Design Your Own Collage Project
Artist Statement
For the design your own collage project, I chose to do an abstract portrait collage. I recently bought a new camera, so I decided to put it to use by taking a bunch of different photos of my face. I took some up close pictures of my facial features and some pictures in more of a full face portrait style. I tried a lot of different arrangements and tried to get it to look the most like an abstract head. I finally found an arrangement that was simple but was obviously a face. I also had a lot of unused photos leftover, so I used some of them to make two more simple abstract faces on the side of the main face. I wanted the collage to challenge the traditional idea of how people are meant to look.
Collage Book Project
Artist Statement
For my collage book project, I chose to make a collage based on the cycle of seasons. I included two seasons: Autumn and summer. On the Autumn side of the book (left), I included an Autumn tree in the background of the leaf cutout. I cut out a lot of orange/red/brown/yellow things to represent the colors of trees in Autumn. I wanted to include a 3D element for each of the pages, so for the fall page, I found some fake leaves that were originally green, but I painted them brown to look like fallen Autumn leaves. On the Summer side of the book (right), I included a summer tree in the background of the left cutout. I cut out a lot of green and blue things to represent lush green trees and water because I wanted this side to have a travel/beach them. For the 3D element, I included a little pop-up umbrella, fake coral, and a seashell. To make this project, I glued the pages of the book together and cut out a leaf shape from the pages. I cut things out of magazines and glued them down to the pages of the book. I also included some cutout pages in the shape of a wave to represent the changing of the seasons in a cycle so it looks like each season is transitioning to the next.
Project Reflection
I think I grew as an artist during this project because of the materials I used. I had never done any type of art project with a book, so I was unfamiliar with how to use one for a collage. Now, after completing this project, I have realized that a collage does not always have to be 2D pictures on a piece of paper. It can be anything, and it's even cooler when it incorporates unusual elements. This project has inspired me to experiment with different non-traditional forms of collage. I am very proud of how this project turned out because it is unlike anything I have created before. I spent a lot of time perfecting this project and I think it turned out looking very fun.
Cut & Paste Photo Collage
Artist Statement
I make art because I love to express myself, and it can be very freeing to be able to express myself in a way other than words. I make art because the extensions of art are endless and there are so many different forms of art to explore. My goals for my art are to explore other forms of art that I have never explored before, or rarely experienced. My current collage (above) is an art piece I made to show what creativity means to me. This collage was inspired by my constant realization that everything around my is art, whether it is obvious or not. I wanted to explore this different type of art form through this art piece: collage + 3D elements.