My definition of collage is an art form in which you affix [with some sort of glue or other sticking agent] various elements to a basic support. Some examples:
- *A paper collage on paper: tear various types of paper - colored paper, newsprint, magazine pages, photos - and glue them in some kind of design [ordered or abstract] onto a plain sheet of paper [could be white construction paper, illustration board or colored paper]
- *a paper on canvas or board collage: all of the above except you glue your bits and bobs onto a board or canvas
- *other types of materials collage - you can glue down wrapping paper, tissue paper, foil, matchbook covers, tickets, thin pieces of wood, any flat [or nearly so] item that can be affixed to whatever support you want
The point is that a collage is an art work done on a flat support and composed of various materials glued to that support. The photo above is a "painted paper collage" I did titled, "The Cabin." The support is a 16" x 20"canvas panel. I painted artist sketch paper with acrylic paints to get the colors I wanted, then cut them into shapes. After glueing down the paper I embellished the painting with gold leaf and gold paint splattering. Then I varnished it with acrylic varnish. [commercial break: "The Cabin" is currently on sale in my Etsy shop until the end of January.]
The best history of collage that I've come across is written by artist Nancy Egol Nikkal. Her collage workshop site, stuffthatsticks.com, says, "...The first known collages are from Japan where calligraphers copied poems onto collaged papers. From the 19th century on, collage followed the trade routes and paper moved West, and the history of collage follows the manufacture of paper...."
I think collage as an art form is fascinating. Like sculpture it involves an intimate hands-on involvement with the medium(s) to create the work. Like quilting, collage is a layering and stitching together of pieces to bring a vision to life. Nancy Nikkal is a collage artist whose pieces evoke this sensibility. She says of herself: ..."I love paper. I wrote My Life is About Glue. I want to get things to stick together and stay connected...." I had occasion to ask her about her work:
Question: Would you say collage is more like painting, drawing, or 2-dimensional sculpture?
NANCY: I am a mixed media artist. My primary media is collage. I think a collage can be a painting, a drawing and also a mixed media print. My work is layered and I like the papers to lie flat.
Collage with 3 dimensional elements is called assemblage. Collage with 2 dimensional elements can have some relief, depending on how thick the paper or flat elements are. Sometimes my collage has texture and low relief, but still everything lies flat and doesn’t project out or up.
I call what I do collage painting because I paint the papers. Sometimes I incise into wet painted papers and create calligraphic patterns. In the broadest sense, these incised paintings are drawings. I draw into (embellish) papers for collage. I do oil transfer drawings for collage elements. I draw with pen and ink on paper and add in magazine collage papers. These are also drawings.
Question: In your Artist Statement you talk about how you began doing collage utilizing printed publication paper [magazines] then graduated to “painterly abstract grids;” what is it about a grid pattern that appeals to you? Is it the pattern created by the grid or is the grid a way to manipulate your colors?
NANCY: When I first started to work in collage, I worked with appropriated magazine papers. The images were semi-abstract and figurative. I didn’t like the idea that I was using other people’s images, even though I was juxtaposing multiple segments. There were never enough magazine papers to complete an image in the size I wanted. Because I wanted to work larger, I painted large papers to get the paper in the colors I needed. I added magazine papers over heavy collage papers and under thin (Japanese) papers. The overall image became more abstract, more about collage, and less about an image.
The grid pattern appeals to me. I like to work with rectangular and almost square pieces of paper. I like to assemble blocks. I also like to work small and create multiple works that can be assembled into a larger whole as a grid. I like to be able to assemble as I go.
Question: What is your primary “take” on a piece? For instance do you choose the colors to express the vision and then find the materials that translate those colors? Or do you first seek the materials and shapes that fit the vision and color is then an expression of the tone of the piece?
NANCY: I work in series and typically have a collage painting nearby to inspire me. I like to explore theme and variation. I plan the organization, sizes and colors of the papers I need, and start to paint papers. As I work, papers get moved around and reorganized. The plan evolves. Typically, I repaint papers, changing color, saturation and value as needed.
I like serendipity. Sometimes the back of the paper becomes the front of the paper. Sometimes I paint back into the papers after everything is glued down. Sometimes, I collage into and over existing papers.
Question: What is it about ‘abstract’ that appeals to you?
