I’ve been working on a lot of pieces lately that combine other materials and techniques with my ‘normal’ torn paper collage. Part of it is just to see how far I can push things. I’ve gotten my torn paper collage technique quite well-refined, to the point that the paper pieces function more like paint or another traditional medium than as collage. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the traditional collage look, but that’s not where my journey has taken me!

Part of it is a natural progression. A lot of my ‘paintings’ have shifted to be more abstract, mixed-media pieces that are increasingly three-dimensional or other wise not contained to a single, flat plane. There are pieces that are formed from multiple canvases and pieces where the ‘image’ doesn’t stay within the rectangular boundary of the canvas.  It makes sense that my collages would evolve too, I suppose.

The Inspired Art piece I talked about here was definitely a jumping-off point. There’s still some of my usual torn paper collage, but it also includes a lot of non-standard materials. “Trash,” used as an art medium.  The little test collage of a Red Panda I made out of leaves (you can read more about it here) was another interesting side branch and one that I think I’ll explore further. I suspect there are definite limits to what can be accomplished with leaves as an art material. But I really want to see what those limits are!

All this experimentation and exploration means that I’ve needed to adjust the materials and techniques I use, however. Normally, I use artist’s drawing paper and scrapbooking glue to attach paper fragments torn from catalogs and magazines. I intentionally use paper as a substrate, since it will respond the same way the collaged paper fragments will to changes in temperature and humidity. It’s the conservator in me! I also don’t varnish my paper collages, since the varnish is not removable and even archival-quality varnishes will yellow over time.

With the pieces that contain other materials, there are different concerns. The variety of materials means that there will always be a potential issue with how the different parts of the piece respond to changes in environment. I use a sturdier substrate, like a wooden panel, since the materials can sometimes be quite heavy, relatively-speaking, so they need more support. I use different materials as the adhesive, since scrapbooking glue isn’t strong enough or ‘bulky’ enough to hold the different materials firmly.

I also tend to use varnish more often, either on the entire piece or just on parts of it. This is to help protect the materials themselves, either from humidity changes or from the other materials. I coat the metal pieces to keep them from rusting, for example, which could damage parts of the piece that are in contact with it. The varnish also helps to give the surface a more uniform; something that’s not really an issue when I working just with paper.

Some of the materials I’ve been using in my mixed-media collages are listed below, if you are interested in my go-to products.

• Golden Soft Gel Medium
• Golden Light Molding Paste
• Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Satin Varnish
• ZIG or EK Tools 2-Way Glue
• Strathmore Drawing Paper

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