Paper Trumpets #30: Feeling Disconnected From Nature
[T]he finding, cutting, and pasting process constantly offers me new perspectives on how I see the world around me.
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Kevin Sampsell
34 posts
Kevin Sampsell is the publisher of the micropress Future Tense Books in Portland, Oregon. His books include the story collection, Creamy Bullets, the memoir, A Common Pornography, and the novel, This Is Between Us. His work has appeared in publications such as Pank, Sixth Finch, Poets & Writers Magzine, Yeti, Fairy Tale Review, Tin House, Best Sex Writing 2010, and Best American Essays 2013.
Paper Trumpets #29: Serpents/Babies
I like how these collages blend the cute innocence of 1950s clean-cut America with the slimy menace of tree-clinging serpents. It's like a toddler version of the Garden of Eden.
Paper Trumpets #28: Mystery of the Triangles
I'm not going to get brainy and talk about the mathematics of triangles; I simply like the visual energy in its slants, which, depending on its position in a collage, can suggest movement, growth, or escape.
Paper Trumpets #27: I Don’t Remember How It Ends
I wanted to put that image inside a scene that disrupts the beauty of it.
Paper Trumpets #26: Famous Myths of the Golden Age
This is part of the mystery and sometimes frustration of doing collage—trying to remember where things came from.
Paper Trumpets #25: Abstract vs. Accident
If you tell yourself you're going to work in an abstract style, is that too premeditated? I wonder if abstract is just another word for accidental.
Paper Trumpets #24: Girl & Boys
One of my favorite revelations from the past year has been the discovery of old high school yearbooks.
Paper Trumpets #23: Covering Covers
Sometimes you just come across magazine covers that look like finished pieces of art.
Paper Trumpets #22: Three Genes
...editing a collage can be like editing a poem or a story. The act of taking things out will often make a piece breathe easier and come to life with a simpler beauty.
Paper Trumpets #21: The Insurance of Company (Die Hand)
I often buy random photographs in thrift stores and vintage shops when I'm drawn to something in them—an awkward smile, a twinkle in the eye, a revealing hint of uncertainty.
Paper Trumpets #20: The Student Sound
This is the 20th Paper Trumpets column, and to celebrate the occasion, we're giving away original collages to 10 lucky commenters!
Paper Trumpets #19: What To Do In an Emergency
These three collages were inspired by a 1988 book called Reader's Digest Action Guide: What To Do in an Emergency.