Inaugural Issue of Assembla Magazine

ASSEMBLA MAGAZINE

ISSUE #1

AUGUST 2024

INAUGURAL ISSUE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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KATRIN KLINK

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A Q&A WITH JP TERLIZZI

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ROXANNE EVANS STOUT

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SÉVERINE CHAVEAU

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KARLA FULLER

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LOU CAMERATO

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RICHARD ROLFE

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JOSEPH FINDEISS

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KATHY SANTEN

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MOYA DELANY

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ASHLEY BROSSART

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MARK JARZOMBEK

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A Q&A WITH KHARRIS BRILL

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MATT CAUTHRON

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GREET VAN DAM

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SUZY QUAIFE

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KATE STEHR

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GLYNN GALLOWAY

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JACK RAVI

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SANDRA HIRASHIKI

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NANCY BENOY

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ROMERO PASIN

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JANE CHIPP

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ANTONIA AVRAMOVA

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DIANA LAUFER

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PAULA BERTHOLET

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TOM BUCHANAN

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A Q&A WITH DONNA WATSON

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SUSAN GUNN

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GWEN SAMUELS

COVER

GREET VAN DAM, “HIDDEN BY NATURE...”

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EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the inaugural issue of Assembla Magazine, a publication that celebrates the visual poetry of assemblage and 3D collage. This issue marks the beginning of a journey into mediums that combine storytelling with the imaginative repurposing of everyday objects or historical artifacts as they pay homage to the forgotten, the discarded, and the rediscovered.

Assemblage is more than an artistic technique. It is a meditation on memory and identity. Our featured artists engage in the careful curation of ephemera, family archives, or found artifacts. In so doing, they reveal beauty in imperfections as they recontextualize the lost, the overlooked, the everyday. These works breathe new life into what was once discarded, inviting you to explore the intersection of curiosity, wonder, nostalgia, and memorialization. Each piece transforms seemingly insignificant objects into extraordinary art objects and narratives that challenge us to uncover deeper meanings and connections.

In this issue, we delve into the art of foraging and collecting. The showcased pieces challenge us to explore our relationship with the objects around us and reflect on how our identities are shaped by the memories we carry.

We hope this issue inspires you to find beauty in the overlooked and to uncover the stories waiting to be unearthed.

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Kate Stehr, “Brush Telegrah I II and III”

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Exploring Memory, Family Archives, and Assemblage: A Q&A with JP Terlizzi JP Terlizzi is a New York City lens-based artist whose contemporary practice explores themes of memory, relationships, and identity. His images are rooted in the personal and are heavily influenced by the notions of home, legacy, and family. He is curious about how the past relates to and intersects with the present and how the present enlivens the past, shaping one’s identity. JP earned a BFA in Communication Design at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a background in graphic design and advertising. He has studied photography at both the International Center of Photography in New York and Maine Media College in Rockport, ME. JP’s work has been exhibited extensively in galleries and museums across the United States and abroad and is represented in the permanent collections of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Candela Gallery, The Center for Fine Art Photography, as well as many corporate and private collections.

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The Matriarch

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Remembering Papa Statement

Papa is my mother’s family name and goes back several generations. In fact, my maternal grandparents both shared the last name of Papa. It’s a surname that I have a profound love and respect for and with which I most identify. It provides a sense of belonging and a deep-rooted connection to my mother’s family who had a significant impact in shaping the person I have become.

Through the years, I’ve acquired an archive of family photos from relatives. Ancestors that came before me, some of whom I cannot identify nor ask anyone about, so the memories the photos once represented are now lost. My generation serves as the memory keepers for the Papa legacy. With that comes an unspoken obligation to preserve the values instilled, the lessons learned, the stories told, and the traditions shared with the new generation of Papa. We share these stories and traditions as a reminder that memorialization, while it does recall the past, is more about not being forgotten or remembered at all.

“Remembering Papa” focuses on the relationship between the family archive and personal memory. It uses assemblage as narrative to heighten and enliven the family portrait as both a memorial function, a declaration of love for those who came before, and a legacy for remembrance to be passed down.

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Memory Spools

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Mend

What initially drew you to assemblages as a medium, and how do you find it uniquely suited for exploring family archives and personal histories within your artistic practice?

I construct most of my photographs. I also enjoy the process of intervening with my images and turning them into photographic objects. Assemblage was a natural progression with my work.

I was very curious about exploring assemblages and took a workshop in October 2021 with Dawn Surratt at Maine Media. Dawn opened my world to many possibilities and showed how working with found objects can further enhance a narrative. I made a piece in her workshop using a photograph of my maternal grandmother that I worked on with cold wax and applied hand-sewing. The image was then cocooned inside an exposed spool of string. I loved the way it turned out and the warmth that it conveyed. It reminded me of my grandmother and the loving memories of her. Assemblage allowed me to delve deeper within myself and express emotions that a 2D photograph could not convey. It became a gateway to connecting with my grandmother and other relatives.

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As a self-described memory custodian, could you elaborate on the role memory plays in your work and how it intertwines with themes of identity, relationships, and legacy?

Memory is a recurring theme in my work. I come from a large Italian family. Although I had a non-existent relationship with my father, I was extremely close to all my mother’s brothers and sisters. My mother’s family helped shape the person I am today. Even though my last name is Terlizzi, I identify most with my mother’s family name, Papa. Hence the name for the series, “Remembering Papa”. Now that they have passed, there is a wake-up call and the responsibility to preserve and pass down the memories, stories, traditions, lessons learned, and values to future generations falls on me and my first cousins. Working with a family photograph is a loving act of remembrance.

We take family photographs as a visual legacy to remember. Through assemblage, I find that I am creating a new layer for remembrance on top of the old memory.

In your assemblage series “Remembering Papa”, you seamlessly blend artistic expression with archival preservation.

Can you delve into how you navigate the intersection of being both an artist and an archivist, and the creative process behind merging these two roles?

After my brother deliberately destroyed all

our family photos, I was left without any to call my own. Fortunately, several cousins have generously given me access to their personal photo archives. I am deeply grateful for their kindness and feel a strong obligation to preserve the original photographs and documents I work with. Even though I am not the image maker of the archive, I try to honor the archive’s authenticity while using my artistic skills to present them in new, loving, honest, and meaningful ways that help keep our family’s memory alive. I take great pride in honoring our family’s history and memory and enjoy reimagining the memories I once shared with each of my relatives through my creativity.

“Remembering Papa” delves into the intricate fabric of family history, intertwining past narratives with present contemplations. How do you approach the temporal aspects of memory within your artwork, capturing the fleeting nature of the past and its enduring resonance in the present?

I have a few family photographs, some of which feature people I don’t recognize. With no family members left to confirm who these individuals are, the memories and stories behind the photographs are now lost. I want to prevent this from happening with the photographs of my maternal grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, and family. I want their legacies and memories to endure even after I am gone. Each assemblage tells a story that can outlive the photograph. I carefully select

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objects with significant meaning to convey a memory, sentiment, or a passed-down story. My assemblages serve as memorials for those who are not present. They involve replacing memories with objects. Something must change to bring a photograph from the past into the present. The subject needs to transform from someone who is merely seen into someone who is truly felt. It’s an emotional exchange that comes from the heart.

Your work is deeply imbued with emotional depth, inviting viewers into the intimate narratives of your family history. Could you elaborate on how you navigate the emotional dimensions of your artwork, particularly in relation to the stories and memories you aim to convey through your assemblages?

some kind. It was important to me to show both the good and the painful. I wanted the series to be honest and come from my heart. The traumas I endured made me into the strong and caring individual I am today. I found writing about each image and telling the individual stories was very cathartic and helped me deal with the emotions I was reliving. There is an image of my aunt as a little girl with her legs being mended. She was my mother’s oldest sister who lost both her legs to diabetes later in life. It was very difficult to see a vibrant, sweet, and kind woman lose both her legs to the disease. I was very apprehensive about sharing this image because it was so personal, and I didn’t want the loss of my aunt’s legs to define the incredible woman she was. The

I always start with a personal connection to the stories and memories I aim to convey. This could be from my own experiences, family history, or interviews with other family members.

Engaging deeply with these narratives allows me to genuinely feel the emotions associated with them, which is critical to creating something authentic. I think that by making the stories more personal and honest, they become more universal.

Several assemblages in the series are emotionally charged and were very difficult to create as they required conjuring and reliving memories and sharing the stories with viewers.

