January 2011 Archives

Federico emailed me about his artwork, and while it is not necessarily collage I wanted to share. I really like his black and white minimal (and textural) pieces. From his website:

Federico Saenz-Recio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1976. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. As a response to a perfectionist world, Federico's paintings and sculptures are Minimal studies of Abstraction, he calls this process " Lessismorism".

And he has done some great structural wood pieces as well:

via Federico Saenz-Recio.

These collages by Christos vary in the effect on the viewer, but are cohesive in style. His use of shades gives creates a different atmosphere for each piece. He uses warm grays for a more nostalgic and dreamlike feel, and cold stark whites and blacks for pieces that are more sophisticated or fashion-oriented. There is such a range to his style that I wouldn't expect from using such a monochromatic palette!

Christos Kourtoglou
flickr.com/photos/masterview/
Greece

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Nostalgic in a modern way, sad in a happy way. Or vice versa.

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

I use images from magazines (fashion mostly) and image banks.

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

About a year or so. I began illustrating with sketches and vectors but I realised that I couldn't visualise the things I had in mind. So I tried to develop a collage style that suited me more.

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

I work as a graphic designer. Recently I'm doing work for a magazine and I'm part of the Indyvisuals Design Collective, here in Athens.

Do you have any formal art training?

No. I have studied sociology and done some graphic design courses.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I use acrylic paint to make backgrounds or elements I can use in different artworks. I cut and paste images making different compositions. Then it depends. Most times I divide them and making edits in photoshop or illustrator. Sometimes I keep the original.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

I like a lot the longhair and beast pieces.

What other artists do you admire?

Gustav Klutsis, Kurt Schwitters. Jean Michel Basquiat. Andy Dixon, Edouardo Recife.

Thanks Christos!

Javier's experimental type collages feel very design-y to me, like a project you would be assigned in design school. He has a strong sense of layout and grid, and the typographic collages he creates flow well with the black and white imagery--though they sometimes involve no imagery at all. They are sort of patterned, sort of abstract, and undoubtedly quite strong.

Javier Vázquez
http://www.flickr.com/photos/javier_vazquez
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Design your thoughts with feelings.

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

I like working with magazines, especially vintage ones. I also like to use black and white photos, but what attracts me most is working with fonts of any kind (cut, drawn, Letraset).

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

I started making collages since I was a kid and, eventually, I've learned and developed different techniques. I think my interest appeared in the need of draw out emotions and feelings that I have inside.

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

I don't know if consider myself as an artist; I think that is a very big word to describe my work and I don't think to be prepared to take care of it. I believe my collage work can be sintetized in the combination of three elements: design + thoughts + feelings.

Do you have any formal art training?

I study Graphic Design at the University of Buenos Aires, in Argentina.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I love old books/moleskines and I prefer to use them mixing pieces of cuttings, letters, photographs, textures and colors, to shape what is happening inside me at that moment. I try to express myself through all that mixing that I do.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

I don't think to have a favorite piece. As I said before, I relieve that if I had to choose one I would go for those with greater presence of typography in the compositions.

What other artists do you admire?

I really like (and admire) the current state of the art work as Dadaism and Russian Constructivism and the design work of Massin. Of course, I love the art of many other amateur collagists (like me!) around the world.

Thanks Javier!

Liv has this way of collaging that involves cutting away in intricate patterns that drew me to her work. She has an excellent sense of colour and pattern and she embraces it in her collages. They are bright and happy and have a multicultural feel. She seems worldly and appreciative of historic art pieces as well!

Liv Enqvist
http://imagerecycled.blogspot.com
Stockholm, Sweden

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

A place where anything can happen, a visual haiku poem.

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

I like to work with Japanese wrapping paper, fashion magazines and books from the fifties.

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

I realized that I have been doing collages since I was 18, but I took it up again more regularly a couple a years ago. I love the mix between different worlds, to be able to create my own stories. I like that it's a kind of recycling, to make something new out of something old. Now I also started to do paper clothes with collage elements, it's an evolving process and I never know what's coming next.

