Babel into paint

... There are official searchers, inquisitors.

...There are official searchers, inquisitors.
... There are official searchers, inquisitors.
After further artist research moving on with collages and considering the addition of further media - paint, crayon and working back into photocopies of original collages. This is providing some alternative outcomes and I am about to embark on a small mixed media painting based on one of the earlier collages for this project. More to to be posted on that later. For now a few samples of work covered over last couple of days.

On with random Babel

...verbal jumble and incoherences

...the true story of your death

Y'see
Instructions
China Preacher
94
15 at B
After some research and inspiration on to another set of collages. A short series developed from "Sector 1594" form last week. I have cropped sections from this collage and then worked back into these collages with further mixed media - mainly collage paper. As I carry out these I am beginning to realise the potential of some of the images for prints. I plan to experiment with digital output from the scanned collages to develop positives for screen printing.

Further collage artist research

Gustav Klutsis
David Wallace
Martin O'Neil
Michael Pajon
Paul cava
Paul Cava
John Slezaker

Time to take a short break from making and look at the work of other collage artists. I am becoming aware of the breadth of the collage process as I expand my research. There is so much out there and I am finding some of the work unbalanced and seemingly random in assembly. I am drawn to artists who are using found and aged ephemera,particularly those who are dealing with the aesthetic of balance and space. From this criteria David Wallace (www.salczar.com) and Martin O'Neil are at the top of the list for me at present.

The emerging difficulty is sourcing suitable artists for reference from which to select for further inspiration in the development and consideration of my own personal approaches. There is so much out there! As I am becoming more confident in developing my collage work I am keen to use these outcomes as starting points for further processes; potential for the development of print from collage images and possibly small paintings in the style of Dan Reisinger are a current thread of investigation.

Following a discussion With Brendan Reid earlier in the week about the direction of my collage work I have been looking at the work of John Stezaker and relating his work to that of a few other collage/montage artists. Stezaker’s work considers juxtapositions of combined images, often incorporating landscape into portraits or human figures matching visual planes for effect and balance.His collages give a similar impression to the earlier photo montage work of Gustav Klutsis who was acclaimed for his spatial constructions in the Constructivist style and was one of the pioneering developers of Photomontage in the early 1920’s.

Paul Cava’s work is photo based and he works in a similar way to Stezaker. His collage work concentrates on the human figure and body using sensual and fluid juxtapositions of photographs with limited additional mark making. He has exhibited paintings, drawings and photo-based works from 1976 to the present in galleries and museums in the United States and Europe.

Michael Pajon’s work contemplates a variety of discarded ephemera: old matchbooks, antique postcards,books, and sheet music from a great aunt’s collection. His work collages ephemera from these sources and more with small elements building up the finished image.

I have include here another example from my current favourites: Martin O’Neil’s work appears regularly in the press – Guardian and as book jacket designs. “If Peter Blake is the Paul McCartney of collage, then O’Neill is its Tom Waits, a pre-digital artist for a post-digital age. “ 
John L Walters Eye Magazine.

David Wallace is still an inspiration. His sense of balance using a limited number of elements is inspiring.

To digitally enhance or not

Continuing with last weeks theme of 'Library of Babel' and my current intention to illustrate a series of selected phrases from the text, I am further considering whether collages should remain 'untouched' or be supplemented by digital addition. From the most recent artist research I have carried out it is clear that Sarah Hanson's collage work is in preparation for digital additions whereas Martin O'Neil, whose work I think I prefer, receives little digital adjustment. One recurring factor is the need for a growing library of ephemera from which to build successful collage!

I have posted my most recent 'Library of Babel' collage here (work in progress) in both untouched and digitally supplemented versions.