No family is perfect. We all have baggage of

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Cain and Abel

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assemblage was my way of using my creative power to mend her legs whole again. Working with images of my mother was difficult. My mother was an emotionally abusive woman with mental health problems whom I didn’t have a relationship with for twenty years. She was a violinist with an abusive husband (my father) who cheated and left her to raise two small children on her own. My mother never recovered from that trauma, nor did she seek help. Instead, she became an extremely bitter woman who took her bitterness out on her family ultimately alienating her from everyone.

The most difficult memories to resurrect were “Cain and Abel”, the assemblage of my brother, yet it was the easiest to make. I have a nonexistent relationship with my brother. I severed that relationship decades ago for my own self-preservation due to his unpredictable, aggressive, abusive, and erratic behavior.

Including him in any family-related series was something I had no desire to do, but the idea kept haunting me. Finally, I decided that if I wanted to be honest with the series, I needed to include a piece on my brother. I keep that piece hidden away in a drawer. I rarely take it out because I don’t like being reminded of what the assemblage represents and having its energy around me.

to capturing and preserving family memories in your work? How do you decide which “threads” to bring to the forefront in your assemblages?

I come from a large extended Italian family on my mother’s side. I grew up surrounded by my sixteen first cousins, fifteen aunts, and uncles, all of whom significantly impacted my life. The metaphor reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of familial relationships, emphasizing that each memory or “thread” contributes to the larger narrative of our family’s history. I approach each assemblage with the understanding that individual memories, like threads, may seem insignificant on their own but gain deeper meaning and depth when combined with others. The selection process is both intuitive and deliberate. I carefully consider what “thread” to bring to the forefront based on the memory’s significance, honoring the memory’s authenticity and emotional resonance to tell a compelling narrative.

Your assemblages are notable for their rich symbolism, often incorporating vintage objects and materials. Could you elaborate on how you select and integrate these symbolic elements into your artwork to evoke the intended emotional resonance and narrative depth?

In “Memory Spools,” you describe the threads of family relationships creating I frequently incorporate thread and sewing something substantial when woven in my assemblages. These items hold a together. Can you elaborate on how special significance for me due to my family’s this metaphor influences your approach

background in craftsmanship. My grandmother

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“My assemblages serve as memorials for those who are not present”

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My Mother’s Song

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The Family Recipe

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was a dressmaker, my grandfather was a shoemaker, and several relatives were seamstresses, so the thread was common in their skill sets. I also have a habit of visiting antique stores and purchasing items that speak to me intuitively. Initially, I may not have a specific use in mind for these items, and they may sit untouched for months or years.

However, once I have a clear idea in mind, I deliberately select objects that hold personal significance and contribute to the story and memory I want to convey. I may also purchase additional items once the idea is realized. The quality of materials, including texture, color, and wear plays a crucial role in my selection process and helps enhance the final piece’s emotional impact. Additionally, the decision of how to transfer an image onto the material makes the assemblage more engaging. Sometimes, a particular object will inspire an idea, as in “The Family Recipe.” I found a vintage pie roller in an antique store not knowing its use, and later discovered that it was an old roller used for making ravioli. This discovery sparked the idea of creating a piece around family recipes and focusing on the exceptional women cooks in my family and homemade recipes.

Can you speak to the significance of family archives in preserving personal and collective histories, and how your work contributes to the broader conversation surrounding archives and their role in understanding our past?

Family archives are immensely significant in

preserving both personal and collective histories. They serve as repositories of memories, experiences, and identities, offering unique insights and a rich understanding of the past from a deeply human perspective that formal historical records might overlook. We take and hold on to family photographs out of love as a visual legacy to remember people, places, milestones, or events. Family photographs are fundamental to our personal histories; they are small pieces connecting us to our past, roots, and each other.

Recently, I stumbled upon a copy of an alien registration form from my grandmother from the 1940s. I had no idea of its significance but was intrigued that it contained my grandmother’s fingerprint. I asked my cousins who had the original document in the family, but no one knew. I contacted the National Archives and obtained a clean copy of the original document and paperwork. I was shocked to learn that my grandfather was a US citizen, but my grandmother never went through the formal procedure and was considered an enemy alien in the 1940s. That document had a wealth of information about my grandmother, her emigration to the US, and her state of mind at the time registering as an “enemy alien”. I made an assemblage around the piece titled A2998007, her alien registration number. I now have

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a formal historical record of my grandmother and a greater appreciation and understanding of her personal sacrifices in coming to the United States.

safeguarding meaningful artifacts, I aim to ensure the continuity of our family’s legacy. I hope the future generations of the Papa family who look at my assemblages and the stories they convey long after I am gone can feel the love and admiration I had for the generations You have described photographs as that came before them who helped shape the “prompts for recollection; they are taken individuals they are today.

in anticipation of forgetting.” How does this concept inform and shape your creative process with assemblages and family archives? How do you envision the impact of these photographic elements on future generations who engage with your work?

I lost nine relatives in a span of four years; it was a lot of loss and grief to process in a short amount of time. That experience made me think hard about family histories and how much of my own family history has now been lost with my relatives’ memories. I’ve found that working with a family photo of a loved one who has passed is a moment of intimacy between the deceased and yourself and helps process the loss. Making artwork that celebrates the life of that person and their memory can bring comfort and even facilitate the grieving process many years later.

As one of the custodians of the Papa family archive, I have an unspoken responsibility to preserve and pass down memories to future generations. By sharing family stories, traditions, values, and photographs and

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Is there a particular aspect of your artistic journey or the themes explored in “Remembering Papa” that you’d like to expand on or share further with our readers?

“The Shoemaker” in particular conjured up very vivid memories of visiting my grandfather in his shoemaker shop as a kid. After every visit, my grandfather would open his work drawer and give me black licorice candy. I love black licorice to this day and anytime I smell or eat it, I immediately think of my grandfather. I plan to explore the idea of memories that are evoked when we smell or taste specific foods or flavors from our past and associate them with a loved one.

Learn More www.jpterlizziphotography.com @jpterlizzi

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The Shoemaker

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The Legacy

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A2998007

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Séverine Chauveau www.severinechauveau.com

@severinechauveau

BIOGRAPHY

ARTIST STATEMENT

Séverine Chauveau’s work questions the materiality of photography and its relationship to time and objects. It will be shown at the University of Reunion Island in October 2024. It was also presented in July 2023 at the International Festival of Photography in Barcelona in two group exhibitions: “Jouer contre les expositions”, curated by Pablo Giori, Co-Director of the festival, and “Ausstellungseröffnung” on the theme of materiality in photography at the Institute of Photographic Studies of Catalonia. A book published by Éditions Azalées and directed by Patrick Singaïny, an essayist from La Réunion, was published in 2013 following the double exhibition “Haunted Images - Anté Images” presented in St Denis de la Réunion. Séverine Chauveau studied visual arts at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon- Sorbonne.

Through an exploration of the materiality of photography and the close link it maintains with time, the artist questions her own relationship to memory and forgetting. Experimentation with the boundaries of photography led Séverine Chauveau to apprehend the medium in an unconventional form: volume, texture, abstraction, hybridization. Photography becomes a material to be manipulated and combined to create small “souvenir objects”. These images are taken from the “Formal Memories” project: “It’s curious how a memory is created. I remember a feeling, smell, shape, or color more often than something specific. These thousands of moments have become frozen in small soft and shiny colored masses, a beauty fossilized into a small memory-object, suddenly precious, that I keep in the hollow of my memory.”

Formal Memories: My Mother’s Dress

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Formal Memories: The Orange Lounge

Formal Memories: The Rock

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John F Parker @parkerassemblage

The Measure

BIOGRAPHY I’ve designed, renovated, and built custom homes in Vermont for 40 years, often adding found objects to furniture and cabinetry for intriguing touches. Maple spouts for cabinet pulls, old rulers for wood detail, a row of inlaid dominoes to highlight a cupboard found their way into these houses. My woodworking shop is now my art studio where I create using found objects. Their original patina and color are important for me to maintain. Metal figures, reclaimed wood, vintage game pieces, aged hardware, rusted metal, and early printed material combine in curious ways to become my art. I have been fortunate to have exhibited at the White River Gallery, AVA, Gallery 110, Studio Place Arts, J. Langdon, Chandler Gallery, and The Kent Museum.

