged and placed together on a surface.
We create collage all the time, it shows up on our dinner plates, on the walls in our homes, even in our gardens. Nature give us the best examples of collage we see it in every forest, desert, and especially along rugged coastlines. Discarded and fragmented bits of Earth's creations juxtaposed to one another are all around us, almost perfect arrangements appear everywhere reminding us that the simplest natural beauty is in the everyday; and most often can be found just outside our windows. One of my favorite ways to approach collage is with assorted papers and GOLDEN gel medium. I like to start with a large piece of heavy paper that I tape down to a sturdy surface. I then tear-up small pieces of tissue paper, gift-wrap paper, aluminum foil, xerox recipes and then I mix the torn papers together just like a raffle waiting to be drawn. Next, I will compose random happy words on my computer using any combination of fonts, some in script, some in bold or italic and then print these out. I will later cut the words out with a pair of scissors and add these to my torn paper pieces. To apply the gel medium to my substrate I use an old sponge instead of a paintbrush then I lay down my torn paper pieces. Once everything is completely glued down and dry I will draw over the collage using charcoal pens or pastels crayons, and I might include a mixture of light colored acrylic paints. If I want to add additional layers I will continue with wax or a watered down sealant to my design. Collage is an assemblage of what feels right and looks aesthetically pleasing to you and its really about making that reconnection to nature. The great thing is your inspiration is already all around you and if you need more of it then just take a look right outside your window!