The Collage Miniaturist

Happy Birthday, NB . . .

May 3rd, 2014

“I am really not famous enough to have a cottage industry devoted to my identity theft.”
— Brendan Adkins

My sincere greetings to the man behind the curtain at Xorph.com, the domain that brings you The Collage Miniaturist. NB stands for ‘Nephew Brendan,’ the multi-talented, multi-skilled, multi-identitied creative force who somehow manages to keep one of my feet near the leading edge of online communication. You can read his stories, hear his voice, unfollow his tweets, or simply join me today as I tip my hat to his magnanimity. There… Do you think that will get me invited to his birthday party? And can anyone please tell me whether or not the Oregon Boundary Dispute has been settled?

Untitled (NB)
collage miniature by J A Dixon
collection of B C Adkins

Posted in B C Adkins, Haus of Cards, Links | No Comments »

This artist is not coasting . . .

April 30th, 2014

“To alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”
— Homer Simpson

Yesterday was my birthday, and I was rocked by the generosity of a fellow practitioner, Ted Tollefson. A veteran collaborator, he is also one of the more versatile individuals currently laboring in the medium. Like many collage artists, Tollefson explores a number of different approaches, but has recently established his mastery of the collage-on-beer-coaster format.

I was not fully aware until today that he has been producing a coaster-based collage for each of his facebook friends. That means hundreds of miniatures in a relatively short time frame, and, from what I can tell, he calibrates the visual method for each intended recipient. Given my expressed fondness for personal miniatures, TT is a kindred spirit indeed. He has crafted a real gem for my gift coaster. Everything about it — scale, colors, composition, textures, choice of ingredients — are simply outstanding. Thank you, sir, for your kindness. Keep up the superb effort. You are a true heir to Kurt Schwitters. Merz lives!

Take a look at just a few examples of his creative output and you might share my high regard for this mushrooming body of intriguing work.

April 29
collage on beer coaster
by T Tollefson for J A Dixon

Personal miniatures on beer coasters by Ted Tollefson.
(Hover over image for more information; click to view larger.)

Posted in Artifacts, Gift Art, K Schwitters, Merz, T Tollefson, Technique, Theme/Variation | No Comments »

A few more from the Haus . . .

April 22nd, 2014

“Excellence is a habit acquired by continuous improvement on the little things you do, with a firm belief that it’s going to be better than before!”
― Israelmore Ayivor

It is true that my output of hand-crafted greeting cards has declined, in contrast to when I averaged nearly one per day, but the small-format activity remains one of my most valued improvisational exercises as a collage artist.