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ARTIST STATEMENT My studio is a treasure trove of interesting found objects. I combine these objects to create a different story of their previous existence. My assemblages can be whimsical, some can imply movement, and others a visual still life. The style of their creation is the value of their original patina, their aged color and their time-worn texture. I truly enjoy the challenge of finding the right combinations that “sing the song”. I also love the construction process. The connecting, attaching, and fitting are creative processes in themselves, right down to that aged screw from another life. Achieving a vintage look and keeping the historical/antique feel is important to me. If someone thought one of my art pieces was 100 years old, I’d be happy.

Seven Dozen

The Rope Bending Factory

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Lou Camerato www.jabilou.com

@lou.camerato.art

BIOGRAPHY Lou Camerato, based in Akron, Ohio, began his artistic journey at Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, before transitioning to a career in accounting and finance at Central Connecticut State University. After 47 years in business finance, Lou returned to his passion for art in 2021 rebranding his studio as Just Another Bright Idea Productions. Specializing in assemblage and mixed media, his works reflect a blend of found objects and diverse mediums, exploring themes of personal introspection and symbolic narratives. Lou has showcased his art in juried exhibitions nationwide and throughout northeast Ohio, earning accolades and awards. His pieces have been featured at prominent venues including the Canton Museum of Art, The Massillon Museum, and Summit ArtSpace.

Caged

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Time Wel

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ARTIST STATEMENT Lou Camerato, who resides in West Akron, is an artist known for his unique found object assemblage art. His creative process involves gathering items from various sources, intuitively selecting those that resonate with him, often feeling as though they carry a hidden message urging him to “take me home.” Lou describes his creations as a form of visual journaling, each piece rich in metaphoric imagery that reflects his inner conflicts and personal triumphs. In addition to found object assemblage art, Lou works with other mediums such as acrylic and collage. Occasionally, he combines these different mediums into his assemblages, adding depth and complexity to his artistic expression. Through his art, Lou Camerato not only showcases his creativity but also invites viewers to explore the narratives and emotions embedded within each carefully crafted piece.

ll Served

Memorial Day Reflection_Letters Unread

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Joseph Findeiss www.josephfindeiss.com

@dear_orpheus

BIOGRAPHY Joseph Findeiss is a Denver-based artist whose creative endeavors traverse the realms of the tangible and the abstract. With a bold spirit that defies the conventional, Findeiss has carved a niche for himself in the contemporary art scene. His body of work, a testament to his versatility, includes three-dimensional assemblages, spray painted reimaginings, colorful collages, and a diverse array of handcrafted pieces that resonate with modern ideals and an unmistakable flair. Found objects, curios, readymades, and handmade accessories play an important role in the process as working with his hands is transcendent for the artist. The artist’s assemblages and collages are often playful, vibrant, and not without a sense of irony. Using abstractionism and surrealism, Findeiss explores the mutability and ultimately, the fallibility inherent within the landscape of memory.

Aviary #2 (3 Parakeets)

ARTIST STATEMENT “The Aviaries” was born out of an idea, an homage, and a compulsive necessity to purge excess materials.

I wanted to stack and build the materials on top of one another then homogenize these structures to create a silhouette of white on white, a blankness or emptiness without actually being empty so that the color I did use (birds, the vibrant palette) would pop and appear to be floating in this blank space. Put another way: a minimalist approach to assemblage inspired by late 80s / early 90s pop color range, 8-bit video games, and mid-century assemblagists.

Aviary #5 (Parrots & Cockatoos)

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Aviary #3 (3 Parrots)

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Moya Delany www.moyadelany.com.au

@moyadelany_art

BIOGRAPHY Growing up in Swan Hill in the 1970’s with globetrotting parents and their sophisticated set of epic partythrowing characters shaped the perfect, colorful background to become an artist. After graduating with a BA in Fine Art in 1989, Delany exhibited in Australia before moving to Bangkok where she lived at The Artists Club of Thailand. She worked as a journalist for “Bangkok Time Out” magazine and was part of an exhibition in Pattaya. In the 1990’s, Delany lived in New York where her time was spent “walking in the footsteps of my heroes and inspirations like Dorothy Parker, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and loitering around The Algonquin and Chelsea Hotels.” Most recently, her solo exhibition, ‘dreamcargo’ 2024 was held at ‘The Lennox’, located in Melbourne. Her work is held in numerous private collections.

ARTIST STATEMENT Collected artefacts and tattered souvenirs are part of Delany’s autobiographical, evocative, and sculptural assemblages. Inspired by opposites and contrasts, conversations and experiences, history and travel, Delany only uses authentic vintage paraphernalia, arranging found and unrelated objects in ways that evoke both mystery and familiarity, like evidence from a lost epoch. With narratives reminiscent of Hemingway or Fitzgerald novels, these “monuments to moments” feature dark and amusing scenarios crafted from uncommon objects, conveying multiple meanings and forging new associations.

Peanuts

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Stop Talking

I Found a Stick of Dynamite with My Name On It

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Mark Jarzombek www.markjarzombekportfolio.com

@markjarzombek

BIOGRAPHY I am a former architect and educator. Since I was in graduate school, however, I have been making art, mostly collages. Two years ago I decided to ‘go public’ with my art work. I am now represented by Galatea Fine Art in Boston and have had my work shown at juried shows sponsored by the Cambridge Art Association and the Hopkinton Arts Center. My work will be featured in an individual show at Galatea Fine Art in August.

ARTIST STATEMENT Initially, my work was exclusively with paper, but over the years, it has expanded into something like “wall sculpture”. I use material scavenged from construction sites (like wood, bits of foam, paint can tops, etc.), found along walks in the forest (like bark and rocks), or material that is left over from our kitchen remodeling (like screws, knobs, and bits of plastic). Though abstract, each piece references a particular place, memory, or even person. My work draws on the themes of bodies, baroque forms, the color pallets from Indian temples, and jazz. Though I explore the tension between gravity and weightlessness and between the pushes and pulls of materials, I also want there to be optical delight in the result.

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Opposite Page: Return to Venice Above: Homage to the Buttonball Tree Right: Mr. Johnson Over for Coffee

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Matt Cauthron www.mcauthron.art

@mcauthronarts

BIOGRAPHY Matt Cauthron is an artist and educator working and teaching in the Coachella Valley of Southern California. His work as an arts professional has included program development, photography, design, and media arts. His current studio work in photography and mixed media focuses on compositions that sanctify the relationship of line, shape, texture, image, and place, while considering the preciousness of the frame and photographic print. Many of his pieces rely on artifacts from his immediate environment, such as treated woods and aged metals, as well as photographic materials and original photographs captured from the greater desert region and beyond.

Visualize

Full Circle

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ARTIST STATEMENT These pieces are part of an ongoing “Hammer and Lens” series that utilizes tools from my creative environment as the material itself. I have been photographing and building things ever since I was a child. As I look at the relationships of objects to our daily lives, I cannot help but to bring them into my adult work as the central content.

Right Angle

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Suzy Quaife @quaifesuzy

@creatingdownunder

BIOGRAPHY I am a mixed media artist creating artist books, journals, assemblages, and collages. I love to create with eco-dyed materials, vintage textiles, and paper ephemera. I live on the far south east coast of New South Wales, Australia where I have access to much of the flora and fauna found locally that act as inspiration and are used as dyes within my work.

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ARTIST STATEMENT I mostly enjoy creating journals, assemblages, and collages using French paper ephemera, upcycled vintage fabrics, hand and machine stitching, and antique laces. I also incorporate found objects, vintage photos, buttons, leather pieces and sari ribbons. I spend time searching for rusted items which I also use in dyeing ephemera and textiles. I am very interested in my heritage and often create with historical images of my family.

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Glynn Galloway www.ggallowayart.com

@glynnwithawhy

BIOGRAPHY Glynn Galloway is an award winning assemblage artist who creates freestanding and wall-mounted sculptures from antique found objects, wet molded leather, and hand-hammered copper. Each of his sustainable art creations are made of at least 90% recycled materials. He is one of only a handful of artists nationwide who molds wet leather components into unique shapes and meticulously finishes them with transparent acrylic paints. The resulting sculptures become eccentric works of art that celebrate the distressed and haunting beauty of the antique components, complemented by the peculiar textural qualities of unconventional contemporary materials.

Glynn describes himself as an oblique artist: not truly outsider and not completely mainstream. What he lacks in formal art training is compensated for by his enthusiastic pursuit of new creative techniques, his spirited resolve to continuously improve his work, and his unfettered love for creating truly unique, unusual, and thought-provoking art!

Vertigo

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ARTIST STATEMENT I am obsessed with the absolute beauty of imperfection.