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

I work with different kind of creative projects that ranges from set design to writing. For a living I've been working on a boat and as a teacher.

Do you have any formal art training?

I studied design at Beckman School of Arts in Stockholm and Set design at Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I collect papers wherever I go and then I pour it all out on the floor, then I discover new combinations that inspires me. I like using an xacto knife to cut out patterns, usually glue many layers of paper and sometimes I draw on top, it's like a very analogue Photoshop. I like to find that unexpected aesthetical contact between different pictures and feel that everything just falls into place.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

It hasn't been created yet, tomorrow, tomorrow...

What other artists do you admire?

I like Bacon, Rothko, Peter Beard and Sophie Calle.

Thanks Liv!

www.mortezahedi.com
January 21st - 30th, 2011
at Nagayamon Gallery
Tsukuba, Japan

I stumbled upon these collages/drawings/paintings on flickr and I really like the way Jennifer uses paint on imagery. I thought they were quite unique, and even though they are very colourful, it doesn't interfere with their dramatic nature.

via Jennifer Mehigan aka OF THE HOLY BLOOD.

Collage series via Ben Owen.

Beth's collage work is so dreamy. I really enjoy the series of people with their backs turned, admiring the landscape. It's just so clever and a little mesmerizing even. The landscapes she chooses are quite magical, and on top of that, she uses a lot of "mysterious" colours--like the blues and purples--that create a really great mood.

Elizabeth (Beth) Ryan Hoeckel
www.bethhoeckel.com
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Ethereal with ghostly/dreamlike qualities, but also sharp and witty.

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

I collect old books and magazines of all sorts, but usually end up finding the best materials in National Geographics from the late 1950's through early 1970's. 'Yes' brand paste is a key element. And a pair of sharp little scissors and 'X-Acto' knives.

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

I would say I've been at it for about 15 years. Collage was definitely the first art form that really spoke to me back in high school (I went to an art magnet school). Oil painting and charcoal drawing only held my interest for so long before I wanted to mix all the media up.

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

I have had a number of odd jobs to pay the bills. And I do mean odd. Ranging from NASA behavioral research studies to babysitting at hotels to modeling for art classes. And everything in between. The more unconventional the better, anything to keep my mind moving in creative directions.

Do you have any formal art training?

I got my diploma from Carver Center for Arts magnet high school in Baltimore and my BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I think I get the most work done when I'm alone in my studio at night listening to music and losing track of time. I let my intuition tell me when something is right and when it is finished. I rely mostly on intuition. That and the proper materials.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

Created by me or by someone else? By me, that changes but right now it's a mixed-media drawing/collage called Rivulet, by someone else--I think that is far too hard to narrow down!

What other artists do you admire?

My strongest admiration is for women artists like Agnes Martin, Eva Hesse, Frida Kahlo, Sally Mann, Marlene Dumas, Louise Bourgeois to name a few.

Thanks Beth!

I still have a lot of posts to catch up on, some of them are sooo old! I'm sorry Samuel, for just getting to this now. When I did this interview, he was a student and "occasional illustrator", I wonder how his life has changed since! Looks to me like he might be doing more illustration, as these new pieces currently show an illustrative style. I like the way he combines drawing and scraps of paper, it is a method that is very versatile for an illustrator.

Samuel Castaño
http://www.samuelcastano.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/samuelcastano/
Medellín - Colombia

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Clean, calculated, sometimes critic, hybrid.

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

Old magazines, I have lots of Readers Digest magazines so it's good material to work with. And I'm always alert to find papers and material in the garbage and streets. Package, labels, stuff like that.

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

My mom says that when I was little I used to collect pieces of paper in a box. When I grew up I realized how interesting are the old imagery and the hybrid things that I can create whit this technique. Make a collage is fun, and I like the recycling theme and that kind of stuff... so I think is a reason.

When you look collages from artist you admire it seems so easy, but it isn't, that's interesting about collage too.

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

I don't know if im an artist but I'm studying graphic design. I work as freelance illustrator sometimes.

Do you have any formal art training?

Besides the college (graphic design), no.

