We Are Carried (two views)
Collage with scrap paper.
16 x 16cm. 2024.
we are carried.
in bellies. in arms.
in love. in hope.
in caskets. in urns.
in grief. in memories.
our whole lives
and into the next
we are carried
– SARA RIAN
-
We Are Carried
A series of hand-cut collages made from remnants of scrap paper, contained in double-glass frames. They conjure the tragedy of the dismembered pieces but also the beauty of reimagining what could be formed from the fragments.
birds are flowers flying, and
flowers perched birds
—A.R. AMMONS
Mirrorment
Collage with scrap paper.
10 x 8.5cm. 2024.
Silent Sea (two views)
Collage with scrap paper.
2024
Rushing Current
Collage with scrap paper.
2024
Midday Massacre (two views)
Collage with scrap paper.
2024
Seed I
Collage with scrap paper.
2024
Seed II
Collage with scrap paper.
2024
Landed
Collage with scrap paper.
16 x 9cm. 2020.
-
Landed
A series of hand-cut collages using hand-made paper off-cuts in double-glass frames. The series examines the layered relationships between the land and generations of its human inhabitants. Recurring characters and natural forms explore themes of conflict, climate change, life cycles, survival and ancestry.
We Inherit the Earth
Collage with scrap paper.
9.5 x 5.5cm (unframed). 2023.
Each Other
Collage with scrap paper, paint.
16 x 25cm. 2021.
If we are separated, I will
try to wait for you
on your side of things
your side of the wall and the water
and of the light moving at its own speed
even on leaves that we have seen
I will wait on one side
while a side is there
—W.S. MERWIN
Your Side
Collage with scrap paper. 2023
On the stone I rolled over what broke me
Collage with scrap paper. 2024
Among the rocks I am the loose one
Collage with scrap paper.
12.5 x 19cm (unframed). 2024.
I work with recycled materials, off-cuts and painted scraps from my children’s artwork. Because my work is small in scale and done at my home studio, it’s a private practice that can be pulled out or tucked away, in moments stolen between the demands of commercial work and family life.
I process the world around me through collage, particularly the onslaught of news in visual form. It’s one way I can contribute to the discourse, spur conversation and remain defiantly optimistic in the face of a world in turmoil. Collage allows me to experiment within a microcosm, see the patterns around me and rearrange them in ways that make me feel hopeful. It’s a way of seeing the world through an optimistic lens—searching for potential in even the humblest fragments.
I have a collage approach to titling as well. After completing a piece, I look to a selection of found poetry for words and phrases that provide an additional entry point into the artwork.
Currently, my visual language leans away from using recognizable imagery or text. I use paper to build human and natural forms, layering texture and colour. Some pieces are detailed and intricate and I find it meditative to assemble them. Others are simple and tend to have recurring settings and characters.
In the last few years, I have been framing my collages in botanical double-glass frames which highlight the natural motifs in my work as well as the delicate quality of paper, preserving the feeling of depth. The iron and glass emphasize the physical materiality of analogue collage, as contrasted against our world of screens, retaining a connection to nature and three-dimensionality. Many of my pieces are double-sided. The “backs” aren’t a mere byproduct of assembly or an afterthought, but rather illuminate a new interpretation of the “front”.
Archival-quality, limited-edition prints will be available soon. For originals please inquire.