Synthetic cubism

My website was recently added to the collageart.org directory of collage artists and collage-related sites. It's great to be included among so many amazing collage artists. This resource is worth some serious web-surfing to see the range of work being done in the collage medium. Painter and collage artist Jonathan Talbot wrote about my work, "The collages of Janice McDonald are inspired, in part, by synthetic cubism and other 20th Century art movements." I'd never assessed my work quite that way but found his comment appropriate to much, if not all, of my work. (I was fortunate to study with Jonathan at his studio in 2001 and often recommend his book, "Collage: A New Approach.")I see cubism most obviously influencing my figurative work like collages from the Foundling Series. This is number 19 in the series of small works, measuring 7 x 5."

Background patterns

I love patterns of all kinds and often use them as elements in my collages. Here is a photo of the newspaper tax lien listings that make up the background of "Juggling." The tabular format of the type creates a random pattern and every other line has a shaded stripe. The type is about 4 point so you can only read it if you are really close, just names and numbers. The inside of safety envelopes (usually from bills)— along with bits of time cards, to-do lists, and order forms— have also made their way into my work from time to time. I'm always on the lookout for new elements to stash in the studio for use "someday." This explains the chaotic but bountiful state of my studio!

Sorta like rearranging the furniture...

My architect-husband has kindly constructed a facsimile of the gallery space for my upcoming show in SketchUp modeling software. It allowed me to see how the work I have produced for the show will fit into the gallery. I can virtually jump into the middle of the room and turn around to see the space. He attached scale images of the completed collages to the walls and we are able to arrange and re-arrange. Really amazing, and gave me added impetus to finish a couple more pieces to fill out the space better. Technically, this should speed up the hanging process -- although there's nothing quite like being there -- so we'll see when the time comes! The show opens at EDGE Gallery in Denver on Friday, November 6th. Hope to see you there!

Ready or not...

Well, the postcards announcing my show arrived from the printer today, just as I was beginning the flurry of writing press releases and updating my mailing list, all of which I'd planned to take care of weeks ago... at least until I broke my knee (tibial plateau to be precise)! So, I'm a bit behind and some things, like my blog, have been on hiatus. I think I'm -- just about -- back on track now. Still working on a series of small collages, hoping to have about 50 to hang in a group, but the major pieces are complete and ready. I'll be cruising around on the crutches for another month or so, even at the opening (11/6 at Edge in Denver). Please drop me a comment/email with your address if you want to be added to my mailing list and receive a postcard. 

The collage featured on the card is "Feelers," contemporary papers on board, 20 x 10 x 1."

(With thanks to Jim for keeping my studio supplied with fresh glasses of ice water, as pictured, all this time. I haven't yet mastered the art of carrying open liquids on crutches.)