Explain your favourite techniques.

Sitting on my desk, take a magazine, scissors, glue, a pencil, and have fun.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

My Moleskines, they are like a journal, with collages, drawings, words...

What other artists do you admire?

Eduardo Recife, emmanuel polanco, Wonksite, Mark Weaver.

Thanks Samuel!

A solo exhibition by April Gertler
January 27th - February 10th, 2011
Basement Project Space
Camden Quay
Cork, Ireland

This exhibition is in association with Sirius Arts Centre and the Crawford Art Gallery. The exhibition at BPS forms part of a larger International Photography event called "All My Lovin" taking place throughout Cork city and County.

Stanley's collages have a very textural look, regardless of whether they are handmade or digital. What I feel is unique about his collage work is the way he tends to use one dominant colour in his pieces. It gives his work a great energy! And of course I am personally drawn to the shades he chooses.

Stanley Hooper
www.stanleyhooper.com
Brighton, England

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Fact and fiction in a collage cake.

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

Old magazines (the older the better) found ephemera and my own photography.

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

For around 4 years. I started because I liked the idea of using found imagery and my own photography to create something new something out of place, out of time. And I was bored of painting!

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

I work as an illustrator and graphic designer.

Do you have any formal art training?

I was trained at loughborogh university art school.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I enjoy the whole process. Everything related to collage, even the tracking down of images is fun! I am fascinated by solvent transfers at the moment.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

That's usually the last thing I have done, for a few hours, then I hate it and never want to see it again! Then I go back to it later and realise it's not so bad.

What other artists do you admire?

All artists who manage to make a living from what they do. Favourite artists include David Hockney, Dave Mckean, Robert Rauschenberg and Peter Blake.

Thanks Stanley!

Some cute and simple collage from a blog I follow, at swim-two-birds. I'm not sure what these collages are about, some unfinished project. I love their simplicity, and the fact that she also turned some of the shapes into an embroidery. Beautiful!

So, here's the secret: throw everything you have on papertrash on a sheet of paper and move the pieces till you have the constellation you like, than glue everything.

Read the rest of the post here.

Andy's collages seem to me like ephemeral time capsules, and I really like the simple way he uses vintage packaging in his work. I enjoy the emphasis on bits of type samples and the way he uses muted colours as strongly as bright ones. His collages look almost woven together, like each piece of paper is a scrap of vintage fabric and the final piece is a beautiful paper quilt--which is also completely relevant to the era of the materials.

Andy Burgess
www.popgeometry.com 
Born and raised in London, UK -  now living in Tucson AZ, USA

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Hopper, Schwitters and Hockney meet for tea at the Bauhaus.

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

Vintage matchbooks, envelopes, cigarette packets and ticket stubs,  found and discarded paper, clothes labels, business cards and any nice paper that lands in the mail. I don't use newspapers or magazines because I'm afraid that they will disintegrate too easily.

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

I've been making collage since about 1993 when I started at Art School. I'd seen a show of Kurt Schwitters at The Pompidou Museum in Paris and it blew me away. His collages were so elegant and vital--like visual cubist poems. I've always made collage, often alongside my painting, as a form of play and experiment and  also as a form of meditation. I can lose myself for hours and hours in a happy reverie. 

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

I am a schizophrenic artist in that I paint, make collage and am an obsessive photographer. I have always thought of myself as primarily a painter but in the last few years i think I've morphed into being primarily a collage artist. It consumes me. A couple of years ago I started a publishing company, Avalon Art, to publish my images as greeting cards because I was fed up with working with the big art publishers. Now I have a business partner and we are expanding the company and will soon be publishing Kareem Rizk! But essentially I make my living by selling my work in galleries and at art fairs. 

Do you have any formal art training?

Yes--having completed a degree in Politics I had a change of heart and decided I wanted to be an artist--so I went back to college. First I did a Foundation in Art and Design in London and then went to a small art college also in London called Byam Shaw, where I did a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art. 

Explain your favourite techniques.