NANCY: There are many different kinds of abstraction. I like hard-edged geometric abstraction, minimalist grids, and multiple elements. I like to reposition and recombine parts. I like squares. I play with colors. In Kirk Varnedoe’s book 'Pictures of Nothing,' he talked about abstract art since Jackson Pollock. He said: in abstraction there’s no story and no narrative like you have with realism. But there is always something there. Ideally, people create the narrative. They find something and describe it based on what they see and what they like. I like that.
I’ve asked people what they see when they look at my METRO Series (see image). Some say they feel they are looking down on a city street grid. Or the subject is about buildings in an abstract cityscape. The view from my studio window is low-story city buildings. I’m sure I’m influenced by that view. I’m looking a receding facades, windows and roof lines.
Question: Your Artist Statement indicates that you work in collage, painting and printmaking – what aspect of your art vision does each address?
NANCY: My approach is mixed media – I like to combine parts into a new whole.
Question: I like the Mission Statement you have for “Stuff that Sticks:” ‘…to introduce and promote the art of collage to the largest possible audience….’ This is great! Here’s my question: why do you want to promote the art of collage? How can the average person use collage? In your opinion what can collage translate that other art media can’t [or is less able to]?
NANCY: Collage is user-friendly. It’s democratic. Everyone really wants to be creative. Collage breeds success. Collage materials are widely available. Collage bridges the divide between high-brow and low-brow art. Everyone can make a collage.
The most successful collages are personal. My collage workshops are open to people at all levels. I encourage people to do collage with intention – to have an idea and then unify the media, the meaning, and the process.
The average person (a beginner) who wants to do collage probably should take a workshop or purchase a collage workbook to get ideas on what materials to work with and how to work with papers and glues effectively. The word collage is French and means “to glue.”
The glue you use should work with the weight and type of the paper you use. On my collage website there’s a link to “Collage Tips: How to get a smooth, flat, even surfaced collage” which talks about papers, the right glue, how to apply the glue, tools, etc.
The advantage of collage is the process is open ended and forgiving. You can explore ideas and don’t have to over-worry about technique. Practice makes perfect. You can correct mistakes as you go. You can explore different media, play with color, add graphic elements, texture, shapes, lines, and pattern. You can turn a memory into art with papers, notes, souvenirs, photos, and words that have meaning for you.
Question: Besides being a working artist you are also a teacher – what aspects of teaching do you like best? Is there any aspect of teaching that helps you as an artist? Is there something in the teaching process that maybe informs your artist vision?
NANCY: I like serendipity. I meet new adult students at the workshops. Every one arrives with a different level of experience and expectation of what they can do. I have to figure out what they want from the workshop and how I can meet their needs (based on their level). It’s always a challenge to figure out. I am always amazed at what they can create in a 6-hour workshop.
I have worked with school children, teens and college students. I have worked with artists one on one in my studio. Teens and children are incredibly creative. Some adults, even artists, can be demanding. I like to observe the interaction between the students as they watch and learn from each other. There’s a lot of synergy going on. I love to see their pride in their work.
What do I learn from them? I see how different people approach their work. I see the personal media they bring to the workshop and learn where they got it. Many times, people give me tips on online and free materials and I add the information to my handouts for future workshops. In one class, a student brought in a 3 ring binder with plastic windows that stored his collage papers. I share that now.
Question: What inspires you as an artist?
NANCY: I am inspired by the art I see in museums and galleries, by the art I read about in art periodicals and books and online. I am inspired by music and listen to classical music in my studio. I am inspired by the artists I meet and know, by enthusiastic friends, dear family, by beautiful papers, paints and media, by natural vistas, the Southwest desert and cactus, by foreign cities, the bustle of the Metropolis, by sunsets and starry nights (especially in the desert). I am inspired by vision. I am a visual person.
I suggest to everyone: collect images (and text) and keep a “swipe” file - a journal. Glue or tape the images into the journal and add your comments on why you like the image (or text) and what drew you to it, what ideas it generated. Do a sketch or small collage that is a plan for a work of your own that interprets the image. Write what you want to do. See where it goes. So many good ideas can be generated for future projects.
Question: Do you have new artistic goals for 2011?
NANCY: I have a project for a new abstract series about color and music.
Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your insights about this fascinating art form. Readers: please note that the images in today's post belong to the artists [top one is my work and other two are Nancy's] so please don't copy them.
Question for the Day: Have you done a collage?
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