Daily practice featured in The Times

What a fun way to start the New Year! I’m delighted to have my collage diary project included in an article in The Times (London), written by art critic Laura Freeman.

The article explores the idea of committing to some sort of creative endeavor as a resolution, instead of (or perhaps in addition to?) adding the usual new workout or productivity habit. The daily practices of three artists are featured.

Here’s a pdf version of the article.

“...what delights me as a follower is that each acrobatic abstract seems to cartwheel on to the page with complete freedom and spontaneity.”

— Laura Freeman

And yet another... Salvaged Elements exhibition

Soapbox collages in shadow box framing, each 10x10.” Shadows add so much!

I've loved working on the ThroughLines series of collages and plan to extend that thinking to more work eventually but, for now, I've returned to working with ideas generated from the "Unboxed" collage series that debuted in a 2016 exhibition.

This next show is coming up fast so I quickly reset the studio, put away all those beautifully ripped strips of paper, and pulled out the flattened boxes that I'd been saving for just the right moment. I've made more than two dozen collages on flattened hotel soap boxes, along with other pieces that have been on my mind since the original show of Unboxed collages. I'm still finding it really intriguing to respond to the irregular shape and fold lines with found paper elements. The collages are currently in the process of being framed.

In the past, I've made collages on flattened boxes that were first painted black and that work continues... They are such interesting shapes on their own that I'm also working on a large installation of flattened and painted boxes to animate the space in the gallery under a black metal stairway. It'll be a wall scaled collage, composed on the spot, out of black flattened boxes.I'll also be installing some experimental work on an arrangement of hangtags (the kind that typically describes clothing features). It's inspired by the racks of formica chips I used to see hanging at hardware stores. My version will be a lot more varied and freeform, with each tag hanging from its own nail and combining to whirl up one wall in its own composition. At least that's how I'm envisioning it... can't wait to see how it turns out!

I'm totally enchanted by the the very graphic nature of the papers that are being created as I'm preparing the boxes and tags with black gesso... it's bound to turn up in future work.

Salvaged Elements will be on view December 7 -28 at ReCreative Denver Gallery. I'm showing with fellow collagist Lili Francuz. If you're in the area, please come by sometime during the run of the show -- or for the opening on Friday, December 7 from 5-9pm when you can also enjoy the festive Luminariaevent associated with First Friday in Denver's Arts District on Santa Fe. (If you haven't been to ReCreative before, note that you have to walk to the back of the Creative ReUse Store to access the gallery... assuming you can get past all the potential art/maker supplies you'll encounter on the way!)

The stairway at ReCreative gallery where the “black box” installation will go…

Paint patterns on the paper protecting my work table.

Black-painted flattened box with applied collage.

Sequence / collage work in progress

https://youtu.be/9ErEqHJ_DAc

Everyone is always intrigued with work in progress and the sequence of how a collage comes together, so thought I'd do a quick slide show documenting a recent work: "Honey," a 36 x 36" collage on wood panel. For whatever reason, this composition developed mostly from the center out toward the edges.I am working with found and salvaged papers, including chunks ripped from old art posters... so anything that appears painted is appropriated from the poster imagery. When using bits and pieces of other's artwork, I always try to rip/crop the elements in ways that take the color/texture completely out of their original context so that they become simply an ingredient to use in an entirely new composition.

Lately I've been trying to document work in progress on Instagram (along with other inspiration/adventures)... so if you are interested in how collages develop, please follow me there @janicemcdonaldart!

Stop by: opening celebrations

I'm excited to announce that my work has been juried into two exciting shows in Denver, both with opening receptions this Friday, May 2nd. I'll be spending time at both… just not sure where I'll be when!

One of my Daily Mail collages will be on view at RedLine's First Annual Juried Show, "Intersections." The opening reception is Friday, May 2nd from 6-10pm at RedLine, 2350 Arapahoe Street, Denver, Colorado. If you're not familiar with RedLine, it's a great space with a whole crew of artist residents at work adjacent to the main gallery space and lots of community arts-related programming. Definitely worth an exploratory visit! The show runs through May 16th. Jurors were Carlos Frésquez, Michael Paglia, and Collin Parson.

Another collage will be part of Mai Wyn Fine Art's First Annual Juried Show, "A Baker's Dozen." Thirteen artists were selected for the show and the "best of show" artist will be awarded a solo show in 2015. (I would love it to be me!) The juror was Michael Chavez, manager of Denver's public art program. The opening reception is Friday, May 2nd from 5-9pm at 744 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado.

The show runs through June 14th; gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 12-6pm.Hope you will come out and look at artwork this First Friday... and that I'll bump into you at one exhibition or another!