RECYCLED PAPER COLLAGES
Geology (2020) – mixed paper media on composite board, copper-plated brass tacks, 15.5” x 15.5” x 0.5”
Navigation (2020) – mixed paper media on composite board, copper-plated brass tacks, 15.5” x 15.5” x 0.5”
Blue Moon (2020) – mixed paper media on composite board, copper-plated brass tacks, 15.5” x 15.5” x 0.5”
Explorer Collage Series
I have been handmaking various kinds of paper for over 20 years now – handbeaten kozo and gampi, overbeaten (high-shrinkage) flax, cotton and abaca – and while most of it goes into the projects I am making at the time, almost inevitably, I have bits left over. Sometimes those bits get added to new pulp and recycled into new work. But sometimes, I just stash it away, unable to let go of a particular color or texture, or the allure of a remnant of a printed image.
Recently, I have started using those bits. I had been given some old display shelving that had some lovely paint splattered around the edges of the “back” sides - a perfect substrate since I prefer to avoid buying anything new. I combined some of the old paper bits with new shapes made with recycled pulps formed on found objects with dramatic textures (colanders, printing blocks from a geological survey publication, backs of serving trays). Some of the old bits needed to be dampened and ironed to make them flat enough for the collage, and the ironing created new textures and revealed the inner tensions of the paper - another layer of intrigue and interaction.
To find more detailed information about the collages, click on their images.