Archive for the ‘Artists/Collage’ Category

Collaboration in Collage, part 2

Saturday, November 9th, 2013

“There has been an increased attention on collaborative practice in the arts in recent times with a perceived increase in artists working in groups or partnerships. For many other artistic enterprises, collaboration is the norm. Musicians form together into ensembles and bands; actors, writers and directors necessarily work in companies; and dancers, choreographers and musicians work in companies too, or in troupes. But for the visual arts the history of collaboration is less dominant, but perhaps, on the rise.”
— Kent Wilson, from the Central Highlands ArtsAtlas

The Target Practice Project is certainly taking on a life of its own. L T Holmes has established a new blogsite and yesterday she kindly featured me as a “guest blogger.” Thank you, Laura, for your generous spirit.

Several of my entries over the past weeks have illustrated thematic collaborations. How many other kinds are there at play in the contemporary collage scene? Please indulge me as I continue to count the ways.

There have been remarkable long-term projects such as Liz Cohn’s Playing with a Full Deck. The playing card format seems to be a perpetual stimulus to interesting collaborations in collage. And then there is always the creative teamwork that simply results from a meeting of improvisational minds. One artist will originate a piece and a partner will complete it. Sometimes the process works in both directions at once. In other cases, a collaborator will select ingredients in order that a fellow “chef” may prepare a delicious “entrée.” Zach Collins has devoted much of a Tumblr site to his prolific joint ventures. Musta Fior is internationally known for his many visual co-conspiracies. Below are representative products of collaboration in the medium that have recently caught the eye of The Collage Miniaturist.

Long have I been convinced that musicians had it all over visual artists when it came to the collaborative urge, but countless exponents of contemporary collage are helping to revise that perception. Ladies and gentlemen, keep jammin’ away!
 

“Playing with a Full Deck” exhibit
altered playing card collaborations
Gallery 6 PDX, 2013

4646
collage collaboration
F Free + J Gall, date unknown

(start and finish, title unknown)
collage collaboration
start by A Bealy, finish by Z Collins, 2013

(title unknown)
altered playing card collaboration
start by G Stadler, finish by Z Collins, 2013

deception
collage collaboration
(©2013 Flore Kunst/Aaron Beebe)

Cute commando 5
altered playing card collaboration
(©2013 Flore Kunst/Musta Fior)

(title unknown)
altered playing card collaboration
M Fior + + L J Miller-Giera, 2013

Ragbrai
altered playing card collaboration
T Tollefson + L J Miller-Giera, 2013

A Dreadful Idea
altered playing card collaboration
L T Holmes + C Chocron, 2013

Bigger Than That
altered playing card collaboration
T R Flowers + L T Holmes, 2013

Channel Crossing
collage collaboration
start by J Ratouin-Lefèvre, finish by D Daughters, 2013

24.2
collage collaboration
D Daughters + I Reitemeyer, 2013

Bibelot Series

Tuesday, November 5th, 2013

“The museum suffered a crisis in July 1994, when burglars broke into the jewel room and stole 103 pieces worth $1.6 million, including most of the bibelot collection. The biggest art heist in Kentucky history remained a mystery for five years, and then a group of Ohio thieves was caught and convicted. Unfortunately, the bibelots apparently had been dismantled and sold as scrap for a fraction of their value.”
— Tom Eblen, Lexington Herald-Leader

I made a visit to the Jewel Room at the Headley-Whitney Museum only once, many years ago, and I was deeply inspired by the capacity to bring raw imagination into physical manifestation. The heartbreaking theft of numerous bibelot masterworks makes it nearly impossible for me to return and view a diminished collection. I have dedicated this series of miniatures to my vivid memory of what used to be.
 


 

 

 

Dedicated to the lost masterworks of George Headley.
Click on a thumbnail image to preview each miniature.

