by Danielle Krysa (Author) - Collage Contemporary Artists Hunt and Gather, Cut and Paste, Mash Up and Transform

Copyright 2014 by Danielle Krysa.
Foreword copyright 2014 by Anthony Zinonos.
Artist statements, bios, and artwork
copyright by the individual artists.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form without written permission from the publisher.

constitutes a continuation of the copyright page.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN: 978-1-4521-2480-3 (pb)
ISBN: 978-1-4521-3035-4 (epub, mobi)

Design by Kristen Hewitt

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

BY ANTHONY ZINONOS

The very first collage I remember making was a ransom note to my parents. The note read: We have your childrensend 2,500,000. My sister and I never did receive that money. We hid in the back garden for a few hours until we got bored and hungry, then returned to the house acting as though nothing had happened. This has stuck in my memory, not just because of the unimaginable things the ten-year-old me planned to do with my share of money, but also because the process of leafing through stacks of magazines and newspapers trying to find the correct letters to make the note got me hooked.

I have always been drawn to process-heavy art making, spending hours in darkrooms printing photographs, prepping silk screens and plates for printing or working on sheet after sheet of a great big pile of papers to later capture and make an animation that lasts for only twenty-five seconds. The obsessive-compulsive side of methe side that likes order and organizationgrabbed onto the medium of collage and ran for the hills. I discovered that the constant searching for and collecting of new materials to use, and the numerous hours spent trying to sort and arrange cut images, had my name written all over it.

Over the last few years it seems that a collage boom has been taking place, a rise in popularity that has led not just to an increase in people making collage but to an influx of exhibitions, books, and blogs showcasing the diversity of the medium. Collage is earning a well overdue level of respect as a legitimate art form, instead of being thought of as just something for children to dabble with in their early school years. The basic idea of an artist needing to draw, paint, or sculpt is thrown out the window, and the scissors, scalpel, and glue are welcomed with open arms.

I feel very lucky to be a part of this expansion in collages popularity. It has given me the opportunity to take part in exhibitions throughout the worldshowing my work in small cities like Norwich in the United Kingdom, to more exotic metropolises such as Quito, the capital of Ecuador. It has also helped me to achieve commercial success as a collage illustrator. I could not be happier making collages for a living. It enables me to do the work I love every day of the week. Before the current renaissance, my own collage process was slightly frowned upon by my tutors and peers during my art school years. Only after graduating did I discover the tight-knit family of other collage artists that was flourishing online. These artists provided inspiration and encouragement and were always willing to share their process tips, methods, and work. There is something about collage that breeds collaboration. Indeed, it seems to be the perfect medium for collaborative projects. Working together with other collage practitioners opens the artists eyes to the different processes and methods employed by others and teaches the individual about his or her own work, and how it is read and perceived by others.

theKAMIKAZEbarons, 2012, collage on paper

We currently live in a very digital society, spending most of our day attached to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, navigating through virtual pages with a click of a button or the swipe of a finger. This may be one reason for the recent surge in popularity of collage and other forms of craft. It may be that people feel the need to make things by hand again, to physically touch and create something outside of their day-to-day digital lives. Mass-produced goods can be perceived as somewhat heartless and ordinary, whereas the satisfaction of creating something with ones own hands is priceless. There is more room for error and this so often leads to unexpected, but frequently beautiful, mistakes. These mistakes can and should be embraced, because they often give rise to new ideas and therefore encourage progression in the work.

I love collage because it is such a tactile process. I feel a connection to the materials that Im using through handling and manipulating, and enjoy making them my own. The restrictions of working with collage materials is, for me, a welcome challengethe removal of a thing from its original context, giving it a new life and meaning. However, the material still by its very nature carries some of its past with it, adding extra depth to a piece. I enjoy using vintage images because of their unpolished and grainy quality, as well as their texture and color saturation. I let the images guide my creative process.

blackBEAUTYwasAtwin, 2013, collage on paper

I start by looking through magazines and books, soaking in their content and mood. Certain images or details will catch my attention and will spark my thought process, leading me to start thinking about how I might use the image to create a composition, idea, or narrative. I think there is an element of my subconscious taking control while I workonly afterward will the subtle details and meanings within the work reveal themselves. Generally the actual making of a collage is a quick processthe groundwork of searching and collecting materials having already been put in place. I thrive on the adventure of the search for new paper goods to use, religiously visiting secondhand shops and flea markets as well as constantly checking for interesting scraps on the streets or in rubbish bins. There is the sense of regeneration and upcycling that attracts me to peoples discarded paper goods, I like to think that Im giving it a second chance to shine instead of just becoming more landfill.

Collage is cheap and accessible to everybody. You dont need any fancy equipment or a workshop full of toolsevery household has a pair of scissors and some glue or adhesive tape. All you need is some inspiration and off you gocutting, tearing, and sticking. The art featured in this book is nothing short of inspirational. It shows the various styles and different approaches to collage, with artists using not only paper but also textiles, paint, printmaking, and sculptural elements to create pieces that are both beautiful and thought-provoking.

BY DANIELLE KRYSA

Every day, on my art site, the Jealous Curator, I write about contemporary artists who make me jealous. Jealous in an inspirational waywith maybe just a small punch to the creative gut. Im an artist myself, and when I find work that makes me think, Oh I wish I thought of that, I know that Ive got tomorrows post. I would guess that at least half of these posts are about mixed-media and collage artists. Found images you never would have dreamed of seeing paired, are now forever glued as one. A lonely black-and-white photograph is given new life when stitched over with rainbow-hued embroidery thread. Book covers become canvases and sausages become guns. Anything is possible with a pair of scissors and a bit of glue. I make collages of my own, and I write about other artists collages all the time. And that obsession is the germ of this book.