Thursday, May 5, 2016

Art I'm Making: Untitled Collage No. 141 (Santa Rosa)

I  have been making collages at a fairly steady pace, new papers rather sporadically. The result of that difference has been a cyclical effect in my collage-making. A batch of new papers induces a flurry of activity—a group of new works that are fed by the excitement of having new material to work with. These pieces tend to be larger, as they use newly created full-sheet monoprints. Gradually, new material is consumed. The work that follows becomes smaller, more delicate, fed by the scraps and leftovers of other work. Eventually I reach a place where it's difficult to create at all using the bits and pieces left behind (although these are treasured as accents and unexpected additions—little is thrown away). And then, suddenly, in a burst of energetic activity, I create new papers. And from these, new collages emerge.

Today, at the end of a phase of this cycle, I finished a new piece that was a considerable struggle. I was pleased to have arrived at a good place despite aching to get out my tempered glass plate and my paints to spend a few hours monoprinting (perhaps tomorrow, or over the weekend).

This is Untitled Collage No. 141 (Santa Rosa). May 5, 2016. Acrylic on paper, acrylic monoprint, collage. Image size 13.7 x 21cm. Matted to 16 x 20 inches. Signed and dated on reverse. Signed on the mat. For more of my collage work, use the Art I'm Making tab here or visit my collage site at http://ctalcroft.wix.com/collage-site.

Serendipitous Art: A Wall of Invisible Marks

Recently at the De Young Museum in San Francisco I saw a wall covered with marks—marks made by human hands—around the hand railing on a staircase. They are invisible in most lights, but, at one oblique angle and with the light coming down from above, they appear momentarily...until you move slightly and they become invisible again.

For more unintended art, see my blog Serendipitous Art.
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