Click image to enlarge:
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Notes on this collage:
The lovely couple in this collage was taken from a 1966 magazine on making sweaters by a company named Bernat. Apparently Bernat made hundreds of these publications, and they are a goldmine of suave guys and gals sporting the snazziest sweaters. I am tempted to make a whole series of collages with comfy sweater-clad folks in dangerous situations.- The man quickly approaching them on the left is an Asaro Mudman, part of a highland tribe in Papa New Guinea (where over 800 languages are used). Legend has it that the Mudmen were forced to flee from an enemy into the Asaro River where they waited until dusk to escape. The enemy saw them rise from the banks covered in mud and thought they were spirits. This image is taken from a National Geographic Magazine.
- The rushing rapids in the background comes from a book of nature photography. I like how the splashing waves of water look like they’re being generated by the Mudman’s rapid speed.
- The sweater dude has amazing hair all around: his mutton chops, unibrow, and mustache all look like they’ve been groomed by a half-blind perfectionist.
- Besides the fact that the Mudmen can easily invoke fear in other tribes (many people in the region are extremely scared of ghosts), I’m not sure if they are dangerous in other ways. But I suspect that this particular Mudman would win this battle against these thin, preppy hipsters (or maybe they’re young Republicans).
- This week, I’d like to shine my featured collagist spotlight on French collagist Rozenn Le Gall. She works mostly with black and white imagery with a dash of sepia. Although she uses sharp cuts, some of her best work incorporates rough tears where one image, such as a zebra head, morphs into another, such as a beautiful woman’s mouth and chin. In another of my favorites, an old automobile appears to be driving from a busy freeway onto the leg of a businessman. About the inspiration for her elegant work, Le Gall says she has a quote written over her desk: “Make it simple but significant.”
- I’m excited to be in my first art show this month. Some of my collages will be part of the Sex From Scratch art show at The Waypost in Portland.
- I’m also excited to launch a new monthly “Open Collage Night” at the Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland. The first one is this Thursday, August 6th. This event will basically be a big gathering for anyone who does collage work, wants to start doing it, or simply wants to learn more about it.
