My fondest birthday greetings to a “partner in all things.”
For Dana
collage miniature by J A Dixon
6.3125 x 3.875 inches
collection of D L Dixon
Happy happy . . .
April 11th, 2015Two Bealy starters standing by . . .
April 8th, 2015
two collage starters from A Bealy
collage on paper by A Bealy
prepared for 5 x 7-inch crops
Collage Miniature Collaboration Number One
April 4th, 2015“I am most interested in discovering new ways to tell an old story, with humor, irony, and a dash of anarchy!”
— Allan Bealy
It was a pleasure to take a step deeper into the collaboration zone with Brooklyn-based artist and art director Allan Bealy. Take a look at my March 1st entry to see the starters that I sent Allan. His finished artworks are delightfully effective. The rugged, floating pear is a fine touch, and decisively positioned, too. His rhythmic figures are splendid in the second collage, and the “circle v” anchors the whole composition. Thank you, Allan. Now it’s time for me to tackle the items you sent for me to complete!
Untitled (rugged pear)
a collage miniature collaboration by J A Dixon and A Bealy
(start by Dixon, finish by Bealy)
5 x 7 inches, collection of J A Dixon
Untitled (rhythmic figures)
a collage miniature collaboration by J A Dixon and A Bealy
(start by Dixon, finish by Bealy)
5 x 7 inches, collection of A Bealy
two more journal experiments . . .
March 28th, 2015
a pair of journal studies
collage experiments by J A Dixon
4.25 x 4.25 inches each
A Narrow Escape
March 21st, 2015
A Narrow Escape (detail)
collage on structured panel by J A Dixon
13.75 x 14.5 x 1.5 inches
prize art for the 2015 British Single-Shot Rifle Match
awarded to G Freking
a birthday salute
March 16th, 2015
a birthday salute to Matthew Rose
collage on paper by J A Dixon
11 x 9.25 inches
Still More Haus of Cards
March 8th, 2015“I allow total spontaneity to overwhelm the process. Ingredients that allude to the world of the recipient merge with conspicuous or camouflaged non-sequitur elements.”
— 2/2/13
Journal studies and collage greeting cards are my proving ground for the qualities that lead to fruitful miniatures, and I am finding that self-contained miniatures themselves are increasingly serving as ingredients in larger works. This could get interesting.
Two Heart to Handle
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
Adventures to Last
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
February Hearts
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
For The Bobs
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
Sweet Time Puffin
collage greeting card by J A Dixon
Until April . . .
March 1st, 2015“. . . just set one day’s work in front of the last day’s work. That’s the way it comes out. And that’s the only way it does.”
– John Steinbeck
If I am to be honest with myself, there must be the recognition that this is a blogsite not unlike many others: a personal tool for somewhat murky purposes (and a service to others less so, as much as I would desire that aspect to predominate). At any rate, I deeply appreciate that it is followed, and I shall continue my effort to make it worth the time you take to pay a visit.
I have written before about the March Exercise, my annual focus on building another layer of creative habit that can be internalized as part of a new cycle. It began as an experiment in time management nine years ago. Here at The Collage Miniaturist, I have showcased a month-long collage-a-day ritual for the past two. My tenth March Exercise will be a departure. Blog entries and updates to social networks will be temporarily suspended, as I concentrate all of my time on a few major studio objectives. I am required to stack one block of work on top of another in a way that does not allow for attention to routine public disclosures.
Before I step away for the month, here are two collage starters on their way to Allan Bealy for completion. Compared to prolific collaborators like Allan, I could be considered a rookie. Stay tuned for his response. See you in April.
two collage starters for A Bealy
by J A Dixon on KYDEX® synthetic sheet
each: 5 x 7 inches
Collaboration in Collage, part 3
February 24th, 2015“We suspect that individual practices function more similarly to collective practice than most people imagine. Whether explicitly acknowledged or not, all forms of production are fundamentally based on collaboration in the sense that the artist inevitably draws on the influences and innovations of existing culture. In this sense, we feel that autonomous authorship only exists as cultural mythology.”
— Soda Jerk (Berlin-based Australian duo)
Collaboration is expanding within the medium and taking many forms. Collage artists are teaming their talents to produce publications, for example. FABA Collage Mag (For And About Artists) is preparing to release its second issue.
Allan Bealy recently brought together the work of more than two dozen active creators to “Explode the Alphabet” with his Z2A. Each spread features an original solo collage based on the designated letter. Zach Collins takes the idea of synergy another step with a major exposition of how dynamic international collage collaboration has become. Anyone who has tracked the prolific artist could see this coming. We Said Hello and Shook Hands documents the results of his relentless series of virtual “jam sessions” from the past few years. Both publications benefit from the able editing of fellow collage artist Laura Tringali Holmes.
It remains to be seen whether or not we can expect a tide of post-centennial self-publishing, now that evolving technology has opened up new opportunities for collage artists outside the conventional art-book world. In any case, these examples are worthy of attention, as we build our collector libraries during this exhilarating period for collage.
H is for Homecoming
collage with mixed media by L T Holmes
8 x 8 inches, beeswax finish
part of Z2A by A Bealy
We Said Hello and Shook Hands
collage collaboration by Z Collins and F Free
back cover of We Said Hello and Shook Hands by Z Collins
Rhetorical Leap
February 17th, 2015
Rhetorical Leap
collage on canvas by J A Dixon
10 x 8 inches
• S O L D
Bull’s-eye Nosegay
February 11th, 2015“To get to be somebody who gets to love what they do for a living, that’s so rare, and so there must be some kind of price you have to pay.”
— Ethan Hawke
The Target Practice Project shows no signs of winding down. Two of the vintage targets from L T Holmes were still in my possession, so I started another piece last summer. 
It had a stubborn inertia of its own that repeatedly would cause me to set it aside until the next phase came into focus. It’s funny how a certain artistic progression can have “a mind of its own,” so to speak, and others can fall into place like clockwork. One of the things I appreciate most about collage is getting into an effortless “flow,” but there is something to be said about having to dig deeper to pull the solution from a more difficult effort. In those situations, a different kind of fulfillment is the reward — the sense that I have pushed by craft to a new level. It may not seem as joyful, but I feel just as fortunate to be involved in something I love to do. And it makes me stop and think that perhaps, when that easier process is flowing, it could be the exact moment to mix it up, take a risk, lose my footing, defy the comfort, and pay the price.
Bull’s-eye Nosegay
mixed-media collage on framed panel
vintage target from L T Holmes
17 x 17 inches, currently not for sale
featured at The Target Practice Project