"Artful Collage from Found Objects" Inspires Creation of Visual Biographies, Memories and Dreams
I was
reminded of this recently when I read that interior style icon Charlotte Moss
has been scrapbooking with abandon since she was a child.
Her
latest book, Charlotte Moss: A Visual Life: Scrapbook, Collages, and Inspirations
details her dedication to what she terms are a “fingerprint, a visual diary, a
photo-autobiography.” http://www.rizzoliusa.com/book.php?isbn=9780847838639
That House
Beautiful Magazine feature triggered how I’d been remiss writing about
the antecedent to Moss’ publication.
Not that long ago I was honored to have been
given the opportunity to review the Artful Collage Found from Objects book written by my garden
friend, Ellen Spector Platt.
What
is the difference, you may ask, between Collage and Scrapbooking?
Not
much.
A
quick Google search yields:
Art journaling is focused on the
creation of a visual journal or diary using your artistic skills and
techniques, whereas scrapbooking is focused on the collation and presentation
of memories, photos, small keepsakes and memorabilia, using creative techniques
to enhance these.
A scrapbook is focused on
capturing memories, photos, keepsakes, and memorabilia. The goal is to preserve
these for generations.
The line
between art journaling and scrapbooking can be blurred depending on an
individual’s preferences and creativity.
There are simply no fixed rules about
what you can or can’t do in an art journal or when scrapbooking.
Journaling
is based on a visual journal or diary, using art supplies, collage, stamps,
markers, recycled paper, photos, etc. It’s a place for you to write your
thoughts and dreams, ideas, personal reflections, future plans….philosophies.
It’s for the happy side of you and the sad, angry side. It’s a vehicle
for spilling out your feelings… It’s a place to save ideas, quotes, and
observations of when you are at home, work, or travelling.
So it
is that Collage and Scrapbook -- thoughts of the personal, memory-inducing
autobiography honors a not dissimilar style of art.
I put
forth that Collages lean more toward the personal vs. a diary or journal's scrapbooking.
Plus
the collages as Platt helps us create, belong more to the “fine art” world.
And no
doubt, these kinds of Collages are given places of honor in our homes or
offices – on the wall or perched on the desktop, mantle or other places of
“eye-candy” distinction.
And in
the spirit of collage-as-art, you have to respect Platt notation that Picasso
used newsprint in his collages.
She
writes, “Now brown in tone, Picasso knew newspaper turns brown but used it
anyway.” Plant asks rhetorically, “Who
am I to disagree?”
I
think this notion of a visual autobiography is heightened with the gateway to a
more public or “accessible scrapbooking” -- otherwise knows as: Pinterest.
See,
it seems that we’ve all had the pent-up passion for collage and now its
unleashed.
Collage
and scrapbooking and Pinterest render memories and dreams in an artistic way.
And to
enhance our private and public collage, scrapbooking, and Pinterest board-postings,
we can all use the guidance and expertise of Platt.
The Artful
Collage is Platt’s first published work on scrapbooking.
Platt
has authored 11 books on garden plants and craft design. A favorite is her best-selling Lavender book: Lavender: How to Grow and Use the Fragrant Herb (
Her
design cred is well established.
Artful Collage is a full-color, full-sized, step-by-step, detailed How-To and inspiration.
The
book embraces nearly 50 sample Projects that are Platt’s hands-on, real-world,
collage art process.
Platt
provides a succinct overview of what you’ll need to collage in the Basics chapter.
Here,
there are all the materials used in Collage and that you probably have,
including, scissors, glue, brushes, pencils, and rulers.
And
then, there are the suggested “Found” materials.
It’s
almost a liberating discovery to learn you can create collage artwork “from junk
and treasured objects and keepsakes” according to Platt.
Artful Collage provides 10 Project chapters featuring Collage project suggestions.
Here
are a few examples:
·
Remembrances of Things Past
·
My Landscape
·
My World
·
Vacations
·
Seasons of the Year
·
Holidays, Hobbies and Gifts
Nested
within each Project chapter include three to six examples.
Key to
successful, artful project completion is Platt’s How to Do It chapter
Platt
advises Collage Art is a six-step process:
·
Gathering
·
Imagining
·
Manipulating
·
Designing
·
Adhering
·
Displaying
Plat
says: “Steps do not always follow in that order – one can imagine or dream
before the gathering…"
Platt
suggests staring with a theme in your world and "ideas will come pouring in.”
If life
is an amalgamation – artwork is the same also.
Art is
all about telling stories.
A Collage
Q & A with Author Ellen Spector Platt:
Q How
did you start Collage/What got you started? Do you continue to collage?
A. I started
by accident when I was between herb books and looking for an interesting course
to take at Cooper Union. My editor wanted a craft book just around the time I
was falling in love with the process of Collage.
Q. In
your opinion, is this a "hobby" for folks of certain age or does it
run across all ages and demographics?
A. Collage
art is now my third career, and it can be enjoyed seriously by kids and adults
alike. In fact, I’ve worked with my
grandkids – now 13 and 11 – and they make collages for gift sometimes. I teach collage at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
and other places. I also show and sell
my Collage work.
Q. How
did you come up with the collages featured in the book?
A. I was
trying to illustrate various styles and techniques to give readers a guide on
how to get started. In my own work, I
now use lots of my own photos printed at home on regular paper, cut or torn,
with other found elements.
Q. What
has been the feedback on the book? How has it changed your world -- your approach to found objects?
A. I notice
everything in my surroundings in greater detail. All objects in the city are
potential art materials. One day,
leaving a diner with a friend, I saw a perfect, green, roundish piece on the
pavement and bent down to pick it up and save for some future collage. Only after I got quite close up did I
recognize this green piece as a slice of pickle. Not quite something I wanted
to save…
Q. How
has the garden influenced your collage?
I use
many twigs, pressed flowers and leaves, pods and cones – even when the subject
of the Collage isn’t botanical. The
shape, color, or texture of natural objects lend themselves to Collage and are
readily available, even on the streets of New York City.
Q. What
book or project are you working on now?
A. I'm
doing my own art – showing and selling my work.
My last group show and sale was at a Gallery in the Alaska Pacific
University in Anchorage.