I endlessly search for antique components that are tormented by the degradation and decay that is only achieved through age and long-term exposure to the elements. These items have a spectral energy born of the craftsmen, farmers, housewives, and laborers who created and utilized them decades and centuries ago. I query each artifact with my hands, my eyes, and my imagination, yearning to learn more about the forgotten souls that imparted the peculiar vitality each object possesses. In the end, I can only preserve the patina, the cracks and the blemishes,and the essence of their mysterious energy in the hope of providing you some insight into their journey through time. Ultimately, my goal is to create a meaningful and cohesive work of art that celebrates the distressed and haunting beauty of these antique components by retelling some of that story.

Barefoot in Bell Bottoms

Major Torn

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Sandra Hirashiki @sandrahirashiki

BIOGRAPHY Sandra Hirashiki lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil.

She holds a degree in Library Science from the School of Communication and Arts at the University of São Paulo and a postgraduate degree in Cultural Management (SENAC). Her artistic development has been enhanced by several extension courses. In her collages (analog and digital) and assemblage works, she explores and builds narratives around the themes of memory and its subjectivities, impermanence, and the beauty of the transitory using archival images, family albums, found objects, and botanical elements.

Since 2021, she has participated in group exhibitions in Brazil (in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Guarulhos) and virtual exhibitions in Mexico City (“AntiFash”) and Barcelona (“Festival Barcelona Deep Collage”). One of her collages was published in the digital magazine Contemporary Collage Magazine (2021).

Life is a Dream

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Only Time Will Tell (I)

ARTIST STATEMENT The central idea of my work is memory as a subjective construction, subject to different contexts, interpretations, and lapses. We remember what we want, how we want, or how we can remember.

Attempts to encapsulate the past, memories, and feelings are represented in my assemblages through resins, packaging, boxes, and bottles that seek to retain the freshness of leaves, flowers, and other natural elements. However, trying to freeze the moment is in vain because time is inexorable and life is ephemeral. The marks of time are inevitable, but we can always collect pieces of reminiscences and create new stories. Collage and assemblage are practices that allow me to be the artist-librarian-researcher who goes through different sources to look for these pieces in images, old photographs, objects, books, documents, plants, etc., and which, when connected, form new universes.

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Only Time Will Tell (II)

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Romero Pasin www.romeropasin.com

@romero_pasin

BIOGRAPHY I am a Spanish-Argentinian artist based in Canada. As a teenager, I fell in love with theatre and decided to pursue a career in the Performing Arts. I produced, directed, and wrote several theatre plays with my small company. Then, I joined a touring circus company for many years making and repairing costumes, props, and stage sets. I have been a story-teller, clown dresser, stage mopper, and puppet doctor with my hands full of paint and my pockets full of tools. As a mixed-media artist, I cannot say that I’m entirely self-taught.

Despite not having a formal education in visual arts, I had the chance to work with talented scenic builders, painters, and costume designers who generously shared a lot of their knowledge with me. My works are undoubtedly influenced by all this theatrical background and nomadic lifestyle.

ARTIST STATEMENT I try to capture magic in the ordinary, creating poetical and sometimes surreal works. Antiques, found objects, vintage images, and memorabilia are my playground. My source of inspiration could be the evocative power of an old picture, the significance of an old jewel, or the magic contained in an expired photographic film. I usually begin a piece with an idea in mind and then allow myself to get lost. It is a meditative process where I try to detach from my mind and let my intuition be the guide. Like in an Exquisite Corpse, I put together disconnected pieces and allow them to find a new meaning and tell a new story.

The Warrior in Her

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A Handful of Memories

She Holds Her Head High

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Antonia Avramova @aambiguous_clippings

@coldd_ddesert

BIOGRAPHY My name is Antonia Avramova and I am 24 years old from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. I have a passion for visual art and have been experimenting with photography and digital processing for 12 years. Since 2021, I started to be more interested in traditional collages, and assemblage is the new direction I want to develop to expand my artistic horizons. I’ve had a solo exhibition at 8 Cryptid Art Space and another solo exhibition at the gallery of New Bulgarian University. Additionally, I have participated in the Biennial of Illustration 2022, the Spring Salon for Women in Gabrovo 2023, and in a number of bazaars.

Path

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Br

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ARTIST STATEMENT I am inspired by the surrounding abandoned and neglected materials of my village – the territory of my childhood memories. I breathe new life into discarded household artifacts by recycling them and creating completely new objects – works of art recontextualized in the gallery space while preserving the feeling and spirit of rural comfort of my grandmother’s house. I use intentional acts of gathering and look for material means of expression that uncover a process of unconscious and spontaneous discovery of memories lost in time. By handling raw elements such as glass, metal, wood, and ceramics in a rather rough and primal way, I achieve balance and dynamism in my compositions, adding a softer and more natural feel with pieces of fabric, paper, and dried flowers. Through this process, I seek to connect more deeply, intuitively, and tangibly with my own history and ancestral memory.

Cocoon

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Paula Bertholet @paulabertholet

BIOGRAPHY I’m a collage maker, painter, and mixed media artist living and working in Antwerp, Belgium.

As a collector of objects and vintage keepsakes, I’m emotionally attached and connected to pieces that tell a story from the past. When looking at old photographs I see faces, surroundings, beauty, and decay. A moment frozen in time. It is the story behind the photo that I like to know, fantasize about, and use to create a new tale. I create new memories through my stories, visual narratives made of paper remnants, photographs, and objects that connect to another time.

ARTIST STATEMENT “June 1917” An assemblage of photo collages and found objects made in an old tin box,visualizing their poetic beauty and magic.

“June 1917”

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Top and Bottom: “June 1917”

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Journey of Reflection: A Q&A with Donna Watson

Donna Watson is a mixed media artist. Her work includes paintings, collage, assemblage, and handmade books. Her works have been accepted into numerous juried national and international exhibitions and she has received many awards.

Donna has extensive experience as a workshop instructor and juror all over the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico. Her works have been widely published in art magazines like The Artist’s Magazine. Her works have also been published in books including MASTERS COLLAGE: Major Works by Leading Artists and THE PULSE OF MIXED MEDIA by Seth Apter as well as more recent books like FRAGMENTATION AND REPAIR by Shelley Rhodes.

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Ageless Time

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Artist Statement

I am a mixed media artist. My works include paintings, collage, and assemblage. I am interested in the passage of time and what remains. I explore the effects of time on memory, identity, and nature. My work reflects the transient cycle of life and seasons. With the passage of time, there is a depiction of transience through traces, recollections, faded memory, and layers. My work is a reflection of this transient cycle of life and is embedded with Zen tenets. My Japanese heritage also has a huge influence on my work.

There is an enduring permanence to the recurring cycle of life, decay and renewal, and life again. I aim to express our connection to nature in my current body of work and, by doing so, our universal connection to humanity. I hope my work resonates with viewers as they bring their own history to the meaning of the piece.

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Marking Time

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Fragments of Time

Your journey as an artist has seen remarkable shifts, from representational watercolor and painting landscapes to collage and assemblages. Can you share insights into this journey and how it has shaped your current artistic style?

I began my art journey 45 years ago as a watercolor landscape painter. I painted these works for 15 years and found myself only caring about techniques and sales. During this time, I never gave any thought to who I was and never considered expressing any content or meaning in my paintings. I only cared about the next sale and painted what I thought would sell. I repeated the same popular paintings over and over. I finally realized I did not want to be this kind of artist, so I started to search for my identity… my likes, my strengths, my personality traits, my interests. I also had never given any thought to my Japanese heritage… my mother is Japanese… so I started to explore Japanese culture and arts and read about Zen. I have since changed from representational landscape (watercolors) to abstract acrylics and collage, and currently to non-objective cold wax and oil paintings. I have evolved into a collage artist and now I work on

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assemblage and handmade books. I have been moment, poetry had found me. to Japan 4 times and my Japanese heritage has had a huge influence on my current work.

Your art is deeply influenced by Japanese aesthetics, Zen philosophy, and the Your artistic path is one of self-discovery concept of Wabi Sabi. How do these and exploration. Could you highlight themes manifest in your creative process some key moments and experiences that and the themes you explore in your work? have influenced your evolution as an artist?

When I quit painting the watercolor landscape paintings, I was lost and confused for over a year… I did not know who I was or what to do next. This feeling of being in a dark hole pushed me to look inward and search for my identity.

