Bit by bit

In May, I had the privilege to be one of the demonstrating artists for the groups of schoolchildren who came to see the Sustainable Art exhibit at the Schack Art Center. The focus of the show was using recycled/upcycled materials to create art...everything from mosaics to glass to jewelry to fashion...no artistic medium was left out.  The school groups enjoyed a docent led talk through the exhibit, a chance to try their own hand at recycled art and the opportunity to see a live artist in action...that's where I came in.  I demonstrated the steps of making a multi-media collage, using all recycled materials.

The process began with a stack of leftover painted wood scraps...I used these as my foundation...

I wasn't quite sure what would spur me to create...so I brought a suitcase full of materials and papers...
which would also allow the kids to see that just about anything can be used for art...

Since I had recently been rifling through a stack of old photographs, I decided to let them be my guide...I picked out a few interesting faces and began to craft a story, gathering materials...

With each photo, I asked for input from the school group kids...what did they think was happening in the photo...what was the story here...things began to take shape...

Bit by bit, each collage unfolded...
the map in the background expressed the notion that this couple was going on a trip...
but still something else was needed...

Elements shown here were chosen to add to other collages...but where...
the value of trial and error was discussed...

In the end, six collages were completed...started by me...and eventually finished by me...
but with plenty of input for the middle stages from the kids...

Each tells its own small story...with attention to detail and a few well-chosen words and images...

An art creation...composed bit by bit...