Unexpected Collages
An unexpected artmaking experience came through a black and white film photography course I took in 2014. Part of my Winter Term class at Ghost Ranch (Abiquiu, NM) included collaging in our sketchbooks; it was an exercise to stay visually sharp and work with our hands when not photographing and printing work. We had access to an assortment of old National Geographic’s, fashion magazines, and photography journals.
Before this class, I had hardly shown my collages to anyone—I didn’t have a reason to and I didn’t know if they were visually good beyond my own tastes. Having my collages examined by my instructor and then being encouraged to continue collaging was impactful.
These are few collages I made during that class.
January 2014
The scribbles and numbers on the magazine page above were my classmate’s calculations for cutting and matting photographs for their final project.
