Ahhhh, the work of New York based artist Johanna Goodman {yes, that’s Johanna in collage form right up there}. I’ve written about her “Imaginary Beings” before, and you better believe I’ll do it again! These statuesque figures are organized into all sorts of categories, from nature and cities, to animals and textiles. I’m a bit of a sucker for the Landscape Imaginary Beings, myself. Check out her “Catalogue of Imaginary Beings” if you’d like to add one of these beauties to your collection.

{NOTE: This is the final week that new posts will be going up on the blog. Starting next Monday, March 15th 2021, all new content will be packaged up and delivered directly to YOUR INBOX! If you haven’t already become a member of ‘The NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH ART Society’, you can SUBSCRIBE right here.} 

Gasp! I wish I could pack a bag and stay in one of these pieces for the weekend. These hand-cut collages are the work of Australian artist Holly Leonardson, all of which are from her lovely 2019 series, “Spring Time 4”:

“The inspiration behind these works stemmed from my early morning routine of stretching and then walking or jogging to the beach. Dew drops that had been captured on petals and leaves would capture the light as the sun began to rise, and easily became a visual treat that I looked forward to experiencing every clear Spring morning.”

Ahhh, dew drops on petals… I might put some yoga pants and a lotus candle in an overnight bag, just in case. Happy Friday.

Be still my collage-loving heart! This is the gorgeous {and beautifully cut!} work of New York based, South Asian artist Maya Varadaraj. In all of her work, Maya “engages South Asian material culture to redefine feminine narratives and representations.” I came across her work because some of these collages are currently included in a group show, curated by Nico Wheadon, at Sapar Contemporary in New York. Here is the gallery’s description of “Home Body”:

In ‘Home Body’, Elia Alba, Baseera Khan, Sola Olulode and Maya Varadaraj offer visions of personhood that transcend the labels, limits, and roles prescribed on Earth. Here, the body is not merely a vessel for participation in the material world. Instead, it is what poet Rupi Kaur describes as a colony of miracles—a home, or interior world, to return to and find refuge in. As we approach a year of learning to live with social distance and self quarantine, a reimagining of the body as sanctuary has never felt more timely or essential.

Ah, so well said. Happy Monday.

Okay, now that image is exactly how you start a post about an artist who creates “locative collages”! It’s art. On a lily pad. Floating out into a lake!? This can only mean one thing… yes, Angela Gobbens, aka @miss.printed, is on the podcast this week! She’s a Dutch artist who now lives in a little red house in Norway. However, before she started placing tiny people out into the big wide world, she studied politics and didn’t consider herself an artist. Yeah. Listen right up there under that floaty fellow, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and or Spotify.

First up, some of Angela’s “locative” collages that I posted a few weeks ago:

Aren’t they fan-frickin-tastic? Little bits of joy in the most unexpected places.

Now, maybe it’s because it’s snowy and cold in Norway and Canada at the moment, or perhaps it’s the excitement of seeing art battle the elements… either way, I have to show you a few of Angela’s collages IN. THE. SNOW:

Gah! I love those “locative” shots! Those people are so tiny… out there all alone on snowy fence posts, outside Angela’s backdoor, and frozen into puddles. LOVE.

Speaking of LOVE, here’s the Scandinavian Collage Museum in all its glory:

Seriously, I HAVE to make this happen in my tiny town! {I’m working on it and will keep you posted.} And then of course, there are the many other projects Angela has on the go:

Ha! That lil pink slug. Alas, his journey has come to an end, but FEBRULLAGE 2021 is about to start this MONDAY {do it!}, and The Collage Garden is ongoing as well. Hm, I forgot to ask Angela when she sleeps. Next time.