Developing Collage

During a studio session I looked at collage and considered further effects that can be achieved by scaling up results by photocopying and then selecting cropped areas of the enlarged images. after making enlargements ( some as big as 600% on a colour copier)of some of my previous 'Library of Babel' collages from the previous week I cut some 'viewfinders' to select considered areas of the collages that might stand alone in their balance of 2D space. I have worked initially with decreasing 'A'sizes - right down to A9 (if that exists!), and the square of the 'A' size. This has allowed me to consider organisation of space within the collages. From this I have produced a series of cut-out 'image selections' which I have recorded. Following this I have selected a couple of the results which I feel have a good aesthetic balance and have scanned these in a 400% with a view to processing them further digitally to prepare some suitable resolutions for screenprinting.The possibilities for re-rendering either digitally or by re-printing digitally and re-working with other media are now growing! I have posted a couple of starting points here which came from the 'like all men of the library, I have travelled in my youth...' collage.

Library of Babel

Following on from my initial collages on the theme of the Library of Babel I have re-read the text and considered further collages as illustrations of elements of the text. In terms of style I have been looking again at the work of MartinO'Neil and Sarah Hanson for inspiration and mthods of visual research. I have considered a series of illustrations based on the dimensions of Filofax pages; selecting sentences form the text to work with. In doing this I am considering the effect of continuity that might be achieved by seeing the pages of illustrations develop a building representation of the text.

In doing this I am also exploring the differences between the purely handmade quality of the original collages and that of  further digital manipulation of  these works. Can the addition of digital mark making and colourising (in the way that Sarah Hanson works) improve upon the originals or des this digital 'interference' somehow spiol or interfere with the original image generation. Attached are examples of the first three collages after digital additions.

Looking at Sarah Hanson, Angela Paez and Martin O'Neil

Some further digging has upturned the work of Angela Paez (Scrapatorium.com) period ephemera, historic images and drawings built from just cut and paste. A good feel to these...

Following further research in to collage as a means of illustration to support starting points for the 'Library of Babel' brief I have been looking at the work Of Sarah Hanson - http://altpick.com/sarahhanson - who, on initial viewing works in a very similar style to Martin O'Neil who I have recently referred to. The differnces seem to be that Hanson seems more prepared to use current ephemera and photocopied images (rather that period/dated ephemera) and to enhance the collages with either print or digital based colour tint/overlay additions to 'condition' the aesthetic appearance of the final work.

In considering my use of collage, I am realising that I need to build a broader 'library' of resources. If I can explore the methods adopted by Sarah Hanson I could experiment with added digital detail to supplement the collection of older ephemera.

A Start to 'Analysing Practice'

dhcmrlchtdj
Axaxaxas
A new semester and a start to a new theme: 'The Library of Babel'. After reading the text through many times, annotating on each reading, I was aware that whether you read sections or the full text that - as for the 'Library' - ones perceptions and interpretations might be infinite. As the interpretation is a focus for next weeks seminar session I wont, at this time, go into my own perceptions. This said I have begun to bring together some printed ephemera and build some collages in response. For one I have taken the theme of the hexagonal motif and the title of one of the books in one of the hexagons in the care of the author. For another some of the statistics related in the text: Shelves of 35 books; books of 410 pages; pages of 40 lines; lines of 80 characters etc.

What I am finding in approaching this work with collage.... to avoid the obvious of developing text based responses on the computer - is that in wishing to illustrate a specific theme, my collection of ephemera (for the purpose of collage) is clearly limited. I now have to consider ways in which to extend this collection. Some time at car boots, scondhand shops, bric-a-brac stalls are coming my way.   

Collage as influence to print

Spaceboy
Hoppalong
As well as my on-going research into collage I have been developing ideas for screen prints using collage as a starting point. Subject matter has been imagery of childhood recollections following on from work that I carried out for 'Introduction to Graphic Arts' earlier in the year and continues with the theme of period influences; particularly of the 50's & 60's. For this I have been using Photoshop for bringing imagery together - 'digital collage' - with the intention of outputting layers as starting points that I will need for the printing process. The intention then is to work into these layer print-outs with other media prior to making up positives for stencil exposure. Access to print facilities during the summer recess precluded me from taking this work further. I will now consider whether I can take any of this work forward into the 'Analysing Practice' module, otherwise it might need to go on hold temporarily! The ideas are, at present, a little lifeless which is due to some extent to the 'hands off' digital process, but with additional mark making have potential I think?

