Neubauer - The Art of Expressive Collage: Techniques for Creating with Paper and Glue

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To my mom: I have the fondest childhood memories sitting at your side working on arts and crafts. Thank you for nurturing the creative seed in me. And for loving me all the way to the place I am today.

And to my family: to my husband, Larry; my son, Jason; and my daughters, Kristin and Andrea. And my steps, who are no less my own, Laura, Jake, Amanda and Jordan. Thank you for being real. And for allowing me to be also. I love every one of you and wouldnt trade a single moment of our journey together. It is all a part of who we are as individuals and as a family. It all matters and every moment has served you in becoming the men and women you are today. I am proud of you all and I love you with every fiber of my being.

And to God: You placed these creative desires in my heart and delight to bring them to fruition.

I am sitting in my studio soaking in the sight of the supplies and materials that are essential to the work that I do. There are piles of scraps in front of me, arranged and waiting to be glued onto watercolor paper foundations, along with a stack of finished collage work neatly mounted and wrapped in cellophane wrappers in preparation for an upcoming show. Across the table are antique pitchers and salvaged jars full of paintbrushes, and a near-empty container of paste sitslid ajar, abandoned after the recent completion of an overdue collaborative project. The wall to my right is outfitted with a salvaged office mail system, which now semi-neatly houses my favorite papers and scraps, while several large bins and a few boxes under the table contain an array of several years worth of rummaging and foraging, and which, for all intents and purposes, most anyone would say looked like the household recyclables waiting to be put out on trash day.

Looking around, I cant help but think of the journey that brought me to this place: laptop in front of me typing out the words that will form a book that others will turn to for guidance in their own artistic adventures. Has it really been over a decade since the night I found myself searching the racks at the local bookstore for something to guide me through the stirring I was feeling around the art of collage? I remember with clarity coming home with a book by a popular mixed-media artist and setting off to work on the projects outlined in her book. And I also remember what great frustration I felt over the results. While what I produced did look like a beginners version of the project I was following, it felt forced and did not resonate with my own artistic impulses. Something inside knew that this was not my voice.

We often come to the table with the expectation that there is a right and a wrong way to approach the canvas and fully expect that in every art medium there is the potential for a good or bad outcome based on how skilled we are at following the rules. The idea of letting go of control is intimidating, especially when using precious found materials and investing in expensive art supplies. We see the work of others online and in magazines and think about the technical skill involved in producing that work of art and, if we have never had formal art training, immediately disqualify ourselves from being able to create something we feel emotionally connected to.

Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist.

Edward Hopper

What does it even mean to work intuitively? When I sit down to work, bits and scraps and tattered remnants of old books and papers spread out before me, I am not conscious of anything outside of that space. There is no music on to distract, no TV droning on in the background, and yet I am listening intently. As I move the papers around, I am opening myself to hear, deep within, a voice, an affirmation, an internal nod. Something deep within my soul will stir, and I know I have heard from the still small voice. The creators voice within, some may call it their muse or internal storyteller, some even say it is their inner child having permission to come out and play. No matter the term, this is the artists intuition.

The intuitive artist is the artist who trusts what her eye tells her is good. She allows for the fact that she has a story to tell through art, but lets go of the notion that the story will be known before she starts working. It is not so much about learning a technique as it is learning to trust that you know what you know. It is letting go of a plan, letting go of expectations and creating in spite of your fear. If you have been formally trained in art, it may mean learning to trust your eye rather than the rules. If you have never so much as taken an art workshop, it may mean giving yourself permission to play with the tools and materials you once thought were only for professionals. Either way, to work intuitively allows for the finished work to be more than what the artist is capable of producing on his artistic merits alone. It allows for the voice within to translate to the canvas without the need to have to spell out the message and make it obvious to the viewer.

There is truly a story of redemption in each work of art I produce. Each bit of trash that finds its way into my work, each slip of paper or spine from a book, represents a piece of ones life. There are highs and lows. There are things we remember fondly from our past and things wed like to forget about altogether. When looked at individually, these scraps and bits do not hold much appeal to the average viewer, but when bound together with graphite, chalk and glue, each scrap is essential to the final composition and the viewer sees it as beautiful. Not one element could be removed without affecting all the others. In the same way, every experience of our lives is vital to the person we are today; every fragment of time is essential to our story. I have discovered this is the overarching theme of my work as I have honed my craft over the years. What will you discover your story to be?

There is a relationship that is developed between the artist and the artistic process when practiced intuitively. A common mistake is trying to tell the canvas the story instead of allowing it to be released through the process. In my teaching experience, I am privileged to see that aha moment in the faces of my students as they learn to let go of control. I see faces that are radiant, imaginations being stirred and identity beginning to make itself known. It is my desire to be able to convey this sense of freedom to you while raising your expectations to create exceptional works of art. To take you from the fear of messing it up to the excitement of letting it flow.