Janice McDonald / Collage Art Studio

High altitude art

Janice McDonald — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:56:01 -0700

I had a lovely drive up to Breckenridge, Colorado last week to drop off work for another show with the To Expand group, this time at Teal Gallery. The roads were dry and the mountain vistas were spectacularly snowy. I love how the shadows move, change and define the planes under the all white surfaces of the snow.

Finally I was able to go over to Beaver Run and see my collage project, in person. (Thanks to the snowboard gal who took a moment away from the slopes to snap my photo!) It is installed in a two story portion of the lobby so I enjoyed the views from above and below but wasn't wildly successful in getting a better photo of it in situ... It really could use some additional lighting. Still, I'm thrilled to have it there!

The day was so warm, and the area so protected at the bottom of the ski runs, that I settled in at a sunny picnic table to eat my sack lunch outside and people-watch... a nice little field trip.

The artists' reception at Teal Gallery is this Saturday, January 19th from 5-8 pm. If you are in the vicinity, please come by and say hi! The show will runs through February 7th, 211 N. Main Street, M-F, 10-5 and Saturdays 10:30 - 6.

Recapping... "To EXPAND" at the Madden Museum

Janice McDonald — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:35:50 -0700

Stretching out in the studio, September 2012.

I spent a good portion of my studio time this year experimenting with how I could make bigger work after I was asked to participate in an exhibition at the Madden Museum. Six artists met with director Hillary Reed, toured and considered the venue, then decided that we all needed to respond in some way to the very expansive space with our artwork for this exhibition... and preparations for "To Expand" were set in motion.

Because I use so many magazines to supply color ingredients, my collages have always reflected that source material and tended to be more intimate in scale. For this exhibition, I wanted to work with some larger papers. Included in the new collages are pieces ripped from shopping bags, from large papers I painted, and from make-ready press sheets set aside by a friend at a printing company. For the first time I also painted color on my supports and worked into that with my paper compositions.

It was a stretch, literally! I'm so glad I pushed myself because I have new confidence in my ability to produce original work in sizes appropriate for corporate or public spaces. I've already realized that I can do small pieces and enlarge them through digital technology and now I know what it takes to do original work at a large scale. It's been a big year :)

Above: A portion of my work at the Madden Museum, November 2012.

So the exhibition included the largest collages I've created to date, some 80" in height! It was a bit of a whirlwind when our show date moved forward, but it all came together and the work of all six of us was amazingly cohesive with lovely unexpected relationships in color and composition. It was great working with painters Ken Elliott and Karen Scharer; encaustic artist Victoria Eubanks; fabric artist Carol Ann Waugh; and sculptor Mary Williams. The "To Expand" group will also show together at the Teal Gallery in Breckenridge, Colorado in January.

Above: This view shows less than half the museum space... my work in center, rear.

Above: The artists' reception, October 2012. Thanks to all who came out!

Found collage art

Janice McDonald — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 02:18:39 -0600

Here's a photo of a wild "found collage," remnants of papers on a telephone pole, taken on Alberta Street, a burgeoning arts district in Portland, Oregon last week.

I'm fascinated with discards, debris, and paper scraps of all kinds — and especially love finding unexpected graphic compositions in urban and outdoor environments.

To see another elegant found collage, click here.

Constructed collage landscape, in situ

Janice McDonald — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:47:00 -0600

Finally — a photo of the commissioned collage in place. I call it a constructed landscape because it's my somewhat cubist intrepretation of a landscape, made up of many disparate bits of paper—ranging from pieces of solid color to images of parts of a chandelier, and everything in between.

My husband took this photo for me when he was in Breckenridge recently (thanks, Jim!) as I have yet to make the trip to see it installed. I've been told that the lighting is due for an upgrade and I hope that'll happen. The collage is located in a two story elevator/stair lobby and doesn't look nearly so big as it did at the framer's!

By arrangement, I still hold the copyright to the image and plan to make some normal-sized prints of the triptych available for sale on my website soon. Stay tuned for more on that idea.

El Anatsui: inspiration and exhibition in Denver

Janice McDonald — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:38:34 -0600

I've been inspired by El Anatsui since I first glimpsed his huge recycled tapestry-like work at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 2008... I even wrote a blog post about it way back then!

So I've been looking forward to his retrospective show at the Denver Art Museum, "When I Last Wrote to You about Africa."

He gave a talk, more like an interview, in advance of the opening last week, as part of the Logan Lecture series. I was particularly interested in his discussion of using humble elements, brought together in a monumental way, to create a meaningful work of art. Beauty, he feels, is just a by-product of his work. (Detail of one of the works on view in Denver at left)

He said working with what your environment produces has always been a guiding thought in his artistic practice. As a collagist, I could totally relate to his sensibilities.

In working with found objects, he acknowledges that the media comes with its own history/meaning. He believes that because the objects have been touched by a person, there is a "psychic charge" within the artwork that ultimately helps other people relate to the piece.

He also spoke about the flexibility of the hanging pieces and the importance of involving other people in his work to determine how they should be hung/placed -- so it is different in every installation. He said art is like a reflection of life, always in a state of flux, and he embraces that philosophy throughout his practice.

When I arrived at the exhibition on Saturday, I was surprised that he was in the galleries responding to questions about the work. It was great to meet him and be able to tell him how much I've enjoyed his work. What a creative spirit and what a wonderful exhibition.

It runs through December 30th, 2012. Be sure to visit if you are in the area. I know I'll be going back a few times in an attempt to take it all in! (Even the shadows the works cast on the walls are gorgeous.)

Here's some video that gives you the sense of being in the same space with these wall hangings. It is not from the Denver show but was the best footage I could find to show the details of his work, from a recent show at the Akron Art Museum. Enjoy!