I’m enjoying the Collage Breakthrough course with Cat Rains. I started off in a journal with light lines because I assumed we’d always be filing in the entire square. Never assume! So I started afresh, in one of my usual collage journals.
The 4th lesson didn’t appeal to me today, although I’ll probably do it over the weekend, so I expanded on lesson 3 instead.
These collages are certainly reinforcing my preferences for colour palette, types of mark making and how I like to put things together.
The world is, quite literally, burning. Australia is experiencing terrible fires. Parts of New Zealand are facing temperatures up to 12 degrees higher than average. Then there’s the general state of the world.
It impacts on my art. Sometimes I look at what I’ve been creating and realise there’s blood, crosses, or the colours are suddenly more somber than usual. My shapes get simpler, the layouts less complex, and though my mind is looking for moments of quiet. These aren’t conscious decisions, but a reflection of what’s happening in my mind.
When I notice the colours are getting sombre I deliberately brighten my palette a bit, but I let the crosses etc come out. Creating is good for my wellbeing, and keeping my hands busy is a great antidote to doom scrolling and doom posting.
At the start of every year I do an online art course, this year I’ve chosen Cat Rain’s Collage Breakthrough course. I’ve been doing collage for 20+ years; there’s always something to learn, and forced action increases gaining momentum.
As with any course, I won’t talk much about the process, because that is their intellectual property. Instead I’ll share my discoveries.
We started by making collage papers and I used the gelli plate. We need a mix of plain and patterned. I used my favourite stencils and, based on Cat’s videos, decided to make some patterned papers using a brush for mark making.
We made grids of small collages, using two papers each, based on her guidelines. My first set was in a warm palette and I quickly realised I had light & mid tones, but no real darks. Also, the warm colours weren’t speaking to me. I made a new set of papers using blue and purple, mixed with black and white.
I made my first grid of 6 collages using the new cool papers, and straight cut edges, which is what Cat had demonstrated. Then a second set of 6, with torn edges and more organic shapes.
The next lesson was larger pieces, using 3 papers each, and I didn’t even bother using straight edges.
What have I learned or remember so far?
I touched on this here, and spelling it out will help me have clarity. In 2026, my art goals are:
As I play in my small Fabriano art journal, with zero expectations, I can see a change happening. I’ve got the urge to complete the shapes, replicate colours and patterns. This isn’t what I normally do, so I’m going with it to see what happens. It’s most likely a step on the way to something else. It doesn’t feel like something I’d pursue in its own right.
Cath Sheard Art 