All Merry, All Happy and Bright

Sunday, November 3rd, 2013

Day Two / Open Studios ARTTOUR —
I was astonished to learn how much I looked forward with high anticipation to opening our doorway to the public this morning. I have considered myself a person who prefers privacy over public exposure, but completing our gallery space is apparently calling those self-perceptions into question. It was an extraordinary two days of interacting with a diverse group of art tourists. I am already looking ahead to the next opportunity — this Friday we shall welcome more people to our realm as a Gallery Hop Stop in downtown Danville. A peculiar aspect of disclosing the results of one’s collage-making process is to gauge the response of someone not quite prepared for the experience. To do that in one’s own environment is especially indulgent. To offer hospitality to someone else who really “gets it” brings immeasurable satisfaction.
 

All Merry, All Happy and Bright
collage miniature by J A Dixon
3.875 x 5.875 inches

•  S O L D

Dawn Goes Down to Day

Saturday, November 2nd, 2013

Day One / Open Studios ARTTOUR —
How much sleep I got last night will remain a secret, but I crossed the finish line with everything in place to welcome the public today. We had a steady trickle of folks who enjoyed viewing and talking about art. The design studio, art studio, and gallery/meeting space were looking fine (not to mention the exterior facade), and it feels like I have not caught my breath for several months. Dana outdid herself with some tasty punch and snacks for guests, and she was bragging on my collage all day. Nothing feels like reaching an ambitious goal with a kindred spirit, and I wish every friend in the world had been with me today, too.
 

Dawn Goes Down to Day
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4 x 4 inches
 
Purchase this artwork!

B O O !

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

 

Halloween Frolic
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4 x 4 inches
 
Purchase this artwork!

More collage experiments . . .

Tuesday, October 29th, 2013

“All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy.”
— Carl Jung

Anyone who thinks that everything about collage is known is probably stuck in a dull place. Continuous experimentation is vital, whether or not we divulge or share the products of our investigation, and constructive self-criticism is essential, if one is to avoid the pitfall of “artistic comfort.”
 

Untitled (kaleidoscope)
collage experiment by J A Dixon
4 x 3.75 inches, not for sale

its You
collage experiment by J A Dixon
4.375 x 3 inches, not for sale

Reign Glorious
collage experiment by J A Dixon
3.25 x 4.5 inches, not for sale

6 Pads Of Time
collage experiment by J A Dixon
3 x 4.25 inches, not for sale

84 Tonal Impressions
collage experiment by J A Dixon
3 x 4.25 inches, not for sale

Untitled (overlook)
collage experiment by J A Dixon
5 x 7.75 inches, not for sale

Autumn Ode (to Merz)

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013

This is a collage artwork that I currently have on display as part of the “Autumn Glory” exhibition in the Mahan Gallery at the Boyle County Public Library. If you find yourself in downtown Danville, please stop by the show. It lasts until December 1st.
 

Autumn Ode (to Merz)
mixed-media collage by J A Dixon
16 x 20 inches, framed
available for purchase

Never stop scratching

Sunday, October 20th, 2013

“The true method of knowledge is experiment.”
— William Blake

Conducting intuitive experiments with eventual disclosure in mind may defeat their purpose at some level, but it can be beneficial at times to share the creative process that leads to new works. Nevertheless, the primary purpose of experimentation is to remove oneself from the context of producing something to be held up for evaluation by others. To investigate. To explore. To defy one’s own expectations.
 

Untitled (shards)
collage experiment by J A Dixon
4.5 x 7.5 inches, not for sale

suite)Shoes
collage experiment by J A Dixon
3.25 x 3.25 inches, not for sale

Untitled (la vie moderne)
collage experiment by J A Dixon
5 x 3.625 inches, not for sale

The New Number Two
collage experiment by J A Dixon
5.5 x 3.75 inches, not for sale

Morning Bancha
collage experiment by J A Dixon
3 x 3 inches, not for sale

Attitude of Flight

Sunday, October 13th, 2013

 

Attitude of Flight
collage miniature by J A Dixon
3.875 x 5.875 inches

•  S O L D

Adjusting Her Expectations

Saturday, October 12th, 2013

 

Adjusting Her Expectations
collage miniature by J A Dixon
5.25 x 3.75 inches

•  S O L D

The Fruit of Deceit

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

 

The Fruit of Deceit
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4.25 x 4.25 inches
 
Purchase this artwork!