Glue book - abstract collage studies

I find it really valuable to experiment with different ideas in my gluebook. I can explore different colour palettes and composition while working fairly quickly.

Mixed media collage

Well a new year has begun and I’m back into it with some new collage studies. I’m aiming to create a lot more of these in the coming months. It’s great to experiment with smaller works to explore new ideas. I like to work intuitively with these and not overthink it or become to fixated on a particular outcome.

Stay tuned!

Collage Experiments - Monochromatic Colour

In 2018, I've set myself a goal to create new collages on a weekly basis. By creating parameters to work within, I can explore new techniques and allow for more experimentation in my work. This process allows for idea generation that can be considered further for a larger body of work. This week I've been working with monochromatic colour.

A monochromatic scheme, or palette, starts with a single hue. Any additional colours used in the palette are variations of that specific hue either its shades, tints or tones. The idea here is that there is only one colour.

You’re welcome to use any shade or tint of the colour/hue to create something invigorating instead of a literally a single colour. Black and white is fine to use in monochromatic colour schemes as they themselves are not colours.

Here are some of my experiments using typography from a magazine and a collection of photography using the colour red. It's a fun way to create compositions while also providing an interesting design aesthetic.

Abstract Mixed-Media: No.2

This piece explores abstraction through firstly selecting some of my original photos. I don't set out with a plan of the how the work will look, it's more of an intuitive process of selecting images that speak to me at the time. I then proceed to add and subtract elements of the images by tearing of cutting as needed. In this piece I wanted to introduce some interesting layering by including transparency. Once the composition is complete, I glue it to the substrate and scan to enhance digitally. Some addition textures and minor colour adjustments were made, as seen in the final piece below.

'East' - Digital collage. Started analogue and finished digitally.

Diagonal collages

I have been experimenting with some hand made diagonal collages. The idea with these is that you pair images that look like they belong together. Some are visually matched with their content, while others are paired in a more conceptual way. I really enjoyed the process of exploring the new meanings that are created when the images are recontextualised.