The Offhours #29: Collage, Supercharge
Drawings, Quotes, Lettering & Notes.
👋🏾 Hi, welcome to The Offhours, a share of illustrations, drawings, thoughts and links. Thanks for being here, you’re amazing, tell a friend.
It’s been a minute 😅. Thanks for sticking around, and shout out to the new subscribers! Welcome! Here is a longer write up that’s been marinating in my drafts folder. I recently started sharing some of my collage work, so I decided to dig a little deeper into the influences and process, and how it shows up in my current work.
Collage Love
In college I did a ton of work-study jobs. I didn’t mind them, and actually really enjoyed them. It pulled me out of my comfort zone, gave mea bit of structure and a break from the norm. I would look forward to it as there was a high chance I would learn something new or interact with new people.
I worked with the maintenance guys one semester. I loved it. All the people were of Caribbean descent, and super chill. I got access to parts of the school I’d never seen before—like that one time I got to move through a tunnel that connects the Library to the School’s Gallery vault storage—premium access. The most work I did was change a few florescent light bulbs in the Library.
Another semester I worked in the photo lab. I was an art school student, so it was easy, but I had not even taken a full photo class yet. It was one of the more expensive classes equipment wise, so I had to work up to it. For this gig I was a dark room attendant. I learned how to develop photos and work the dark room which was mostly a refresher, as I had previous experience working a summer job developing photos at Walgreens (I’ll save that story for another time).
The job mostly consisted of signing out equipment and checking the dark room to make sure things were moving smoothly, stocking up and tidying up if needed. Once in a while, I would help someone figure out a piece of equipment.
I was a sophomore at the time (I think), and one of the days there I was signing out equipment and met a guy who had just printed some test images for an assignment. He’d taken these beautiful images, and angles of city buildings. He wasn’t happy with some of the tests and had planned to scrap the photos. Something about them jumped out to me and I asked if I could have them to which he obliged.
I took the few photos and started cutting them up. ✂️
I had made collages before, but not like this, and it was never a go to method for me. I was more into the intricate drawings, and getting details and colors right. This was freeing. I was tapped in. I was thinking about M. C. Escher’s work, but less trippy. I made a new image out of the leftovers. It was bold, it had energy, it had movement.
I then made a photo copy, to help to flatten it and heighten the contrast. I didn’t have a plan for it, I just knew I liked it and how connected I was to the experience.
One of my favorite classes (probably ever) was relief printmaking, a class I happened to be taking that semester as well. It all aligned. I found the perfect use case for the piece. I tasked myself with capturing that collage’s energy as a linocut print.
See the image at top, a two color linocut print on archival paper.
Unlocking Ideas
I’ve had interest in abstraction, but couldn’t quite get out of my own way to make it happen. I finally found a way to freestyle while making it fun. That weird thing happened where all the references in my brain started making sense — Romaire Bearden, Saul Bass, Henri Matisse. Artists I like, that have created amazing collages and cut paper work. Work I can take cues from to apply to my own process.
Whether I was drawing something direct or mixing in abstract elements, this process has helped me get comfortable with just trying ideas, and generating new ones. After creating the “City Limits” print, I was inspired to combine images of my friends with sketches I was working on. My focus in these pieces was to capture a gaze, and create a tone/feeling to contrast the busy backgrounds. Backgrounds that also have layered meanings and expression on their own.
I try to ground my approach by starting with something disparate and building an idea around it. Collaging in the most basic sense, but style varies the approach. I go back and forth between a drawing and found imagery, and the combination of it all.
Feeling Seen
Let’s fast forward. I was in Chicago for a wedding and stopped into The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. My wife and I have a thing for galleries and museums, so it’s always on our priority list when we visit different cities. We saw a magnificent Howardena Pindell exhibit. Our first time experiencing her work up close, which was quite an experience. One of the best exhibits I’ve ever seen. Pindell uses a blend of techniques to create her pieces, but what resonated with me was how collage was used in various aspects. The layering. The purposefulness and intent. How can I be more intentional with my collage pieces?
Inspiration begs you to question and look at what you are doing differently. But the main thing for me was feeling that my practice made sense. What I was creating had meaning. Not that I needed a cosign, but I keep this type of work closer to the chest.
Couple years later, I come across “Black Collagists: The Book” from the insta page of the same name. The book shares work from Black artists who are creating excellent collage artwork. It inspired me to focus on how I could share my collage side again (hence the earlier posts with collage work), as I mostly focus on sharing design and illustration pieces. My personal collage practice has been ongoing for years, so it was fitting to come across this book to pose the challenge to myself.
Supercharge
Nowadays I use collage to organize and supercharge my thoughts. I try to bring more of it into my design/illustration work—however well it translates for the audience. I find it very grounding to slow down and put something together by hand. Doing what I can to be intentional about breaking the rhythm of always being on the computer, and having such a pre-determined workflow.
Part of the reason I started this newsletter was to delve into all aspects of my practice. The parts known and the parts unseen, delving into the thinking and the process of creating. Maybe I’m just slowing down overall? Or maybe I’m trying to be more intentional with my practice.
📸 Linky Links
Listening: “Hiatus Kaiyote - 'Telescope'“ - One of my favorite bands. Incredible vocals and imaginative song writing.
Reading: “Why Creative Labour isn’t Always Seen as “Real Work” - Good read. A discussion that needs more attention, especially with bots looming.
Watching: “Katherine Bradford - Making Things”- Just a great revealing interview.
Stay Wonderful.
Thoughts:
I also love collage and don’t make enough time for it.
I really like the “control series.” The contrast between the bw line work and bold colored swirls is a brilliant concept.
They tried to control… great titles.
Thanks for the thoughtful newsletter.