When I was steeped in the watercolor world, my emphasis was on pretty paintings. Then, I watched an instructor painting a demo of a beautiful model wearing colorful clothing with ribbons in her hair… but the instructor used subdued colors and painted with expressive strokes… not exactly pretty… but moving and expressive. I remember crying because that was the first moment I realized that paintings do not have to be pretty… they can express meaning and a message… something personal to the artist. During this period of darkness I went to the movie THE POSTMAN… a foreign film about the poet Pablo Neruda. I had never given much thought to poetry until then, but the movie was very moving. At the end of the movie a poem came up on the theater screen: POETRY by Pablo Neruda. The first line is: “And it was at that age… Poetry arrived in search of me.” And I was filled with emotion and tears as I realized what was missing in my art. At that

I have been exploring and reading about my Japanese heritage for 25 years. I have been to Japan 4 times and I have discovered more about the Japanese arts and culture on each trip. The concept of Wabi Sabi was an early discovery and I found that my likes and attractions fit very well into the Wabi Sabi aesthetic… an appreciation of the realities that nothing lasts, nothing is perfect, and nothing is permanent.

I am attracted to things that are worn, torn, weathered, rusty, old, textured, and imperfect.

I am also interested in the Zen idea that emptiness or nothingness is beautiful…there is no such thing as ‘empty’… that only means that there is now room for creativity and positive thinking. I believe in the beauty of shadows because you have to first have light. I believe that life is an endless circle… Enso…birth, life, decay… then birth and renewal again. My artist statement always begins with this: I explore the passage of time and what remains… in nature, in our memories, on our life’s journey.

Your connection to nature is evident in your work, particularly in your incorporation of natural elements like rocks, branches, and sticks. How does nature inspire and inform your creative

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“My identity is present in every aspect of my assemblages”

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Heart Time

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process, and how do you integrate me. I was always drawn to old boxes with foraging and meditation into your artistic compartments and always collected them. I was also attracted to old odd bits of rusty metal practice?

I had never given much thought to nature and my surroundings until we moved to a cliff on an island overlooking water and mountains 24 years ago. I had already started to explore my Japanese heritage and culture, but my work revolved around objects and papers from Japan. There are trails through the woods down to the beach below my home, and I started going on walks. On these walks, I started to pick up rocks, sticks, leaves, moss, shells, and lichen, and soon my collections began to grow. I discovered that I have always loved to wrap things and collect things. My collection of tokens from nature grew… and I also began collecting strings, threads, ribbons, and yarns.

Eventually, I was wrapping rocks, sticks, beach glass, and anything I could find outside. I love to go foraging and collecting and then wrapping my findings. As I walk outside, I am always looking down… looking for textures and tiny bits of leftovers… what is left after time and weather. This is my meditation.

and wood, buttons, beads, parts of machinery and tools, keys, old clocks, old game and toy parts, parts of old dolls, and so I decided to start adding these old bits to these boxes I had been collecting. But when I finished one of these assemblages, I found that I could not relate to them. Again, there was no meaning or nothing personal expressed. So I struggled with these early assemblages. I never felt satisfied that they were finished or that they were connected to me or what I wanted to express. And I saw a lot of other assemblages by other artists who also used old bits of stuff, and I felt like my assemblages looked too similar to others. So I quit making assemblages for a few years. This was a slow process for me, but I had already started wrapping rocks and sticks to add to my paintings and collages. I had brought home bits of Japanese fabrics from the Japanese temple flea markets which I used to wrap sticks and stones and now I felt like my Japanese influences could be used in my assemblages. I could now bring my love of Japanese papers and fabrics to my love of nature, like sticks and stones, combine the two and put them into the old weathered boxes I had collected over the years. I had finally found my personal connection to my assemblage.

Assemblage has played a significant role in your current artistic practice. What draws you to this medium, and how does it allow you to convey your artistic vision differently from other mediums you’ve Assemblage provides a platform for a worked with? rich interplay between found objects and personal expression. How do you curate and integrate items into your artworks My early assemblage work was difficult for to reflect the essence of your artistic

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journey and philosophy, especially within poem, or story. I like the idea that a closed scroll the context of assemblage as a medium? is a mystery. One does not know what is inside It took me years to find my identity and my selfexpression. The journey was difficult at times as I found myself lost and in darkness several times on my journey. Moving to the cliff on an island has had a big impact on my identity as well as exploring and learning about my Japanese heritage. There are huge temple flea markets in Japan and when I would explore all the different vendors there, I discovered my love for old, worn, weathered Japanese objects like temple bells, old books, boxes, dolls, pottery, and fabrics. The list of found objects is endless.

I would come home with boxes full of these little treasures. Then I slowly came to love the tokens from nature found all around my home… the trails down to the beach. I would find little treasures in the woods and on the beach. It only made sense to me to combine the two worlds into my assemblages as I was able to use my two loves: wrapping and binding.

Your use of scrolls in your artwork is intriguing, especially considering their symbolic significance in Japanese culture. Can you elaborate on the role of scrolls in your creative process and their symbolic meaning within your artwork?

Traditionally, in Japan, scrolls are made to open up and hang on a wall. They often have text written on them, with a sumi-e ink image, usually nature-based. The text could be religious, a

the scroll. With the passage of time there is a transience (Zen) depicted with recollections, gaps in memory, or faded memories, traces, and layers. I believe that these memories make up our personal histories, and these closed scrolls can add this personal narrative to my assemblage.

In your series “The Beauty of Nothingness”, you explore the concept of an empty mind and its influence on creativity. How did this exploration shape your understanding of your inner voice and its role in defining your artistic identity?

I have explored the concept of “The Beauty of Nothingness” (Mushin) in both my paintings and my assemblages. Mushin represents the power of the empty mind freed of all mental baggage and all negative thoughts. With this clarity, the mind becomes open to new ideas and creative potential. Your mind becomes open to attention and focus. To experience this mindfulness is to remember that life is a wonder, we are here, and we should live our lives deeply…and in the moment. I enjoy filling an empty box with my tokens from Japan and nature. When I work on my assemblages, my mind is only thinking about what objects to choose, how I will wrap them, bind them, or connect them to other objects. My identity is present in every aspect of my assemblage.

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Timeless Box

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You’ve mentioned that “stories become our compass by which we navigate through our memories and discover our core being. We use our stories to build our sanctuaries.” How does this idea of sanctuary and the narrative of personal stories influence your assemblage pieces and your overall creative practice, especially considering the themes of memory, transience, and the passage of time?

I believe that we all have our unique childhoods, family, and travel experiences. Therefore, everyone has a different story to tell. These stories might have fragments of memories that are happy or sad. These stories become the compass by which we navigate through our memories and discover our core being.

An artist’s journey should always include a search for their unique voice and identity… they are only using their artistic medium (like assemblage) as a way to foster this search. We use our stories to build our sanctuaries. Every artist needs to have a sanctuary… a place where they feel safe. Their sanctuary is their identity and unique voice. As the artist ventures into the deep end, as they explore and experiment, they can always come back to their safe place knowing who they are and what they want to express. Because of transience and the passage of time, our memories become more fragmented and our sanctuary (who we are) will always support us and give us the courage to grow as an artist. This is the core of my creativity.

Is there a particular aspect of your work or philosophy that you feel we haven’t explored but is vital to understanding your artistic journey and art? Additionally, are there new directions or emerging themes in your art that you are particularly excited to delve into?

For about a year now, I have been exploring the idea of birds in flight and what this means to me. I have based my work on Wendell Berry’s poem “The Peace of Wild Things”. I see birds in flight as a symbol of peace… something I wish for in the world. I started with collages in handmade books then moved on to larger collages combined with paint. I even experimented with book parts (assemblage) and collage.

I am planning a series based on peace and birds in flight for my new group of assemblages. These will incorporate scrolls… some scrolls will be closed and some scrolls will be open and hang down from the assemblage. I will continue to include wrapped rocks and sticks along with Japanese papers and fabric.

Learn More www.donnawatsonart.com @donnawatson_artist

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Cycles of Time

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Dream Time

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Gwen Samuels www.gwensamuels.com

@gwensamuels

BIOGRAPHY Gwen Samuels considers her work mixed media installation. She has a studio in Santa Monica and is originally from NY where she completed a BFA in textile design at Syracuse University. Gwen has shown in numerous group exhibitions both locally and internationally.