Collage continuing

'Switch' - own work
'Perhaps' - own work

'I Can Hardly Wait' - own work
'Ticket' - own work
Sarah Hanson
Matthew Cooper
Since the holiday collages (Crete) I have continued to output some collage based on more recently found, print based ehphemera. As suggested in the previous blog influence has been from the likes of David Wallace, Martin O'Neil and Richard Meier. I am also now finding a growing range of artists using collage, in a multitude of ways, through on-going visual research. 

Recent finds have been the work of Matthew Cooper and Sarah Hanson.  Hanson's work  -http://www.debutart.com/artist/sarah-hanson/work - uses the found ephemera approach with imagery developed and enhanced with digital input. However, and this is the bit I appreciate, she manages to capture imagery and retain that visual 'period' aesthetic that I enjoy. Cooper's work -  http://www.debutart.com/artist/matthew-cooper-  also appears to use collage as a starting point with refinements and additions being digitally created. There are 'Constructivist' influences here in many of his works, (he did the cover for Franz Ferdinands first album based on a Rodchenko image).

Collage - Influences

David Wallace - Opportunities - Painting
David Wallace - Harmony
David Wallace - Fruit
Martin O'Neil - Collage Sketches
Martin O'Neil - True Crime
Martin O'Neil - War is peace
Through out the Summer I have continued to investigate ways of working in collage. I continue to be inspired by  a growing range of practitioners including: 

The collage work Richard Meier, the architect who builds collage from ephemera found on his business travels.  

The graphic paintings and collages of David Wallace - http://www.salaczar.com/-  who is based in Pittsburgh USA. His collages from the found ephemera of a bygone age have a wonderful sense of balance and he brings this feel to his painting which relates predominantly to graphic art of the 50's and 60's. 

A more recent find is the work of Martin O'Neil - http://www.cutitout.co.uk/, based in Brighton/Hastings. His work is of a similar ilk to that of Wallace in that he sources historic emhemera. The differences are that O'Neil supplements his collages with screenprinting and graphic mark making broadening his style beyond that of Wallace. Additionally, O'Neil's work is regularly in print as illustrations for newspaper magazine articles such as The Guardian and as book jacket designs, for example 'The Magus' by John Fowles; his client list is quite broad and multi national.  Accordingly there is a feeling that O'Neil's imagery is resourced to illustrate text whereas Wallace's work is personal development and more related to the arts in general. 

For me, when I consider the working practices of Wallace and O'Neil, both have generated a major body of works. It is now becoming clear that I will need to brush up on my searches to source visual ephemera if I am to be able to build on my development of collage as a means of developing graphic art. This is particularly so if one wishes to work in a similar vein to that of O'Neil, ie to illustrate texts.

Holiday Collage

Portokalada
Mythos
Maleme
No parking
Enoikiazeta
Gerani
Well, here we are, the summer has gone and I've entered no new posts for a few months. I could say it was due to a series of serious family illnesses - which did contribute - but equally I have not felt focussed enough to update my blog with  the work I have been doing over the summer.

Whilst away on holiday in Crete I managed to make a collage on most days from found ephemera. As most of the holiday included a good deal of eating/drinking, a good deal of the ephemera came from these sources. Building collage from current ephemera gives a completely different visual aesthetic to that of collage from found ephemera from the past. The fact that the 'historic ephemera' has already had its lifetime will have something to do with this, although I am still endeavouring to determine, or to be able to describe this phenomenon.

In addition to the collages I took a range of photographs, aiming to frame graphic elements of street 'art'; zooming in on areas of signs, doors, walls, anything that allowed me to 'viewfind' a balanced image. This approach feels similar to defining balance and content in the building  of collage. The key here though, is to aim to capture that image through the viewfinder rather than cropping and zooming later on when working on the computer. I have begun to print some of these outcomes at high resolution on a photographic quality printre - printing with 8 cartridges instead of the normal 4 - to achieve better contrast and colour balance.

I have included a small selection of images here as an example of these collages and photo's.