October 2010 Archives

I love the simplicity of Phaedra's collages, how they're a bit retro with the use of imagery but modern with implementation. Maybe it's just because I was a girl scout, but these images feel very atmospheric, even though there is only a little bit of detail here and there. Her work is very simple, but thought-provoking, and I am sure she will make a great illustrator!

Phaedra Longhurst
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phaedralonghurst/
Cornwall, England

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Non fancy little collages made out of scout loveliness.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

I have an extensive vintage book and paper collection from many car boots, book shops, and sneaky college thefts. But I have a big love for pieces of scrap I find across the house, type, letraset left overs, geometric shapes, quote cut outs, mess, my love--macbook pro.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I started in my last year of high school when specialising in Graphic design/Illustration. My tutor is a working mixed media illustrator and introduced me to Eduardo Recife and Mario Wagner. Bam. I was in pure lust with the mysticalness of cutting up beautiful tiny pictures and creating something completely new. As the years have gone, my work has transformed into something completely different, from girly 1950's to clean cut dada inspired collages.

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I've only just started university (foundation diploma), I am still a little centipede like creature eating through 2 hour history lectures and professional practise essays. But I've always known I belong to the illustration and graphic design industry, mainly due to the moment when I met Rob Ryan and was a stuttering state. Getting to see his studio scenery and inspiration, it just made me more aware of my love for illustration. But my aim for the future is to study typography as well as illustration, due to my long lasting love for Dada graphic design and Mike Perry, and hopefully combine the two mediums together and create something clean cut with an organic aspect.

Do you have any formal art training?

I have recently finished High school (A levels) with a National Diploma in Art & Design, and now currently doing a Foundation in Art & Design at Falmouth University. My aspirations are hopefully studying Graphic design (specialising in illustration) at Central Saint Martins, Camberwell or Brighton. Something I find difficult, being so young and constantly sharing my work with 25-30 year old graduates. But as well as being intimidated and a nervous worm, I have gotten some of the best feedback and motivation so far since starting collage or university.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I tend to gather a section of a paragraph of literature from any sort of book and brainstorm as many things that come to mind when reading the lines out, and create imagery from there, an endless technique that gets me in the best but bizarre places. I'm currently teaching myself to not worry so much about the end result due to my habit of being an anal girl with the end result, so by that I tend to cut any image up and not think. Have the journey and non-consciousness take me (which can explain some of the simpleness in my recent work). While being at uni I have a daily journal, self evaluating my progression each day, and by that I record any idea's or inspirations I have found throughout the day. While recording, I create pieces reflecting either the emotions of the day or idea's found through out the day, something I've recently developed since starting falmouth.

I tend work best in "short and sweet" spouts due to having a A.D.D like personality. Poor attention span, forgetful, and a fast moving thinking/idea creating mind. I never see negativity in working so minimal in my work, I always found the simplest pieces of work most inspiring and eye catching. Simplicity makes me feel more involved and in touch with the imagery used.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

This is somewhat a horrible and hard question. At the moment my favourite piece is h u n t. But I've never had a particular or ultimate favourite. My personal opinions on my work changes hourly almost, one minute I'll love it and show it to ma and pa, and then the next minuet I'll cry over disgust.

What other artists do you admire?

Many, but nothing can beat the love I have for the Dada Movement. The type, collage, life drawing, graphic design. Everything, nothing inspires me as much as dada does. Of course I have my favourite collage artists such as- The WAFA collective (Anthony Zinonos, Jesse Draxler, Mudchicken etc.), Baldessari, Kurt Schwitters and so on. But I have my illustration artists- Steven Harrington, Linda Zacks, Lauren Child, Gemma Correll etc. But i'm more inspired by photographs, unknown artists, doodles I come across randomly everyday, as well as my student peers. But my list of people who I look up to and get inspired by is endless.

Thanks Phaedra!

An exhibition by Chris Macfarlane
Oct 8th - Nov 7th, 2010
at Recoat Gallery
323 North Woodside Rd, Glasgow G20 6PM

There is something really simple and beautiful in the abstract-like collages Johanna creates. I like how she makes something from nothing, and each of her compositions are colourful and original!

Johanna Döring
www.chamozolana.com, www.behance.net/chamozolana, www.vimeo.com/chamozolana
Hamburg in Northern Germany

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Fantasy lanscapes, colours, machines vs. humanity, weird little worlds.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

As a rule I use just everything I can lay my hands on: this is mostly magazines, but also flyers and folders and old papers I find at my grandparents house, like blueprints my grandfather made at work or old calendars.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I seriously started doing collage in 2004 when my favourite professor gave us the task to do an interactive illustration. I wanted to do a picture of a town to get lost in and as I'm no good illustrating, I did it as a collage, which, surprisingly, resulted very much as I hoped it would. So I kept doing collages, they are perfect for themselves and they are also perfect as a starting point for bigger projects, as motion graphics or animated websites...

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I'm just an artistic graphic designer. for me the border between art and good design is very thin. It's just that some projects I do for clients, others for myself (thats probably doing art then, so yes, I do work in another profession).

Do you have any formal art training?

I have a diploma in Communications Design.

Explain your favourite techniques.

Starting with bigger pieces of coloured paper or paper with an interesting kind of structure or pattern I then work out the details. So it's starting more or less randomly but little by little it gets more specific. Depending on the project I sometimes continue to work at the computer.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

There isn't really. for a while it's always the last one I made, but sooner or later I'm fed up with it and want to do a better one.

What other artists do you admire?

I admire artists from Rembrandt to Daniel Richter, but to make it a more personal selection (personal, as in "influencing me") I give you the czech game designers from Amanita Design, the motion graphic artists from No-Domain in Barcelona and painter Johanna Creutzburg who lives in Berlin and who is also a very good friend.

Thanks Johanna!

All of these collages by Robert Mars are so great, and they have such a great style and feel. You can see right off the bat where he gets his inspiration, and the way he layers and peels away at the layers really reflects this 1960s ephemeral look. His collages conjure up for me road trip memories of the past that I've never even had.

Robert Mars
www.robertmars.com, www.robertmars.blogspot.com
New York

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

My view of Pop Culture in America in the 1960s.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

Vintage travel maps, 1960s Look, Life, Playboy, Time, Motor Trend, Field and Stream magazines and vintage, yellowed newspapers.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I recently found a collage I made at 7 years old so I guess my whole life. This specific body of work since 2001.

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I am also the design director for Zoo York skateboards.

Do you have any formal art training?

4 years of schooling at Parsons School of Design, NYC.

Explain your favourite techniques.

Exploring and experimenting with building layers and removing layers so the underlayers show through. The same effect that time and weather have on objects only quicker.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

Palms Motel created for my Kidder Smith show in 2007.

What other artists do you admire?

Jeff Schaller, Melody Postma, Randall Reid, Kareem Rizk, Brandon McLean, Twist, Grotesk, Christian Acker, Thomas Campbell, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Diebenkorn, Richard Misrach, Dalek, Dave Kinsey, Jane Maxwell all have had profound influence on my work and my life.

Thanks Robert!