I tend to build up a piece very slowly, like a mosaic, using hundreds of tiny peices that I've obsessively cut and trimmed. Often I include text and lots of little printed graphic symbols, letters and numbers to create a sort of informal text poem. I choose all the paper according to the kind of colour palette and texture that I'm after. I try and create a collage that is evocative of a time and place, and references the art that I enjoy, from Bauhaus to Dada and Constructivism etc I sometimes use glue sticks but more recently I use a liquid collage PVA glue that is unbelievably durable and is also archival. 

In my painted collage I have used old vintage bank notes which have been painted on, sanded down and then cut up and re-arranged into abstract patterns or cityscapes. 

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

That's a really difficult question. Recently I made some  panoramic pictures of Chicago using old matchbooks that I was particularly proud of. 

What other artists do you admire?

I've already mentioned Kurt Schwitters, the King of collage in my book!  I also love David Hockney as an artist...his colour and sense of magic and joy is very inspiring. And Matisse of course! The English artists Peter Blake and the late Eduardo Paolozzi have also influenced my aesthetic.  There are so many great collage artists out there today. I've recently discovered Kareem Rizk and Holly Chastain (aka dr kennedy Jones). My wife Gabrielle makes beautiful drawings which also inspire me. 

Thanks Andy!

Cutters/Cork
February 7 - March 12
West Cork Arts Centre
Cork, Ireland

This exhibition will focus on contemporary collage and will showcase a large number of works by an international collection of artists. In Cutters/Cork James Gallagher, a collage artist himself, has brought together over 50 artists from all over the world to illustrate the range and depth of collage taking place today.

This exhibition is the third in the Cutters series (Brooklyn in 2009, and Berlin in 2010), and will continue to showcase the excitement of the newly invigorated art form of collage.

The full list of participating artists is as follows: Michael Bartalos, Melinda Beck, Brian Belott, Hischam Akira Bharoocha, Stephen Brandes, Paul Burgess, Dennis Busch, Hollie Chastain, Alejandro Chavetta, Cless, Barrett Cook, Liam Crockard, Valero Doval, Jesse Draxler, Tatiana Echeveri Fernandez, Erik Foss, James Gallagher, April Gertler, Jason Glasser, Eva Han, Sean Hillen, Ashkan Honarvar, Jordin Isip, Louis Johnstone, Rubén B Kowalsk, Eva Lake, Greg Lamarche, Vanessa Lemounier, Dani Leventhal, Leif Low-Beer, Max o Matic, Jeffrey Meyer, Vincent Pacheco, Melissa Paget, David Plunkert, Garrett Pruter, Kareem Rizk, Javier Rodriguez, Jenni Rope, Jason Rosenberg, Valerie Roybal, Joe Ryckebosch, Cay Schroder, Baby Smith, Kerstin Stephan, Katherin Streeter, Sergei Sviatchenko, Alejandra Villasmil, David Wallace, Jessica Williams, Oliver Wiegner, Lulu Wolf, Bill Zindel, Anthony Zinonos and Mario Zoots. The exhibition will also link to a series of lens based events taking place in Cork and Cobh over the same period.

Above image by Paul Burgess

Katy Horan and Alexis Mackenzie
Jan 22 - Feb 27, 2011
at Swarm Gallery
Oakland, CA

I love this, some collage pieces neatly organized... Sometimes I am particularly drawn to things in the Notpaper flickr pool!

via Jeffrey Meyer aka goofbutton

Jheri's collage work looks and feels very music inspired, everything he does could be an album cover (specifically records because of the vintage nature of his materials)! His collages seem to tell a deeper story than just a simple juxtaposition of different backgrounds and imagery--but not like a typical story, more like stories people write songs about.

Jheri Evans
http://jherievans.com/
Wilmington, NC (via Myrtle Beach, SC)

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Drug diluted distractions for an unrelenting soul.

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

I primarily use vintage National Geographic magazines. The current stack of about 60 or so that I am pulling from spans from 1955 to 1974. My mom continually collects them for me. She recently found a stack of vintage x-men comic books that I'll be cutting up soon. The artwork I did for Dom's 10" EP, Plato, was done using fashion magazines from the clothing store I work at.

