Using Words with Collage

It's been a while since my last post and I wanted to display two new collages that were made during this last semester using collage and words.  The first one is obviously political in nature and close to my belief system when it comes to civil rights.  We see Uncle Sam pointing to the flag and with the motto "liberty and justice for all" beneath.  The illustration however is taken from an flyer that advertised the sale of slaves during the 19th. century.  Irony is the context.

The second collage is a fictional account.  I had an old postcard of hikers perhaps during the turn of the century.  One of the women was removed and her presence is still there only ghostlike.  It then occurred to me to use words to compose a letter to her husband explaining her long absence.  I used various materials including lace to give it an "old" quality.  I even dyed the paper and burnt the edges of the note to add authenticity.

Spring Collage: Women Artists and the Word or the Act of Writing

This semester we are focussing on contemporary women artists who use words in their work.  One of the best known is Shirin Neshat an Iranian artist who resides in the United States.  According to an introduction before a Ted Talk the following offers a brief description of her work:
Her photographs and films offer a glimpse of the cultural, religious and political realities that shape the identities of Muslim women worldwide.
Here is an example of her altered photograph using words as a veil:

I found a current photo of the actress Tilda Swinton in New York Magazine that I altered it by adding henna to her hands and a bird's wing to her shoulder.

"Fourth of July"

In keeping with my intention to combine painting and collage I recently finished my latest piece.  With homage to Kandinsky I once again created a painting influenced by his shapes and colors.  The collage elements come from a bunch of postcards celebrating an old fashioned fourth of July.

"A Container" - Constructing an Assemblage

Continuing the theme of different materials this semester, a container  became an interesting vehicle for expression.  In keeping with my interest in assemblage (creating a sculpture out of found or everyday objects), I decided to use a wooden cigar box donated by one of the other students.  I am also drawn to imagery of people from earlier times.  I then created a family tree including members of mixed races and figures of native Americans along with actual twigs.
Below is the result:

Materials for Collage

For my collage class this semester, the focus has been on materials.  For example, one week we worked with corrugated cardboard, the next week a garment, and the third week a book cover.  The instructor started with a surprise quote to stimulate developing a finished piece. For the piece on the left I used scored cardboard and torn paper.  The piece on the right is a cover for a make-believe book that I entitled "Grim Fairy Tales."

"Circus"

Recently I visited the Guggenheim and for third time I went to a side gallery to view Kandinsky's paintings which he did while in Paris.  I was very taken with many of his pieces and decided to try my hand at creating a painting combining his influences and some collage.  His use of color, line and shape had a great affect on me and helped me to get back to painting which has been dormant for a long time while concentrating on collage.  Below is a result of my effort: