COLLAGE

In the early 1970s I was exposed to the works of Max Ernst and other surrealists.  Around that same time, I encountered the works of the Chicago Imagist artists while attending the School of the Art Institute.  This inspired me to experiment with incorporating collage into my own creations in the form of cards and gift items commemorating special events.

When teaching a college-level art course in 2011, I assigned a class project where collage was to be the main focus.  While working alongside the students, I found myself returning to some of my earlier collage techniques within my own drawings.  This included 19th century chromolithographs and images culled from more contemporary mail order catalogs featuring an array of knick-knacks, household, and health care paraphernalia.

The act of introducing foreign (collage) elements to the surface of the paper creates a tension that invigorates the entire process of making the piece.