The Ends Of Trash: Week 3: Collaging Form

GROUP CRITIQUE Create Form With Collage
Good things came out of this exercise. Students discovered interesting ways to reinvent form and texture. Of course, there were many encounters with the ubiquitous texts that inhabit discarded packaging, and students negotiated their presence at time humorously, and at other times elegantly. Interesting work came out of this project.

The Farmer on the Road to Tarascon, Elaine Bell

Elaine's reference

The Farmer on the Road to the Bus Stop by Elaine Bell, inspired by Van Gogh’s The Painter on the Road to Tarascon

I chose this Van Gogh painting as inspiration for my collage because it reminded me of the farm co-op in Port Townsend, Washington, a place and time I have been missing very much recently. I would work a full day on the farm, and sometimes take a bus home - decked out in my overalls, work boots, and a straw hat, with farm produce tucked in a bag at hand. I felt that the Van Gogh painting captured that image, and so I wanted to take the time to re-create it as a way for me to enjoy the memories of that experience, whilst appreciating where I am now. I used a map of the Olympic Peninsula for a base for the bottom left ground, and wove in strips of colored paper to simulate Van Gogh’s horizontal brush strokes. The sky is made up of layers of plastic and foil. Most of the materials are clippings from magazines and food wrappers. The substrate is a flattened milk carton. I enjoyed taking my time to make this piece, and I felt that it formed a nice seal to my time in the Pacific Northwest.

Tatiana Benally

Reminiscent of my childhood, when summer sets in, the thought of harvesting and the celebrations that surround it come to mind. Traditional events to a native from the Four Corners region are the Navajo song and dances that occur during the fall. The start of a song and dance is called the "Grand Opening," which is an instilling moment when all the couples present themselves, forming a big circle that later becomes the path in which they dance. This collage was made from newspaper, magazines and Mod-Podge. The black and white color scheme is a nod to the history of the event and the faceless people represent the many people that have participated in the event themselves.