Locally, in 2023, she was invited to show in a comprehensive group show called Connective Threads. Gwen was selected to participate in a two-year artist in Embassies placement at the American Embassy in Greece for 2017-2019. In 2024, she was chosen to participate in an experimental residency called Studio Systems at the Torrance Art Museum. Gwen has shown her work in two virtual art shows. Her works and art inspirations have been covered by various media and publications including Shout Out LA, Modern Luxury San Diego, Art and Cake, Voyage LA, and a publication series by Schiffer Publishing called Artistry in Fiber, Vol.1: Wall Art and Artistry in Fiber, Vol.2: Sculpture.

ARTIST STATEMENT My work is about transformation, using familiar materials in unexpected ways. I am interested in reconfiguring shapes and patterns by printing in repeat on transparency. Each piece has a different form, either flat or sculpted, combined with delicate hand-stitching and multi-colored threads hanging free that interact with light to create a unique visual experience.

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Expanding Ideas

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When Stars Align

Is It a F

What’s Old is New

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Front and Center and All Around

Flower

Breaking Boundaries

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Katrin Klink www.katrin-klink.de @katrinklink_dailyperfectmomemt

BIOGRAPHY Illustrator and collage/assemblage artist living in Cologne, Germany.

Katrin Klink studied at the Academy of Arts in Stuttgart and has had numerous exhibitions at both national and international levels.

ARTIST STATEMENT For me, “Open” means “The Great Wide Open” whether it’s through traveling in real life or immersing myself in an intense art process. I mostly use vintage boxes and objects (often toys, books, or typographical elements), as well as vintage papers or maps for the background. So, creating an assemblage also has aspects of time travel for me. The effect of opening or closing an assemblage box adds to the impression of immersion and mystery.

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Great Wide Open 3

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Great Wide Open 2

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Great Wide Open 4

Great Wide Open 5

Great Wide Open 6

Great Wide Open 1

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Roxanne Evans Stout www.roxanneevansstout.com

@roxanneevansstout

BIOGRAPHY I live and create in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. The mountains and the river lands that surround my home are my constant inspiration. I share my art in workshops internationally and have had my work shown and published several times in my own books and in beautiful magazines. I also teach online workshops to students from all over the world.

TEACHING ENABLES ME TO SHARE MY PASSION...

“As an artist I am constantly learning and growing. Art is my passion, my love, my soul.”

ARTIST STATEMENT To me, adding a found object to a collage or painting connects us to the world, and gives a sense of place and time. This not only describes my work as an artist but also the message in all of my teaching. I love to combine images and objects that tell a story, convey an emotion, or somehow have a message of timelessness. I am entranced by how one moment can be forever remembered in our memory... something as simple as an image of a nest, a songbird, or something tangible as small as a found stone, a piece of wire, or string.

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Blue Moon

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Nestled Shards

New Mexico Sky

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Top Left: Soft but Strong Top Right: From the Rooftops Bottom Left: A Story of a Stone

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Karla Fuller @karlafullerartist

BIOGRAPHY Raised in a family of artists and travelers, Karla Fuller showed an interest in visual arts and wanderlust at an early age. After receiving a B.A. in both Art and English, Karla focused on a career in art education and worked at several organizations including the Milwaukee Art Museum until the birth of her first child. This created an opportunity for flexible studio time at home while raising her growing family. Throughout the years, Karla has been working on the evolution of her artwork in 2D & 3D mixed media, with a focus on collage and assemblage using reclaimed materials. Her intimate pieces combine scavenged ephemera along with found objects and unique vintage elements. Her award-winning work has been embraced by the public through gallery exhibitions, publications, and fine art festivals. Karla works from her home studio and resides in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin with her husband and children.

ARTIST STATEMENT In my studio, an intimate conversation develops between my collections of old photographs, weathered maps, and handwritten letters. Ephemera such as these are the materials I use to create my collages and assemblages. I’ve always had a penchant for collecting historical curios, especially objects that are “perfectly imperfect” with the evidence of being timeworn. My creative process is infused with serendipity and is layered with the novice ability to see the blurred and unassuming interconnection between all things. Personifying inanimate objects by giving them the ability to communicate helps me see these veiled connections.

I interpret the dialogues between these objects, then I join them as if they were always meant to be together. I give them a second chance at life, playing the roles of supporting cast members in my world of invented mixed media choreographies. My intimate artwork embraces antiquity, the patina of age, and the grace of imperfection.

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Home Like a Friend

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Unravelling 1

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Collection

Antisoshal

A Home for Wisdom

One’s Debut in Society

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Richard Rolfe @fromthehusband

BIOGRAPHY I am a collector of measuring devices, picture frames, and images. I put them together.

Stories lurk. As a young man, I worked as a scenic designer in the world of theatre. I never got over the feeling of being able to create magic that people would look at and be moved by.

Memories fuel my creativity.

ARTIST STATEMENT I am a collage artist. I have made pictures and stories out of odds and ends for as long as I can remember. I live in these pictures and stories during their creation, and the result is how I wish for you to see what I see.

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A Good Rule

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Far Left:

Left Center: Montg

Right Center

Far Right: Thing to be Reme

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Falling

gomery’s Mistake

r: I Confess

embered in Every Day Life

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Kathy Santen @sayitwithsalvage

BIOGRAPHY Kathy Santen was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and received a B.S. in Theatre from Northwestern University. She was a professional actor for over 40 years, appearing in theaters around the country, including 17 years on Broadway in Les Miserables and Wicked. She’s been a maker ever since she can remember, learning to sew from her Mom at an early age. Kathy has also always been a scavenger, appreciating the flotsam and jetsam of life. It wasn’t until she retired from the theater that she combined the two, exploring mixed media assemblage. New to this artistic world, she successfully participated in her first show at the Upfront Exhibition Space in 2024. Kathy lives in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania with her husband Sean.

ARTIST STATEMENT I’ve always been drawn to the used, the discarded, the once-loved. There are so many stories in those bits of paper, wood, and metal that are headed to oblivion. In our home, my husband and I are surrounded by vintage, and it never stops talking to me! I began to realize that I could make new stories from these old ones, stories of humanness, womanhood, and life on our dear planet. By combining castoffs in new ways - with love, humor, and open eyes and heart - I hope that others will also appreciate that everything, everyone, has a tale to tell.

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Just Let Yourself In

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I Feel Seen

All the Time in the World

I’m Only Talking to My Dog Today

Who Shall I Be Today?

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Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear?

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Ashley Brossart www.thecircleandsquare.com

@_brossart

BIOGRAPHY Ashley Brossart explores architectural forms, maps, nature, place, and environment through observation and collected imagery, creating a renewed sense of place and experience. As a keen observer of patterns and processes, with an interest in public and collaborative art, Brossart began her journey as a painter and muralist. She developed a unique style that blends abstract elements, with influences of Cubism and Expressionism, and incorporates collaged images from her photographs of cities and daily life. She is curious about how things work together and independently; systems — the underlying hum in everything, our culture, our bodies, the universe, energy, human interaction, and relationships, and how all of it weaves together as an architecture or pattern of sorts to create a whole – and often, a place. She focuses on built environments and the natural world as part of our experience woven into the daily grind.

ARTIST STATEMENT “Intersections and Places Between” is a collection of artworks loosely inspired by the Polly Pocket children’s toy from the 1990s. The toy portrayed Polly’s numerous locations with detailed terrain inside a pocket-sized architectural model, which serves as a catalyst for exploration, entertainment, and expanding the imagination. My architectural collage assemblages depict a future-scaped place at the intersection of our natural world and human-made buildings found in cities. The photo image in each place is a snapshot of my photos that I have collaged. I choose images that I have collected by repeatedly visiting locations to emphasize patterns and significant motifs to serve as a map or point of reference for each location. Bridges connect, trees symbolize interconnectedness, and water binds human elements to one another and the earth. The visual motifs create an underlying system of significant naturally occurring and human-made architectural elements connecting places individually and as a whole.

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Two Tress / Water / Riverbank

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Sun / Compass

Water / Wave / Ripple

Bridge / Tree

Bridge / Sun / Cloud-line

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Bridge / Pier / Overlook

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The Essence of Assemblage: A Q&A with Kharris Brill

Her moniker, Kharris, is derived from her “art name” when she was single (Kathryn Harris). She moved to Maine from Utah in 1989, lived on Peaks Island for seven years, and attended Portland School Of Art. She then moved to South Portland for several years, and since 2008 has been living in Bath with her husband Ken. Most of her work is self-educated, learning new tools and techniques as she goes. Her creations include linear stained glass pieces, batik, reclaimed wood furnituremaking, and found object assemblages. In all her media, she finds inspiration in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Joseph Cornell. She tries to use salvage for anything she can. In July 2015 she opened her own shop, Kharris B, in downtown Bath. Just prior to the pandemic, she moved her shop into her home in Bath, and in 2023 began seeking to exhibit her work again.

