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Thursday Art group - Session 39
Session Menu | Session 39 - Collage |
Collage
This week we had a go at collage (a paste-up made by sticking together pieces of paper, photographs, or other materials, to form an artistic image). Another term sometimes used, is montage. Some dictionaries give the same definition, but where collage is generally used to create a single picture out of a variety of materials, montage is often used to tell a story, using a sequence of images, such as in photography or film making. In film making, the term parallel montage is often used, possibly originated by film make Sergei Eisenstein, who famously cut together two different but parallel events in his sequence of a runaway pram descending the Odessa Steps, in the 1925 film 'Battleship Potemkin'. Of course, today it is a common feature used in many films and TV dramas.
(Click on images around the table to enlarge completed pieces)
Mags
Mags worked quietly and with enthusiasm. In addition to paper imagery,
she had some stars and plastic butterflies. The stars were used on the
bottle to depict reflections and the background card was painted to better
blend with the collage, but what was most amazing, was the handling of
reflections in the globe - resulting in what can only be described this
week, as a stunning piece of work.
(Click
on image to enlarge)
Helen
Helen took an interesting approach to this session, allowing her imagination
to modify the still life she had arranged, to become a thoughtful divergent
and creative statement. So although representation is not literal, it
is reflective, with association made to the colour and texture of the
objects, rather than the actual objects themselves. (I look forward to
the possibility of seeing the fully completed result).
(Click on image to view final montage)
John
After setting up his arrangement, John sought out a selection of colours
which he could use to shape into his montage. Although this took up quite
a bit of his time, the results of this diligent approach can be seen as
the montage began to take form.
(Click on image to view the final montage)
Top
Kathy
wasn't able to make the session, but dropped by at the end.
Lorraine didn't attend this week.
Stan
I watched Stan for some time, cutting up his source material into little
pieces and wondered what he had in mind. However, it wasn't long before
it all made sense and Stan produced a montage mosaic of his objects,
picking out the light and shadow of the terracotta pot and imagery on
the jug. Normally, I'd be encouraging the smoothing of some of the finer
edges, but the rough quality of the montage around the top of the jug
works well to express its somewhat pinched rim. An interesting handling
of the draped cloth and not what one might expect. However, the result
is quite pleasing and fits with the overall composition.
(Click
on image to enlarge)
Elizabeth
Elizabeth made an early start on this project, bringing in a montage
she'd completed at home, based on her Russian Doll and its complete
family. Although I didn't take a photo for the website (as this was
started at home, rather than completed at home after class) each doll
had a face of the monarch [Queen Elizabeth] through time which, although
not a copied representation of the doll, nevertheless created an interesting,
even surreal, Pythonesque feel.
For her session work (still based on the Russian Doll) Elizabeth produced
a closer representation and chose an excellent floral pattern for the
body. The choice of head, with its black surrounding, works really well
to give the impression of a French polish shine which, in the imagination,
feels smooth in the grip of the palm. Further enhancements include the
hands, bow and reflections. The montage has a nice crisp feel and this
could be further enhanced with a bit of extra-fine trimming to smooth
some outline edges.
(Click
on image to see a clearer enlargement)
Top
Tracy
Tracy
made a good start on her montage, picking out shapes shadows and colours
to good effect.
However, by the end of the session, she felt that things could be improved
and continued to work on it at home - producing this final result:
The use of colour, pattern and texture has worked extremely well and
the bottle in the foreground is definitely glass. The graded lines of
colour on the lid (lower right) produce a real feel of mirrored reflection
and the final work, at first glance, is almost photographic in its realism
- quite an achievement for a first collage.
(Click
on image to see an enlargement)
Observations
This was one of those sessions where we could have benefited from having double the time. However, I think that everyone got something out of it and began to both see and enjoy the potential that montage can offer.
It was interesting to notice the different approaches everyone took in
this session. I think that everyone did a pencil sketch, but after that,
a range of methods were chosen:
- Selecting a range of colours and textures for later use
- Cutting and gluing pieces immediately - building up detail
- Starting with overall blocks of shape and then layering on top
- Starting with detail - carefully replicating object lines