Collaging the Figure

A new series of collages and postcards!

This fall, I decided to take an 8-week Figure Drawing class through MECA&D’s Continuing Studies department, just for fun. There are several figure drawing groups and events in Portland, Maine. I see the fliers around town and in my Instagram feed, and I think, “Oh, I should go this week,” but I rarely do. So I signed up for a class to hold myself accountable.

For the first few weeks, I drew with charcoal and conte crayon on white and toned paper. My drawings were okay, but I often overworked them, and they felt so academic. Honestly, I was relieved when the timer ran out.

One day, I brought a pile of old books and scrap paper to the Sketchbook class that I was teaching. Inspired by Matisse’s cutouts (especially Blue Nude) I had the idea to use some of these materials to collage the figure from direct observation.

Then, I started to have more fun.

Here is my first figurative collage. I was in a state of flow for that entire hour. Cutting and arranging shapes in a fixed amount of time forced me to make decisions quickly and spontaneously. There was no time to be fussy.

I worked on a drawing horse surrounded by scraps. Most of these came from misprints and extra pages from my Mt. Blue risograph zine. Other pages were from printmaking projects, where I used scrap paper to clean off my brayer. (Yes, I keep all this stuff!)

Experimenting with imagery and new techniques is a huge part of my artistic process. Collage had been one of my preferred techniques for many years, but I’ve never used risograph textures before. Now I want to make even larger figurative collages with these bold colors!

The models at MECA&D are so sweet! They loved walking around the class and photographing our work.

I especially loved drawing and collaging the model Michelle. At one point she told me that watching me work gave her energy to keep holding the pose. I am a firm believer that art, more than anything, brings us together.

After the class ended, I scanned each image and printed five designs on postcards. I am happy to send a pack of five to my paid subscribers this month for the last “issue” of the year. I will also send a pack to new yearly subscribers who sign up before December 31st.

Thank you for being here!