A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Creation of a Collage

How does a collage come together? Most of the time it begins only with the intention to create. As I’m looking through the pages of a magazine an image jumps forth. I cut it out, then begin to create a new set of relationships using this image. The process is intuitive. I feel, I cut, I assemble, I rearrange. The cycle repeats itself until there is a moment of arrival. This arrival can come after days of working through different iterations, using different pieces of images. Sometimes nothing seems to work; different ideas are competing with each other. Then a central idea starts to take shape but it still needs resolution. I keep looking for resolution and what happens often is the birth of another collage: while I’m building on what I think is the main piece, there on the sidelines, midst the cutouts that didn’t fit are the ingredients for a completely new collage that arises seemingly spontaneously. I love these moments which are truly part of the magic and joy of creation.

While the work is in progress, I’m constantly assessing its sense of balance, color, rhythm, symbolism, integrity. The complexity and size of each collage changes. Some have several different elements, while others only a few. I find I prefer working in a smaller format which lends itself to a certain intimacy, so the collages range from postcard size to a little larger than a regular sheet of paper. In the end, what’s important is a feeling of completion and that the collage pleases me. Working on an intuitive level means there’s a larger vision at work that I’m not consciously aware of but I’m able to access by allowing the different pieces I cut and choose to speak to me, to show me what wishes to be birthed. Whenever I trust in this process, a unifying image starts to come together with greater ease and with unexpected results.

Below is a partial look into the evolution of a recent collage, and its final outcome: