artsy forager

Tag: collage

  • Curiosities. Mairi Timoney.

    Curiosities. Mairi Timoney.

    Mr. F and I do a lot of exploring in unfamiliar territory.  Weekends often find us driving down new roads to see what we can find.  Since we only stay in each place for a short time, we usually get to know the places we pass by sight, but never discover the people behind them or the stories they have to tell.

    Mairi Timoney | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Mairi Timoney | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Mairi Timoney | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Mairi Timoney | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Mairi Timoney | artsy forager #art #artists #collage

    These collages by Edinburgh artist Mairi Timoney create a visual exploration of unfamiliar places.  We’re given hints at the stories behind each place– a line of clothes strung between trees, a storefront, a suburban garage.  The glimpses, like my view out our car window, give just enough information to drive the imagination to create our own stories for each new setting.

    To see more of Mairi Timoney‘s work, please visit her website.  Check out the Artsy Forager Great.ly gallery for prints of the two of Timoney’s collages!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Memorials. Mackenzie Reynolds.

    Memorials. Mackenzie Reynolds.

    Happy Memorial Day to all the US Artsies out there!  And happy Monday to everyone else!  Considering today’s holiday, the What It’s Worth series by Wisconsin artist Mackenzie Reynolds, which explores the visual memories lost from one generation to the next, seemed a fitting feature.

    MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage

     

    While my grandmother was a relentless notetaker ( the majority of our family photos have names and dates on them, thanks, Mimi! ), when my mom and I went through the huge stacks of black and white photos, many of the older images weren’t identifiable.  Luckily, my mom could make some pretty good guesses based on clothing and context.  As a family, we’re very lucky to have these momentos of our generational history.  But even we have had to discard some photos that weren’t identifiable or obviously a part of our family.  Photos of friends or acquaintances of my grandmother’s from when she was very young, people we never knew, my grandmother our only connection.  It’s a bit sad to think that someday another generation will discard our own images, or even worse, that in this digital age, there won’t be any physical record left of us once we are gone.  A hard pill to swallow, for sure, but if we know we’ve lived our best in this life, then we’ll care only for what happens now, not what is looked back on once we’ve left.

    To see more of Mackenzie Reynolds‘ work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Parallels. Sarah Gee Miller.

    Parallels. Sarah Gee Miller.

    One of my favorite scenes when we’re road tripping is when the highway follows the path of a river.  We wind through the mountains, all the while the rushing turquoise water next to the highway seeming to follow the journey of our apple red car.  In her collages and ink and marker drawings, Vancouver artist Sarah Gee Miller “delves into the the relationship between primal shape and high-intensity colour to find balance and harmony.”

    Sarah Gee Miller | artsy forager #art #artists #contemporaryart Sarah Gee Miller | artsy forager #art #artists #contemporaryart Sarah Gee Miller | artsy forager #art #artists #contemporaryart Sarah Gee Miller | artsy forager #art #artists #contemporaryart Sarah Gee Miller | artsy forager #art #artists #contemporaryart

     

    Her bright, saturated colors run against one another, sometimes following their path, other times diverging to create their own, yet always keeping within the confines of the whole.  Just like the wild river is kept ringed in by the landscape, circles are bound inside hexagons, keeping their abandon in check.

    To see more of Sarah Gee Miller’s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Explorations. Amy Alice Thompson.

    Explorations. Amy Alice Thompson.

    Before the mister and I began traveling together, I lived in the same city my entire life.  The urge to wander was always there, lurking beneath the surface.  I would feed it now and again with weekend trips with friends but never imagined doing anything close to our life today.  In each new place, we make a list of what we’d like to see and do in our short time there.  And every time, we’re amazed by how many locals are less acquainted with their home territory than we become.  This series of collages by Amy Alice Thompson explores the journey of exploration.

    Amy Alice Thompson | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Amy Alice Thompson | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Amy Alice Thompson | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Amy Alice Thompson | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Amy Alice Thompson | artsy forager #art #artists #collage

     

    Nothing substitutes visiting a place in person.  Even the most beautiful photograph or painting  can’t capture the sounds, the smells, the essence of what we experience first hand.  As Mr. F and I travel, we’re fortunate to be able to really immerse ourselves into each place.  We explore not simply as tourists but as temporary citizens.  Some places fall short of expectation, others exceed it beyond what we had hoped.  But each time, the value is in the exploration.

    To see more of the work of Amy Alice Thompson, please visit her website.  Where are you exploring this weekend?

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Dissections. Jean Faucheur.

    Dissections. Jean Faucheur.

    Mr. F and I have been doing a lot of breaking it down lately.  No, that isn’t some sort of euphemism and no, I don’t mean breakdancing.  We’ve been apartment hunting in Marin County, where we’ve just landed for the next three months ( and hopefully by the time you’re reading this, we’ve found a home! ) and have been analyzing every possible rental backwards and forwards.  It’s pretty amazing how a place might look like a fabulous bargain until we start breaking down extra costs associated.  These photo collages by Jean Faucheur remind me of the way our perspectives change once we come at something from all possible angles.

    Jean Faucheur | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #collage Jean Faucheur | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #collage Jean Faucheur | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #collage Jean Faucheur | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #collage Jean Faucheur | artsy forager #art #artists #photography #collage

     

    Just a minut shift to the left or to the right can alter our perception completely, perhaps allowing us to become aware of details we just couldn’t see before.  Have you ever found yourself going steadily along one way of thinking only to suddenly experience a revelation that causes a monumental shift?  Feels like I’ve been experiencing a lot of those lately.  Dizzying at first, but ultimately clarifying!

    To see more of Jean Faucheur‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Perspectives. Matthew Shelley.

    Perspectives. Matthew Shelley.

    What’s that quote about the strongest tree is the one that bends instead of breaks?  I can’t remember it exactly and Google isn’t cooperating.  But I’ve been thinking about flexibility a lot lately.  Maybe it’s a product of getting older, or more likely, it comes from the way Mr. F and I live and how much pliability is required.

    Matthew Shelley | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Matthew Shelley | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Matthew Shelley | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Matthew Shelley | artsy forager #art #artists #collage Matthew Shelley | artsy forager #art #artists #collage

     

    These collages by Matthew Shelley with their cantilevered angles give the photographic elements present a new perspective.  Landscapes are turned on their head, yet it seems natural.  Just like with any other circumstance, we adjust our perspective.  And the more easily welcomed a new aspect, the more we are able to withstand the change.

    Check out Matthew Shelley’s website to see more of his work.

     

    All images via the artist’s website.  Artist found via isavirtue.

  • Constructions. Ryan Sarah Murphy.

    Constructions. Ryan Sarah Murphy.

    Like any other couple, Mr. F and I talk a lot about our future.  One frequent topic of discussion these days is our future home.  To build or not to build.  What does our ideal home look like? Maybe I’ll just convince Mr. F to base our design on one of these collages by New York artist Ryan Sarah Murphy.

    Ryan Sarah Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #fineart Ryan Sarah Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #fineart Ryan Sarah Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #fineart Ryan Sarah Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #fineart Ryan Sarah Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #fineart

     

    Using found cardboard on book pages, Murphy fashions these abstract collage constructions that seem one part architectural rendering, one part abstract painting.  The torn edges lending a landscape quality, making them like grounded fantasies.  I’ll take the second from the top, please!

    Find more of Ryan Sarah Murphy‘s work on her website and get a peek inside her process by following her on Instagram.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Piles of Pieces. M Michael Smith.

    Piles of Pieces. M Michael Smith.

    I like to think of life like a puzzle.  We are given all these disjointed bits yet they fit together in a way that is unique to our own personality and experience.  These collages by Cincinnati artist M Michael Smith remind me that though we may draw from similar backgrounds, our piles of pieces are only our own.

    M Michael Smith | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart M Michael Smith | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart M Michael Smith | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart M Michael Smith | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart M Michael Smith | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart

     

    As we grow and mature, we add to our “piles” and though the pieces being added might be similar to others’, our pile is particular to us.  That piece that peeks out from the bottom of your pile, significant, but only barely, maybe at the top and center of my heap.  In his artist statement, M Michael Smith reveals that touch is central to his work.  I’m of course giving my own interpretation, seeing these collages as symbols not of physical touch but of how our lives are touched and molded by experience.

    To see more of M Michael Smith‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Worlds Unreal. Sajjad Musa

    Worlds Unreal. Sajjad Musa

    Does it seem sometimes that the world is just becoming more and more bizarre?  No?  It’s just me then.  The horrors we see being perpetrated around the world on one hand vs. the insanity of celebrity culture that seems to consume our media and our brains.  In these collages by Sajjad Musa I seem that strange collision between the realities of what is happening in the world and the delusions we prefer to concern ourselves with.

    Sajjad Musa | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Sajjad Musa | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Sajjad Musa | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Sajjad Musa | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Sajjad Musa | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart

     

    It can be overwhelming to think of all that is wrong in the world, there is so much happening that is out of our control.  But what we can control is our own education in what is truth and our own reactions to what is happening.  Mr. F and I have challenged each other to focus on the positive in each day and we share our positives with each other every night over dinner.  It helps to bring our focus off of what is wrong and onto what is right.  And it’s helping, even if just a little.

    To see more of Sajjad Musa‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Sketch 42.

  • Jessalyn Aaland

    Jessalyn Aaland

    Does anyone else remember thumbing through paper catalogs at Christmastime, circling and dreaming of goodies Santa might bring, or later in life, dreaming of filling your house with all that pretty stuff?  Goodness knows we are a world in love with our stuff.  These collages of California artist Jessalyn Aaland remind me of the mounds of random things we might accumulate if we could.

    Jessalyn Aaland | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Jessalyn Aaland | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Jessalyn Aaland | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Jessalyn Aaland | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart Jessalyn Aaland | artsy forager #art #artists #collage #contemporaryart

     

    I especially love the artist’s use of chair imagery.  I used to have a thing for chairs.. well, I sort of still do, but our traveling has definitely curbed any sort of temptation for collecting!  I’ve always been interested in how chairs, more than any other sort of furniture can be designed for so many different levels of function and comfort.  Chairs for dining, office work, reading, lounging, you name it.  They are the seats we offer our guests, a sign of hospitality and warmth– No one ever says “Pull up a sofa!”, now do they?

    To see more of Jessalyn Aaland‘s work please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.