And finally, as promised, after we chatted Angela bundled up and stepped out into the cold Norwegian landscape with a lovely {and about to be very cold} mermaid:

 

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Ahhh, magical! Imagine going for a walk and seeing this little lady lying in the snow? *Sigh* And with that, I will say thank you so much to Angela for sharing her story with me, and thanks to you for listening! There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Angela on Instagram, aka @miss.printed
2. The Scandinavian Collage Museum
3. Februllage Prompts for 2021 {in partnership with Edinburgh Collage Collective}
4. The Collage Garden
5. The Pink Slug {no longer happening, but oh so sweet}
6. Kolaj Magazine

As a mixed media artist myself, I’m a huge fan of Austin based artist Deborah Roberts. AND – talk about good timing – she has a huge show opening at The Contemporary Austin THIS WEEKEND, Saturday January 23, 2021! (ps. tickets are required because of social distancing… get them right here). I had so many questions for her about, well, everything from process to the underlying message in her very powerful, stop you in your tracks work. I read part of her artist statement during the episode, because it just so beautifully explains why Deborah does what she does, so I’m going to put it right here too:

“Wading through my work, you must look through multiple layers, double meanings and symbols. My process combines found and manipulated images with hand drawn and painted details to create hybrid figures. These figures often take the form of young girls and increasingly Black boys, whose well being and futures are equally threatened because of the double standard of boyhood and criminality that is projected on them at such a young age. The boys and girls who populate my work, while subject to societal pressures and projected images, are still unfixed in their identity. Each child has character and agency to find their own way amidst the complicated narratives of American, African American and art history.” ~ Deborah E. Roberts

See? So good. You can listen right up there under “Hip Bone”, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and or Spotify. Okay… first up, a few of my favorite girls:

Oh my goodness… that final piece! It’s titled “Fighting All the ISM”. Look at everything that goes into each piece… drawing, painting, flat patterns, and zillions of photographs all coming together in perfect harmony.

As Deborah mentioned, the boys needed to be included too. Here are just a few of them:

Gorgeous! It’s their expressions that get me… which is kind of amazing since each face is made up of so many bits from so many people.

Now, I just mentioned this quickly, but yes, Deborah’s work has also graced the the cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK:

Gah! I love those two girls so much. Obviously, I had to include this shot of Deborah in the studio with these pieces because, SCALE!

And finally, the boys and girls all together with…

… the woman who painted, drew and collaged them into existence! Thank you so much to Deborah for taking time out of this very busy, pre-show, week (so exciting!) to come on the podcast; and of course, thanks to YOU for listening. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Deborah on Instagram
2. “I’m” at The Contemporary Austin: Jan 23, 2021 – August 15, 2021 {reserve tickets}
3. Gallery shots above: Stephen Friedman Gallery, London
4. Susanne Vielmetter Gallery, Los Angeles
5. Harper’s Bazaar UK

Sigh. This is the gorgeous collage work of Tanzanian-Nigerian, Atlanta based artist Marryam Moma. Her artist statement is just as powerful & beautiful as her work, so I’ll hand it over to Marryam:

“At the core of my art practice, I aim to empower and uplift the black female body. Unveiling the magic within this race of people breaks collective contemporary stereotypes, thus changing attitudes and perceptions of black women, allowing society to discover her beauty, ability to add value, appreciate and celebrate her. My collages are focused on elevating the importance of the black experience and this body, in a commitment to exploring the space where spirituality and higher consciousness, gender, race, and sexuality intersect … It is my intention to change the dynamics of how the black body is viewed in a society that is divisive versus inclusive. My work raises awareness that sparks discussions around traveling back into the higher self through racial reconciliation and gender equality. I hope to create a space in which the black body is celebrated.”

See? Beautiful.

*bio photo by @timberhousefilms. Thx to Clare Celeste for pointing me to Marryam’s work.

 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let’s celebrate by taking some art out for a walk around the neighborhood… what?! So magical! Can you imagine coming upon any of these tiny masterpieces out in the wild? This Norway based Dutch artist – who goes by the alias Miss.Printed – is “filling the gap between collage, photography and street art”. Ummm, there is nothing I don’t love about this clever work. May your LIFE be filled with adventure, travel, and lovely art in strange places in 2021.

