I was at a meeting recently and the method we used to introduce ourselves was unusual. Of course, we said our name, where we were from and then ,what our primary medium is followed by what our latest obsession is. My primary is cold wax and my obsession is collage/assemblage. What used to be flat and smooth with occasional texture changed to very textured and rarely flat. The first image below is cold wax. And the second, one of my first forays into collage. A monoprint, use of a handmade stencil, wire and foiled/painted twigs.
Working smaller is easier. Exploring mediums and materials, what they do and what they can become, how they can tell a story or take the viewer places. My favorite part of collage is creating my own ephemera. Transforming materials, wire, paint, tissue paper, metal, found objects into sparkly, grungy, antiqued, molded, folded, wonderful bits. Finding new ways to transform, unusual use of products, happy accidents, awful results, but the most fun and fulfilling creative endeavors I've had in a while.
All of the Martini Girls, except for me, included collage/assemblage in their repertoire. We all watch videos and find new products, make our own secret formulas (that we promptly share), wave our artistic magic wands and viola....art. I was pretty sure I wasn't ever going to do collage and I said so. And for years, I didn't. But I learned how to make monoprints and Eco prints...before I knew it, I was off to the races. And having a grand time.
Go out there and experiment. Play with materials you don't normally, or have avoided on purpose. Just try something new, or just slightly different. Make a mess, have fun. Wave your artistic magical wand, see what your viola is.