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

Well I started doing them in my senior year of high school. Late 2005 or so. My art teacher had these massive stacks of National Geographic, and the collage art was her idea. After doing the first one I realized how enjoyable it had been for me and did several more. After I graduated my supply of NatGeos was gone so I stopped doing them until last December. I went through some rough events earlier in the month that influenced the decision to quit drinking, Sometime around then I went to a doctor's office for a broken hand, and while I was there I stole several issues of NatGeo. Since then I've just been doing them as often as I can. When I start a collage I get into a zone and until it's finished I'm just locked into my own little world. It's a very soothing thing for me.

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

Haha, I work in too many professions. I run my own music-oriented blog called Get Off The Coast. I also write for the Pitchfork-affiliated site Altered Zones, and work with the blog FMLY on a frequent basis. Aside from the writing I have a music project titled Pariah Carey.

Do you have any formal art training?

I took art class during all four years of high school.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I like to arrange the layers before gluing anything down. I'm also very precise with my cuts.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

It looks like this.

What other artists do you admire?

Dr Seuss, Jasper Johns and every ad exec that gets you to buy their bullshit products every day.

Thanks Jheri!

Solo exhibition by Carlos Granados
Jan 5th - Jan 16th, 2011
(Opening Jan 6th, 7:00 - 10:00pm)
at Gladstone Hotel; Art Bar
1214 Queen Street West, Toronto Ontario

I received my copy of The Elegant Cockroach a little while ago now, because I have spent the last month moving to another country! But I didn't want to forget to tell you about it, because I think it's great (as is everything from UPPERCASE, of course). It's a storybook with a more mature slant, and the reason I am reviewing it is because of the great collage illustrations by Stefanie Augustine, which really capture the mood and romance in this book.

It's about a cockroach who starts to grow tired of "the big city" and his life there and desires more of a connection with nature, and with simpler things, and maybe even love. Stefanie really captures the mood of the story, with it's soft gray tones (for the concrete jungle) with the occasional shock of red. There are a lot of collage illustrated books that use cut paper, but what is special about her work for this book is that she also uses old imagery, of elaborate wallpaper and rugs, of twigs and trees, and of buildings for skylines. I really appreciate the attention to detail and the overall aura she creates!

More about the book at UPPERCASE.

Fita Cola (adhesive tape) is a collaboration by Carlos Quitério and Graça Santos.

Fitacola collages are made of scissor cuts and adhesive tape reassemblings from original paper stuff we've been acquiring through these years... Having reached a point of almost endless supplies, the process is quite simple... Assemble by having fun.

via Behance.

Came across this cool series by Tarda Mucho, who is always coming up with great ideas.

via Tarda Mucho.

Laurie's work takes itself seriously, with the stark contrasts using negative space, the geometric and angled imagery, and the abstract ideas, but the subject matter is mostly light hearted--maybe that's why I find her works so entertaining! Not only are they pleasant to anyone with an eye for design, they are witty and will make you smile.

Laurie Kang
www.lauriekang.com
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Exploring abstraction with an acute sense of composition, colour, shape.

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

Most of my material is sourced from books I find on the side of the street. I like being surprised and it's a fun challenge to work with 'limitations'.

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

About 2 years. Collage started as a creative outlet from my other focus (mostly film photography). I was really caught up in trying to make my photo work 'important' and 'unique' that it was driving me crazy. Collaging was therapeutic and felt natural.

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

Currently trying very hard to maintain status of solely an artist. I do creative freelance work where possible too.

Do you have any formal art training?

BFA, Photography from Concordia University in Montreal.

Explain your favourite techniques.

Intuition.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

I'm too critical, so I wouldn't call it a favourite so much as the strongest right now. It was the first time I cut a collage out of a collage, stencil-style. I want to keep exploring that (first collage in the series).

What other artists do you admire?

BGL, Simen Johan, Shary Boyle, Jacob Whibley, Fever Ray, Leslie Feist, Hannah Hoch, Joan Miro, and many many more.

Thanks Laurie!