COLLAGE

Abstract in Orange, Tissue Paper Collage    © by Ruth Zachary

This Collage was probably the first I ever made, for a college class. The assignment was to gather colored tissue papers and a few other papers, and to arrange them in a pattern we liked. The backing was mat board, and probably white glue was used. The rectangular spirals were from wrapping paper. Seeing how the semi-transparent colors worked over each other, and discovering the potential for wrinkles were the main things learned here. I still like the rectangles that were not quite squared to the edges of this geometric abstract composition. 

Soon after this I combined blue and green tissue paper strips that accented the extended lines of a drawing-painting of a house, adhered to a canvas. Several years later the tissue paper strips had faded considerably. The above tissue paper creation was kept out of the light to the present. This was another cautionary lesson about using good materials.

It is possible to do collages with printed magazine papers, but they may not be colorfast. Many papers contain high acid content, causing the paper to disintegrate over time. Some pigments in paints and on papers may say they are colorfast, but I have found that in bright sunlight, everything can eventually fade. Some acrylic mediums do screen the color from ultra violet light, and some glazing can provide light protection. You can experiment and learn how to work in collage by using found materials, but if you make something spectacular, you may want to find a way to preserve your creation.

Some books on Collage I have found to be useful: 

Collage; A Complete Guide for Artists,  by Ann Brigadier. Watson Guptill

Collage and Assemblage, by Dona Z Meilach and Elvie Ten Hoor. Crown Publishers

Creative Cardmaking, by Mary Jo McGraw. North Light Books

Creative Collage Techniques, by Nita Leland & Virginia Lee Williams

Design in Photo- Collage by Harold Stevens. Reinhold

How to Create Your own Designs by Dona Z. Meilach, Jay &Bill Hinz. Doubleday

Kaleidoscope, by Suzanne Simanatis. North Light Books.

Romare Beardin, by Myron Schwartzman. Abrams

Work in Fabric and Thread,  by Deidre Scherer, C&T Publishing

Next Time: The Collector - Types of images and papers to collect for Collage.

Image and Writing are the Copyright © of Ruth Zachary.