I'm working on an idea for a collage that will involve a lot of kraft/corrugated papers so I spent part of the day deconstructing a large Milk Bone® Dog Biscuit box. Taking it apart, then peeling apart the layers to the degree that I can, yielded a gorgeous stack of curling papers to use as raw materials. All in a day's work! (And, as a bonus, here's a photo of my studio companion who so graciously donated the empty box.)
"Remembrance," paper collage on wood panel, 10 x 10 x 1." © 2011, Janice McDonald.
Hooray! I was pleased to learn that my collage, "Remembrance," has been juried into the 27th Annual National Collage Society Exhibition.
The exhibit will be viewable online from November 1, 2011 to October 31, 2012. When I have a link to the exhibition site, I'll be back to post it here. It's always a good survey of collagists, methods, and approaches. (Happily, I'm on a roll... my work was also included in last year's exhibition.)
NOTE (added 11.1.11): The 2011 exhibition is now viewable here.
It was exciting to see my collage, "Budding," projected on the set during Patricia Renzetti's "Reflections" ballet, part of the recent "Eternal Dialogues" multimedia choreography and dance project.
"Reflections" features three vignettes that begin in sequence and eventually occur simultaneously, conceptually examining the different stages of life through the mirrors in a dance studio and in the mirrors we use to view ourselves and others. At left is a series of photos that may give you a sense of how the piece evolves over time (click to enlarge).The choreography includes a young ballet student practicing at the barre, a man and woman rehearsing a pas de deux, and a tai chi master practicing his movements. Patricia described her piece as "representing three stages of life, modeled after the Tai Chi movements of passing on." It was lovely.The dancers, from Ballet Ariel, were: Drew Zhu, Amber Harris, Peter Strand, and Elvira Stewart.The meditative Arvo Part composition, "Speigel im Speigel," which literally means "mirror in the mirror," was beautifully performed by musicians on the stage, Kirsten Farnsworth and Steve Gravagne. The collage was projected just over their heads.The collage was a warm counterpoint to the cool stage lighting... it looks rather different in the photos than it did to my eye as a viewer... but these images indicate the scale and hopefully convey the effect. To see the original artwork, please refer to my earlier post, "Collage and choreography collaboration."What fun to have my bio in a printed program for a change, rather than on a little label on the wall at an exhibition. Loved seeing the collage imagery BIG!Thanks to Patricia for conceiving of this collaboration, those working behind the scenes with computer/projection magic to make this happen, and to Rachel D. Graham of RDG Photography for the photo record.
Haven't posted one of my little studies for awhile. Love the colors in this one. All collage elements are from incoming mail on August 15th, 2011.
"Junk Mail Journal 8.15.11," contemporary paper collage, in sketchbook, 9 x 6." © 2011, Janice McDonald.
