Wanton Necessity
collage miniature by J A Dixon
5.125 x 5.75 inches
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Archive for the ‘Artists/Collage’ Category
March Exercise | Miniature Five
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013March Exercise | Miniature Four
Monday, March 4th, 2013
Love’s Uncareful Shrine
collage miniature by J A Dixon
5 x 5 inches
private collection
March Exercise | Miniature Three
Sunday, March 3rd, 2013
Insignificant Hilarity
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4.5 x 4.5 inches
on consignment
March Exercise | Miniature Two
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
Speaking Words of Wisdom
collage miniature by J A Dixon
6 x 6 inches
• S O L D
March Exercise | Miniature One
Friday, March 1st, 2013
Unhappy, Far-off Things
collage miniature by J A Dixon
4 x 6 inches
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The March Exercise
Thursday, February 28th, 2013“The unshakable rule is that you don’t have a really good idea until you combine two little ideas. That is why you scratch for little ideas. Without the little ideas, there are no big ideas.”
— Twyla Tharp
For a number of years, the month of March has held a special distinction for me as an artist. It all began in 2006 as a month-long experiment in focused awareness and evolved into an annual exercise to discover, refine, and internalize creative habits. Tomorrow morning the practice will commence again as I produce and post a collage miniature each day for the duration of the month. Of course, this is not a new idea. When it comes to doing this sort of thing online, most of us who concentrate in the medium will immediately think of Randel Plowman, the artist, author, curator, and blogger, who holds the A Collage A Day web domain. His successful publication, The Collage Workbook, brought heightened attention to the art form during its centennial year. Another individual who has made the online commitment is Portuguese artist Dilar Pereira, who maintains the Daily Collage Project. But when it comes to the ritual itself, who can hold a candle to the late John Evans? The New York artist created a daily collage for 37 years (except for a single day when he was too ill). Now that’s what I call an exercise!
Color Chart
collage on paper by Randel Plowman
8 x 8 inches
A Collage A Day
O Beijo
collage on canvas by Dilar Pereira
13 x 13 centimeters
Daily Collage Project
6-24-87
collage and watercolor on paper by John Evans
12 x 9 inches
Journal Collage | Sixth Page
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013“There are thoughts always abroad in the air which it takes more wit to avoid than to hit upon.”
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.”
— Rembrandt van Rijn
To identify and penetrate the emerging idea, the evasive key, the potential solution. To isolate and discard the ordinary notion, the well-worn effect, the visual cliché. Both are the beneficial fruits of keeping a journal of sketches and studies.
Untitled (Sam’s Outlook)
journal collage by J A Dixon
8.5 x 11 inches, not for sale
Journal Collage | Fifth Page
Monday, February 25th, 2013“Time consecrates and what is gray with age becomes religion.”
— Friedrich Schiller
The collage artworks of Kurt Schwitters possess a “vintage” appearance to our eye, but it is essential to keep in mind that his “Merz” ingredients were predominantly gleaned from a concurrent environment. It was Joseph Cornell, via the influence of Max Ernst and others, who consciously selected antique images to reinforce the romance and melancholy of feelings past. Apparently, a significant number of active collage artists limit their resources to vintage found material. Don’t get me wrong; I love this work. The immediate “retro effect” can be quite compelling. It would take a stronger soul than mine to dismiss the inherent dignity that comes with the marvelous scrap from an outdated encyclopaedia or the now-funky gravitas of post-war, mass-market magazines. However, from my perspective, a vital element of contemporary collage is the incorporation of present-day material and the recycling of twenty-first century detritus. I find it even more interesting to see vintage ingredients effectively juxtaposed with the ephemera of our own time. Nevertheless, every serious artist has a set of aesthetic considerations, genre goals, and process parameters that mold decisions. Due respect should be extended to the overall objectives that each collage artist brings to this exceptionally diverse media.
Untitled (Just Another Prophesy)
journal collage by J A Dixon
8.5 x 11 inches, not for sale
Journal Collage | Fourth Page
Sunday, February 24th, 2013“The least of things with a meaning is worth more than the greatest of things without it.”
— Carl Gustav Jung
For me, the purpose of a journal collage is to explore whatever imagery or theme that spontaneously occurs, free from other motivating intentions (including the dubious blog post such as this).
What can one say when something bubbles up from the level of the unconscious? Perhaps it is best to not say anything at all.
Untitled (No More Nightmares)
journal collage by J A Dixon
8.5 x 11 inches, not for sale
Journal Collage | Third Page
Saturday, February 23rd, 2013“Who is not attracted by bright and pleasant children?”
— Epictetus
Since that long-ago day when the first artist was unable to resist adding one more cherub to a painting, it has been tough to refrain from including the infant as visual ingredient. This is no less true as collage enters its second century. I hereby salute all those who can restrain themselves from affixing the occasional baby head into a composition.
Untitled (Listen Here, Baby)
journal collage by J A Dixon
8.5 x 11 inches, not for sale
Journal Collage | Second Page
Friday, February 22nd, 2013“No man is matriculated to the art of life till he has been well tempted.”
— George Eliot
There are certain ingredient images that always, when added to a collage, have a significant impact on the overall effect. A perpetual temptation to the artist, they comprise an intriguing class of their own: the eyeball, the doll head, the handgun, the female breast, the dog. Can you think of others that qualify?
Untitled (Canis Luna)
journal collage by J A Dixon
8.5 x 11 inches, not for sale