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Crickets

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Artist Statement My definition of art is a little, well...loose. Over the years, I have become a visual dissector: My curiosity seems to skip the whole shebang and zero in on the curious detail of almost anything I see. My penchant for picking up random bits that interest me has been honed. With this growing enthusiasm, I’ve had to refine my collections somewhat. All of these things that I curated mean something to some part of my head and heart. My hope is that they engage people in that same innocent-curious way that they do for me. I want there to be pauses...where just looking at the piece actually requires some time, exploration, questions. Possible discovery.

It’s pretty fun being me.

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Grammy’s Camp

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Return to Sender

Could you share a bit about your journey as an artist and how you first became interested in assemblage art?

I was a reclusive kid. I liked the freedom of being alone. I found myself creating miniature environs almost anywhere using stones, moss, and found tidbits. Even before I started assemblage, I kept bowls of stones to put my hand in, as well as bones, glass, driftwood, and shells salvaged from a brief sit on Peak’s Island (Maine) back shore. Secondhand stores always had scraps from other people’s fascinations. I had jars of old buttons and marbles. I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to construct a visual collection for other people to see.

Your artistic journey has been largely self-educated, driven by a passion for learning new tools and techniques. How has this self-directed approach shaped your development as an artist, and what challenges or discoveries have you encountered along the way?

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I’m a problem solver. Learning how to integrate new materials, specific and specialized tools, and unexplored mediums is the result of sooo many mistakes, progressive steps to more clearly express a desired outcome. The surprise of making something work that you just considered a loss? There is a freedom when you think you have nothing to lose, that piling on another mistake won’t make any difference.

Pushing through mistake layers always renders cool information.

new discoveries in the detail, piqued curiosity, kid brain. Curiosity is a young place to be.

Transitioning from mediums like batik and stained glass to assemblage seems like a significant shift. How have your experiences with these earlier techniques influenced your approach to working with found objects and crafting assemblages?

When making stained glass pieces, I started wanting to incorporate odd glass and metal with the stained glass – it made my creativity take a wild turn. I also had years of batik pieces on paper in an old portfolio that had percolated for decades…I found that they made terrific I find materials everywhere! Parking lots, backgrounds for the new 3D projects. junk piles, searches on Ebay and Etsy actually provoke NEW searches. Word has spread to neighbors and friends that I accept How has your connection to different funky materials: a bag on my front porch is environments and locations influenced tantamount to Christmas! As interesting as your artistic vision and approach to the collecting part is, I meet people who add assemblage? Can you share specific examples of how your surroundings have insight to my fascinations.

Can you share where and how you find the materials for your work, and how the process of collecting them adds to your artistic journey?

shaped your work?

You aim for your assemblages to prompt viewers to pause and explore deeply. Can you describe the techniques or elements you use to encourage this kind of engagement and what you hope viewers will experience?

No matter where I lived, I’ve always carved out a space for creating different configurations related to the medium. I tend to gravitate to garages and basements, cement floors, subdued light, and room for work surfaces that can harbor many projects at the same time. I like to have things organized in labeled I like hiding things in the assemblage that may bins and drawers. I want to know immediately take a while to find, different angle views. I want where I need to dig for inspiration.

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Assemblage often involves combining disparate elements into a cohesive whole. Can you discuss how you approach the challenge of harmonizing diverse materials and what you find most rewarding about this process?

My creative evolution has been amazing and unpredictable. I am not sure what I will be obsessed with even a month from now. That curiosity thingy? Never outgrew it.

Is there anything more you would like to share about your work or any upcoming I never start a piece knowing how it will finish; projects that you’re particularly excited it’s a surprise to me! I find it most pleasant about? when something I have dragged around for decades spontaneously works its way into a new idea. With that surprise I feel justified in I guess the thing that totally revs me up is that I have no boundaries. I am open to any and all my reluctance to part with weird stuff. directions. I can’t begin to guess what’s next.

I have new materials waiting in the wings and Your work draws inspirations from I know at some point I will need to bring them the innovative designs of Frank Llyod to the fore, mess about, see what comes of it.

Wright and the imaginative assemblages of Joseph Cornell. How do these two distinct influences converge in your creative process, and in what ways do they manifest in your assemblages?

I am awed by right angles, how both artists use it, repetition of pattern, clean contained statements. I notice that when I am struggling with a process, if I renew that thought, my choices are always tidier, simpler. I cringe over some of the overpopulated pieces I have done.

They’re appreciated by a different observer than who I imagine will see what I have constructed.

How do you see your approach to assemblage evolving in the future, and what new directions or innovations are you excited to explore?

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Learn More www.kharrisb.com @kharrisb

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Amour

Anniversary

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Lifetime

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Down the Rabbit Hole

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Declaration

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A to B

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www.greetvandam.nl

@gvdam63

Greet van Dam

In 2021, I graduated from the three-year Photographic Design program at NAVB (Dutch Academy of Image Creation) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. After a long career in care as a counselor for young people with a disability, I was compelled by circumstances to change course at the age of 55. I chose to fully pursue photography.

I graduated with my project and photobook “Good Enough” which was my first very personal project exploring the complicated relationship with my mother. In this work I used family photos and experimented with mixed media techniques for the first time. From this project I started working with anonymous found photos. I love the images of that time and enjoy editing or combining these photos to create new stories, sometimes with a little smile.

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Hidden by Nature...

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ARTIST STATEMENT I’ve learned to use my photography as a visual translation of my inner world. Recurring themes in my work are transience, loss, and desire. My work is often characterized by additional layers, both literal and figurative, that I consider my signature style. I believe that my way of looking at the world around me is enriched through photography and the process of translating it by placing it within my own context is essential to my practice. I am always looking for objects around me that can enhance the image, and I am continuously inspired by others across all cultural forms.

Touched by Her Feathery Gaze...

She Ran Into a Daisy...

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Mr. Bean...

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Golden Girl...

Not His Cup of Tea...

She Said She Still Had Her Own Teeth...

Be What You Want To Be...

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Lily of Mr. Nile...

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www.katestehr.com

@katestehr

Kate Stehr

Kate Stehr is a sculptor based on the South Coast of Australia.

Her works have been exhibited internationally and nationally. She completed a Masters of Philosophy in Creative Arts Research and a Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Wollongong in 2018 and 2008 respectively. Kate graduated from the National Art School in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and completed an Advanced Diploma of Fine Arts at TAFE in 2004. She has a strong focus on timber sculptural forms. Kate has had a long interest in creating works that explore the traditional narratives that are the foundation of our cultures, as evidenced in the research and creative works for her Masters of Philosophy Degree.

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Sprout Vessel

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ARTIST STATEMENT Kate’s works explore a range of themes but are linked by their materiality. She has a keen interest in working with timber; both found, reclaimed and bought, along with an array of found objects. Kate enjoys repurposing found objects, twisting them into new configurations, whilst valuing the history and memory of these elements. Her works explore the absurd and often thwart their perceived use. Kate enjoys a balance between abstraction and realism, and of contemporary sculpture and the handmade, artisan object. As such, the making process is often evident in the works, as is a focus on tactile surfaces. In the recent series of Scribing Tools I, II and III, she continues to explore her interest in telling stories and in creating works that explore the traditional narratives that are the foundation of our cultures.

Ink Brush Stylus

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Scribing Tools III

Linked Brushes

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Top Left: Aeolian Buttom Left: Bush Telegraph IV and IX Top Center: Brush Telegraph I II and III Buttom Center: Thorn Vessel Top Right: Scribing Tools I

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www.jackravi.com

@jackravi

jack ravi

jack ravi is a collage and mixed media artist who creates with found objects. His work, particularly with old black-and-white photos, aims to transform anonymity into identity, creating visual poems and evoking memory. His work is rooted in curiosity and wonder; he approaches it as a personal, meditative journey. jack’s work often references the collective unconscious, memory, and play, and it aims to take the audience back to a time of simplicity and of stories around the campfire. With a deep reverence for forgotten papers, he celebrates their beauty and potential in his art, always finding value in objects that come with their own history. jack ravi is the author of the book “Artful Memories: How to Create Unique Art with Old Photographs.” He teaches online classes and in person workshops.

He lives and works in Scotland.

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Playtime Wonder

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In Memoriam

ARTIST STA

jack’s work is often small an forgotten relics like antiqu pearls, rusty tins, glasses, tw and he mixes them with foun

In his work, imperfections become stories, and each a the enduring magic of the di rediscover the enchantment o found objects that bear the Tomorrow is on the Horizon

Happyplace

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ATEMENT

nd intimate. He chooses ue frames, vials, purses, wine, organic elements, nd photos and tenderness.

s are celebrated, stains artwork is a testament to discarded, an invitation to of the overlooked through e scars of their journeys

Portal to Yesteryear

Reclaiming Beauty

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Remnants IV

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Remnants VII

Don’t Listen to What People Say, Watch What They Do

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@nancybenoy www.nancybenoy.com

Nancy Benoy

Nancy Benoy is a self-taught artist and educator in Hamilton, Ontario.

Nancy’s practice spans over 20 years. Her art and teaching practices are rooted in self-expression, experimentation, process. Materials play an integral role: saturated inks, luminous watercolours, rich acrylics, found objects, and natural resources speak to her and find their voice in her works. Compositions are captured in an abstract manner. Nancy advocates for art in the community, facilitating accessible, playful, and process-based art workshops in the Hamilton area, including Dundas Valley School of the Art and Art Gallery of Hamilton. She was nominated for the City of Hamilton Art Educator Award and was co-recipient of the City of Hamilton Arts Champion for her podcast “ArtToGo.” Among other spaces, her work has been shown at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Assembly Gallery, Paul Elia Gallery, and has work in private collections in Canada, the US, and the UK.

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Golden Glow

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ARTIST STATEMENT Curiosity is at the core of my art practice. I am influenced by colour, line, shape, and their interaction to create pieces that spark sustained observation and joy. I started my practice as a painter, creating forms using texture and colour. Inspired by the texture of my one-dimensional works, I have more recently expanded into two-dimensional and sculptural works that create more visual interest. My connection to nature and quest for sustainability have guided me into using offcuts sourced from partners working in wood and paints destined for landfills to elevate the discarded and unwanted. This process has expanded my thoughts around the life cycle of these pieces and how I am acquiring them at the end of their life, from tree to processed material, and reviving them again for a new beginning as a work of art.

Serene in Blue and Green

Playful Purple Pops

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Energizing Red Line

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A Perfect Spot of Orange

Half Circle, Hi

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Blue Pa

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Honouring the Grain

Within A Square

acman

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@janechipp www.janechipp.art

Her art, characterized by intricate layering and vintage materials, is part of the Kanyer Collection. In 2022, she co-authored the bestselling book “Artful Memories” and her work has been featured in numerous publications. Currently based in Plymouth, UK, Jane continues to innovate in mixed media, drawing from personal and historical narratives. Her art invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences, highlighting the transient nature of life and the shared experiences throughout time.

Jane Chipp

Jane Chipp is a contemporary collage and mixed-media artist renowned for her evocative works exploring memory, identity, and the passage of time. After gaining a City and Guilds qualification in textile art, Jane developed her signature style by combining her art with her passion for seeking ephemera at flea markets. Jane’s work has been featured in exhibitions across the UK, USA, and Europe and is currently on display in the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition.

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ARTIST STATEMENT My passion is in creating stories from discarded photographs and papers that explore the relationships between memory and the passage of time. My work is a meditative journey using mixed media and found objects to create textured and layered compositions that evoke a sense of nostalgia and reflection. I aim to capture the ephemeral beauty of forgotten moments and the stories they tell. My creative process is driven by an impulse to connect with the viewer on an emotional level. I believe that art has the power to transcend the boundaries of time and space. Each piece I create is a fragment of a larger narrative, inviting the audience to pause, contemplate, and find their own meaning within the layers. Through my creations, I hope to inspire a deeper appreciation for the subtle and often overlooked details that make up the rich mosaic of our existence.

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www.dianalauferart.com

@pompom_empire

Diana Laufer

Diana Laufer is a Los Angeles based assemblage artist who works in a variety of media. She is a Saori weaver, textile artist, painter, and collage artist. However, she always returns to her first love: assemblage and dioramas. Ms. Laufer studied art, set design, graphic design, and architecture at UC Berkeley, graduating with a degree in design. She worked as an art director and graphic designer for advertising and packaging within the entertainment industry. Diana has written and illustrated two award-winning children’s books published by Penguin Random House. She has also designed sets for an independent Los Angeles theater company, all the while creating her whimsical dioramas in her art practice.

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Magic Bird

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ARTIST STATEMENT As a child of a Holocaust survivor, I was raised amid fear, distrust, and anxiety. Art has always been my escape to a safe and happy place. My dioramas are self-contained imaginary worlds where anything is possible. Found objects such as nostalgic toys, fabric and paper scraps, painting, and collage all come together to create a fantasy wonderland. Instead of being traumatized by my past, my artwork allows me to embrace and celebrate the nostalgic wonder of my childhood. I spend a considerable amount of time involved with political activism regarding climate, climate justice, and biodiversity. Creating gives me balance and a way to honor wildlife in my work. And in this insane world we currently share, don’t we need more purveyors of whimsy and wonder?

Keep Swimming

Marionette

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Yosemite

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Garden Party

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Measure of a Bird

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Lifeline

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@spiralwonders

Tom Buchanan

I come from an illustrative background in graphic arts, yet I have always been fascinated by tactile possibilities and cabinets of curiosity. I love music and am like a sonic radar; my ears prick up at the first sign of new sounds. My whole being and existence can be archived into some kind of sensory library. This is exactly how I define my relationship to objects: it is a second sense. I might not remember what I did yesterday, but I may have just found an item that has changed my life forever, just like a song. It is the possibility and curiosity of these things that are my lifeblood, a compulsive urgency to keep searching. I honestly wonder if the find is half the journey; the greater the circumstances of the discovery, the more it might be cherished and made anew.

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Perilous Game of Peg Man

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ARTIST STATEMENT I am fascinated by the process of cause and effect, the union and collision of putting together unlikely objects. My latest project uses discarded plates as illustrative storyboards highlighted within bespoke crafted box frames. I love the random abandon as you're never quite sure where the narrative might go, nuanced by the patterns, hues, textures, or accidental imperfections of the original ceramic.

Like the literal German translation, I am a “Storyteller”! The box frame is integral as it allows you to enhance a story very effectively as well as help you to know when to stop. Someone once described one of my box works as a suspended pinball machine likening the concept to freeze-framing something in perpetual motion. In the words of Tom Waits, "we have a deficit of wonder right now." If only we could just forget about our phones and be present long enough to delve a little deeper.

Nobby

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Future Cities VI

Red Mist

Sentinel

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Seven Deadly Sins

Shot by Both Sides

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Nimbus Airways

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@susangunn.artboxes

Susan Gunn

Susan Gunn is an artist living in Richmond, VA creating art boxes for herself and others that spark curiosity, memories, whimsy, and unique personal stories. She has been making art since 2015 and is retired from a career in mediation, workplace conflict management, and coaching. She connects her life’s work before becoming an artist in this way: “I’ve always loved the beauty of a solution and the process of getting there. Whether it is helping others create new relationships out of discord and disorganization or creating tangible art out of what is broken or formerly lost, it is very much the same to me. It is appreciating, committing to continuous improvement, and learning new approaches.” Susan shows her work locally in exhibits and galleries. Glave Kocen petite in Richmond chose her work for a solo exhibition in April-May 2023.

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A Sunday Drive

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ARTIST STATEMENT Susan Gunn’s work creates new worlds out of old objects. She makes art boxes that hold disparate elements configured for the viewer to create their own story.

She creates them with objects from attics, basements, toy chests, family photo albums, junk drawers, and workbenches. Her wish is to spark curiosity, sentiment, whimsy, unique stories, and/or imagination. As a collector, Susan chooses objects that are appealing for their shape, color, history, purpose, meaning to its previous owner, or unique character for eventual partnering with unexpected, and often unrelated elements. Juxtaposing disparate elements to make a connection with each other and engage the viewer, she relies on imagination, love of what they represent, and fondness for detail, balance, and design. As an artist, Susan is inspired by 20th- century pioneers of assemblage, current assemblage artists, as well as personal influences who have given her a love of the unexpected detail and design.

A Bed of Roses

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Top Left: H.R.P Top Right: The Kids from 1928 Bottom Left: Three Eggs and a Nest

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Wistful in Blue

Memories of Peter

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An Old Tin Horn

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