Collage

December Morning Fog #2

DECEMBER MORNING FOG#2 is a paper collage inspired by a digital photograph I took as part of my Series “Views From A Third Floor Window” which is, in turn, part of my experimenting with digital photography as an art medium. DECEMBER MORNING FOG#2 is also part of my “Negative to Positive” Series which takes the background, i.e., the negative space, from a single piece of advertising or packaging material and repurposes it as the positive image in a collage. The “Negative to Positive” Series is intended to force me to be both creative and disciplined.

Kali’s Dream

A friend of mine is moving into a new apartment and taking his cat Kali with him. This provided me with the opportunity to give him a “house warming” gift, stay on Kali’s good side, and experiment with a somewhat different form of collage than I’ve done in the past. KALI’S DREAM, a minimalist collage using only card stock, expresses my belief that within every house cat and tabby there is the heart and soul of a tiger. As to why I want to remain on Kali’s good side, I’d refer you to a Google search of Indian mythology, or a couple of hours watching “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. (2020) (12” x 12”)

Staying Home

STAYING HOME is a collage made out of hand inked, hand pulled collographic prints that were originally intended to be part of my LINEAR THOUGHTS OF AN ARTIST and NAVIGATING THE ROUNDABOUTS series. I came across them as I was simultaneously getting ready to move to Ann’s Choice and diligently observing the covid-19 “stay at home” order. STAYING HOME is thus both a commentary on existing conditions (including the chaos in my studio) and the result of one of the many “keep/discard/utilize” decisions that I’m having to make every day. Creating it was also one of my self-reward for making a couple of them. (2020) (18“ x 20“)

Kirkland

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”)

Shattered

Imagine what happens when a cube, a three dimensional object, shatters on a two dimensional plane. SHATTERED, a paper collage using recycled materials, is my depiction of that moment. (253) (16” x 12” – $250)

Full Moon Dreaming

FULL MOON DREAMING is a paper collage which uses recycled materials to create an ethereal sense of a time and place existing only in a dream. (141) (20” x 16” – $275)

Fifty Shades of Green

FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN is a paper collage which uses two basic shapes: circles and triangles, to create both a feeling of motion and a sense of confinement within a single, if broadly defined palette. Everything in FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN, including the title, is recycled. Matted and framed to 18” x 14

BIG CLIPS AND BUMP STOCKS

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

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?

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”

John Fansmith

Artist