Collage Is Cool

Collage is from the French word coller, which means "to glue." Collage is a type of art production in which the artwork is made by putting together pieces of a variety of materials (such as paper, photos, other artwork, found objects, etc.) to create a new whole. Sometimes painters incorporate collage into their paintings.

("Search for an Olive Branch" by Stephanie Phelps)

("Mariposa" by Stephanie Phelps)

Among famous collage artists are Kurt Schwitters, Romare Bearden, and Pablo Picasso. Schwitters is credited as being the first to do this type of work. Bearden's collages derived in part from African-American slave crafts such as patchwork quilts. Picasso's use of collage made it an important component in Cubism.

("Self" by Constance Israel)

Dan Eldon also had a great influence on contemporary collage use. He died in 1993 while working as a photojournalist for Reuters in Somalia, leaving behind 17 bulging journals. They were filled with collages of photos, drawings, and images from magazines and newspapers. Eldon's mother and sister produced a best-selling and internationally acclaimed book featuring a selection of over 200 pages from his journals.

(page from The Journey Is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon)

Come by the Sedona Artist Market seven days a week, from 10 to 5, to check out our art and to inspire your own.