Collage

Kirkland

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2020

It is sometimes surprising how you and your work can be overtaken by events. When I was printing the background and assembling the collage pieces for KIRKLAND the corona virus problem was just starting to be a story and I had no idea that Kirkland, WA would be one of the epicenters. The title for KIRKLAND actually comes from the fact that “Kirkland” is the house brand name used by Costco and the collage pieces are repurposed from a Costco tissue box. What was initially an exercise in combining a hand inked, hand pulled print and found object/recycled materials ended up with more relevance than I could have imagined. (622) (2020) (16” x 20”)

BIG CLIPS AND BUMP STOCKS

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2018

BIG CLIPS AND BUMP STOCKS, a paper collage, is a follow up to SANDY HOOK: HOPES, FEARS AND THE NRA and was started after the Las Vegas shootings. Both pieces use the same materials (recycled paper and light cardboard) and tools (scissors, and a paper punch),  recognizing  that virtually nothing changed between the two events except the scale of the massacre which is reflected by the larger size of BIG CLIPS AND BUMP STOCKS. While I would prefer to stop with BIG CLIPS AND BUMP STOCKS, in reality, I expect this to be an ongoing series. Matted and framed to 18” x 24”.

ARMED TEACHERS: WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG? AWARDED PRIZE BY ART SCENE TODAY – NATURAL AND UNNATURAL DISASTERS

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2018

I am very happy to announce that my paper collage, ARMED TEACHERS: WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG? has been chosen by juror Robert Doak as the Third Place Winner in the Art Scene Today, “Natural and UnNatural Disasters” On-line Competition. ARMED TEACHERS: WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG? can be viewed at the Art Scene Today web site: artscenetoday.com/juried-exhibitions.

ARMED TEACHERS: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2018

As I expected, SANDY HOOK: HOPES, DREAMS, AND THE NRA and BIG CLIPS AND BUMP STOCKS turned out to be not the only two pieces in what I am calling “The Second Amendment” Series. ARMED TEACHERS: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? was started after Parkland as my response to the proposal by President Trump and the NRA that the way to prevent future school violence was to have teachers carrying guns in the classroom. Once again, a paper collage using recycled paper and cardboard, scissors and a paper punch. Matted and framed to 13” x 19”

CREATION: BREATH OF GOD

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2018

I have always been interested in how various cultures, including my own, seek to explain creation and our existence. For example, the phrase “breath of God” appears 58 times in the Bible, Old and New Testament, always in the context of creation. My CREATION: THE BREATH OF GOD, a paper collage using recycled heavy paper and light cardboard, draws upon one of these references, Psalm 33, line 6 : “by the breath of his mouth all their host” for its particular inspiration. Matted and framed to 16” x 20”.

 

APOCALYPSE

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

APOCALYPSE, a double plate collographic monoprint, the first non-ceramic piece in my Summer, 2017 “Hooded Figure” series, uses stylized black and white oval figures set against a roiling orange/red/black background to illustrate a central theme from the Book of Revelations. Hand inked and hand pulled. Image: 14” x 21 ½”, matted and framed to 22” x 28”.

NUCLEAR FAMILY: 2018

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

NUCLEAR FAMILY: 2018 is a combination print and collage which superimposes two images (male and female) from my AN AMERICAN FACE Series on a hard surface monotype background in order to emphasize one of the many risks that the “nuclear family” will face in 2018. The angles and palette of the background, the merging of the images with the background at points, the disembodied nature of the images and the thin black border line all point to the other use of the term “nuclear”. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”.