Why do collage?

Sometimes I see people online asking what the point of collage is if you’re “not going to do anything with it”.

For many creatives the joy is in creating, rather than the final result. Moving our hands, and quieting our brains, is good for us and even more important when the world feels difficult.

I believe the hand of the artist always shows. Creating collages without too much thinking helps uncover developing interests, common threads, new directions and shapes that are calling to us.

I made four small collages this afternoon – I think the journal is 6×6”. When I look at them it’s obvious to me one was overly influenced by some printed tissue paper that was lying around. The hand painted papers feel right by the composition doesn’t sit comfortably for me.

The other three sit together, and show the hand of the artist. There are consistent shapes which regularly show up in my work, mixed with a shape that’s still emerging, and some colour schemes I’ve been exploring.

Will I do anything with this information? In a formal sense, no. But it’ll sit in the back of my mind and over time some of it may become part of my new art language. We’ll see…