Process Art Collage For The Three Weeks

Process art is all about the making of the art as either therapy or a way of loosening up, or both. The end result is not what counts, but rather the process. I do want to write about this a bit more, but my daughter is waiting for me to help her with her photography homework, so lets just say that this bits and pieces collage is a great project to do today, on the 17th of Tammuz, while you think abou the importance of the day, especially on a personal level. Do it with your kids and have a conversation, or do it with yourself (as I did) and use it an an opportunity to work through anything that has been bothering you, it works! And best of all, we will actually be using this collage for another project, so don’t toss it, just stay tuned for an update early next week. While you are doing this collage you may want to keep Jerusalem, or the destruction of Jerusalem in mind. I had the gates of Jerusalem as well as the destruction in mind, together with some little things from my life currently. Ah yes, and no excuses friends, this uses all kinds of stuff you can dig out of your purse or pick up off the floor of your studio! Okay, lets make a collage!

You’ll Need:

• a piece of old art on heavy paper that wasn’t a success, or you can make this “discarded art” specifically for this project
• scraps of paper, fabric, receipts, envelopes, etc
• matte medium, decoupage medium, or a mix of white glue and water
• a permanent marker

How To:

If you need to make a piece of discarded art, simply sponge a few colors together on a piece of paper and then paint some scribbles on top, do some finger painting, give painting something a try, or any number of options…..

1. Create a first layer on top of your discarded art by scribbling or writing something with your permanent marker
2. Collect all the interesting bits and pieces you can find to use as collage: mine are a seed package from my morning glories, a test page from the printer, napkins circa 1960 from my mother’s house, dip dyed rice paper I’ve had since childhood (really!), some pieces from my current sketchbook journies, some old paper, a piece of cardboard from the candles boxes that held all those unsightly candles, a piece of a sudoku puzzle…….
3. Now, make your collage, starting at one corner and fanning out, or starting in the middle or just letting the process dictate where you paste your scraps. Coat the page and the collage piece with matte medium, and affix, then go over the top of the piece with more matte medium.
4. While you are doing this, it took me about an hour, have a dialogue with yourself, let the designs and imagery guide your mind, or focus on something specific……and voila, self administered art therapy!
5. Set aside to dry and stay tuned for part 2!

Really love all the depth and interest, which never would have happened if I was overly concerned about the outcome.
Okay, go make a collage, you’ll be so happy you did, promise!