Expressive arts

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BIO

Collage

I love the free form of collage and I became addicted to collecting vintage images after doing a history of photography class at Winthrop University.

I sometimes use these vintage images in my collages. But often I just use whatever is lying around my studio and is accessible, old letters, photographs

I have taken, rubber stamps, wallpaper samples. I enjoy using Photoshop to create the collages as well as paper. The collages are used in collaborative projects such as "fat books" or Artist trading card swaps. Fat books are collaborative books with twenty to fifty pages in each book, each one contributed by ta different artist to fit in with the theme of the book. They are works of art and I treasure my collection.

Artist Trading Cards

These are minature works of art that are swapped between artists. They are the same size as a sports trading card, 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and are usually made according to a theme. Somerset Studio has recently brought out a wonderful book called Artist Trading Cards - An Anthology of ATCs which is worth getting if this type of art inspires you.

Book Arts
<>In creating this artists book I have used portions of a vintage book and old fabric to create a place to “house” vintage photographs which have been collaged using paper, found objects and paint. In this book the story is “housed” on the collaged pages. The words used are few, as in a storybook for a child, and so allow you to interpret the images for yourself. The pages have been attached to the fabric spine of the book using thread. The buttons are decorative. We dwell between earth and sky and I have used organic objects found in nature to give the feeling of earth, while using wings to give the feeling of sky. I have constructed pockets from wire mesh and used natural mica. In the process of making this one-of-a-kind book using old materials I have become more aware of the deeper meaning of life, which becomes easily hidden by the barrage of advertising and mass produced products which tell us that acquiring more new things is the purpose of living . The book shows me the beauty in the old and the natural.