{Found via Kolaj Magazine}

Oh. My. This is the mesmerizing ceramic work of UK based artist Alice Walton. All of those calming palettes combined with intricate, dizzying pathways could keep me here all day. Clearly, I had to include those insanely beautiful closeups … they remind me of looking out airplane windows at the fields and rivers below {remember, when we used to go places on planes?}. Here’s a peek into the how and why of Alice’s work:

“With a forensic eye, Walton translates the seemingly familiar into highly complex and multi-layered porcelain objects. Despite featuring intensely textured surfaces and complex colours, Walton’s work is also recognised for its meditative qualities. It is this tension between the repetitive and experimental, the calm and the kinetic that make her objects so compelling.

Walton uses a landscape of objects, crafted from individual components to create abstract scenes. This repetitive nature of mark-making in turn mimics the constant review of familiar objects on daily commutes. As references, she combines collaged photography and drawing from memory which are bought into her studio to work from. This research then pivots her work away from the literal into an imaginary collection of objects.

Her desire to stave off our digital riddled and splintered multi-realities is remedied through a process of intensely tactile moulding technique. Deliberately contemplative, her work creates a time capsule of discovery for the viewer with its intricately detailed markings drawing them in.”

Sigh. This is my kind of meditating.

If you could photograph poetry, I believe it would look a lot like this. Sigh. All of these photographs {that I swore were collages when I scrolled by them on Instagram} are part of an ongoing series titled “Reflection – 2” by Shanghai based artist Ziqian Liu… and yes, that’s her in every image. Ziqian’s personal work begins with self-portraiture because she believes keeping a ‘visual diary’ is the “best way for her to communicate with herself and to get to know herself better”. Here is her full artist statement:

“There are two main themes in her work. The first theme is about the symbiosis between human beings and nature. To some extent, it can be said that human beings and the rest of the natural world is equal, we live in the same world, breathing the same air, mutual tolerance. In her works, she tries to find a state of harmony between human and nature, and full of peace and emotion, because in this state of symbiosis, beauty will be most embodied.

The second theme is about perspective. Things we are familiar with often remain in a fixed image, but she is trying to convey through her work, to look at the same thing from different angles, there will be different findings. This is not only for things, but also for understanding others and our hearts. On the other hand, her deepest desire is for symmetry and perfect order, both in the appearance of things and in the patterns of human interaction, but this is too idealistic, after all, society is not balanced, some imperfections make it real. In her work, the image in the mirror represents the idealized world she wishes to live in, and the integration with the outside is just a reminder to respect and recognize the imbalance in the real world, but also to adhere to the order and principles of our hearts.”

See? Poetic.

{Found via TaxCollection}

Paper. No, seriously … allllll of it is paper. Even the chair, table, etc. I know, it’s a little bit too much for my brain to handle on a Monday morning, but alas, it’s true. This is the installation work of Massachusetts based artist Elizabeth Alexander. Here’s her artist statement to help explain these wonders:

“Cast paper, [she casts paper!?] sculptural collage, and altered objects are my methods for deconstructing domestic vignettes of traditional success and beauty. Long hours of unmaking and rebuilding found materials provide space to record memories and observations as I reexamine supposed truths within the domestic sphere. Repetitive processes become internal centering elements as I work to carefully break down these concepts. 

The ubiquitous notion of the American home as a symbol for status, power, values, and security has led me to examine my own relationship with home and consider its untidy qualities.  Living with and loving others who battle mental illness and chronic pain has complicated my experience with private space. I aim to unearth the human presence within our material surroundings and explore home as a place that is shaped by our stories and bears witness to our secret lives.” 

Beautiful. ps. Elizabeth’s work was recently selected for “Paper Routes – Women to Watch 2020” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC… of course it was! The show runs until the end of January 2021.