This body of work consists of collages on paper and mixed media acrylic paintings. I recycle parts of my monotype and collagraph original prints and photographs with found paper from various sources. The collages and paintings are non-objective; the emphasis is on the relationship of line, color, shape and texture.
Working in one medium, i.e. monotype prints, usually leads me down another path because I’m always asking myself “what if?” What if I limit my color palette, what if I work in a more minimal way or, on the other hand, how about excessive exuberance? Large or small? Paint or paper? Or both. Anything can spark an idea – something seen, heard, imagined. There are always new avenues to explore.
Looking down can be rewarding. My “Underfoot” series of photos started when I had my head down and noticed the interesting abstract pattern of street and sidewalk marks made by construction workers. We seldom pay attention to such marks but they resonated with me and I began to photograph them wherever I traveled.
Combining my prints (re-purposed etchings, monotypes, collagraphs) with found paper to create collages took my work in a different direction. Cutting up and adding the “Underfoot” photos seemed like a logical next step. Their abstract quality echoes that of the other elements in the collage.
Sometimes I assemble the collage on painted paper. The acrylic painting weaves its way in and around the collage. Negative space and positive space play games with one another. The group of collages in this exhibit called “Springtime Suite” is colorful and energetic and was inspired by a visit to the Dallas Arboretum when it was ablaze with color.
Here are the “Springtime Suite” collages in this exhibit.

#1259 Springtime Suite 1, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 22×30″

#1260 Springtime Suite 2, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 22×30″

#1263 Springtime Suite 5, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 30×22″
I love to travel and have a large collection of paper maps. Remember those? I decided to use them in my collages. Instead of cutting them up I photographed them, enlarged segments in the computer and printed them out. I cut them up and they became part of the collage series “Have Map Will Travel.”
Here are some in the exhibit.

#1272 Have Map Will Travel 4, collage, 30×22″

#1273 Have Map Will Travel 5, collage, 30×22″
The mixed media paintings are whirlwinds of line, color and texture.

#1269 Untitled, mixed media acrylic painting on panel, 30×30″

#1270 Untitled mixed media acrylic painting on panel, 30×30″

#1271 Untitled mixed media acrylic painting on panel, 30×30″
The show runs through November 29 at Ilume Gallerie, Dallas, Texas.
Catch it if you can!