The Collage Now exhibition opened Tuesday 13th June, and the private view and official launch took place on Saturday 17th June with a great turn out. Plenty of visitors have been calling in and most people are spending quite a lot of time taking it all in. There have been quite a few sales too. There is a wealth of detail, books and other collage-related pieces that photographs cannot do justice to. Feedback has been great so far, with many people appreciating how the exhibition brings together diverse techniques of contemporary collage:
- collage with found and prepared materials,
- montage with narrative or political content,
- reliefs and assemblages (2D and 3D),
- décollage (collaged layers are sanded, cut into or torn away)
- mixed media collage,
- found poetry
- artist books.
There are 13 different artists featured. Most of the artists on display work in Shropshire, some are recognised and collected internationally.
There is an opportunity to see the work of Anwar Jalal Shemza, an important modern artist who was born in Pakistan, and later lived and worked in the UK until he died in 1985. His work features in the collections of the Tate, MOMA in New York and many other public museums worldwide. The five pieces included in this exhibition are from the Roots series, produced around 1977. They are on loan from the private collection of a Shropshire based art collector.
Malcolm Tillis is also collected internationally. He came to collage after a life in the arts as professional classical musician (Halle Orchestra), a designer and a writer. Now in his 90s, he continues to work prolifically in Shrewsbury and Spain. He has published three books of collages. F. Lanier Graham, distinguished art historian and former Curator at the Museum of Modern Art, New York had this to say:
“As I look at the collages of Malcolm Tillis I am astonished to see such a continuous core of creativity, and such endless explosions of joyous imagination. I know of no abstract artist alive today in any country whose art is more lyrical.
What Tillis has done is far beyond exceptional. From a quiet corner of England has come a profound affirmation of humanity, a precious gift to the history of art. When the definitive history of abstract collage is written I predict that there will be a chapter on what Schwitters did in Germany, what Arp did in France, what Motherwell did in the United States, and what Tillis did in England.”
For further details see: http://www.malcolmtillis.com/
Despite our digital age, traditional methods of combining images and materials remain an exciting way to interpret the world visually, often creating surprising effects and new narratives. There are no rules.
Here are some photos of the exhibition and from the preview, some of the images are courtesy of photographer, Pat Jones:
The curators, Peter Williams and myself, looking slightly apprehensive or perhaps just tired…
Peter works mainly with collage, montage and photo-montage, utilizing found objects, often paper ephemera and a range of other materials. He has recently shown an interest in Robots allied with time and space travel and has used some old OS maps as a basis for image making.
He is an art Psychotherapist and has worked with young children, adolescents and families. Peter worked as an art tutor at Shrewsbury HMP helping to run an art group for vulnerable men. His work has been shown at the Talbot Rice Gallery in Glasgow, Keele University, Sheffield University, the Gateway and the Bear Steps Gallery in Shrewsbury, the Willow and Cube Galleries in Oswestry, the Chester Open and other venues.
He works out of a studio based in the Participate Contemporary Gallery on Riverside Mall, Shrewsbury alongside other artists.
My work on the right sitting very proudly between the work of Anwar Shemza (left) and Peter Williams (out of shot to the right)
An opportunity to fully expand my book In Parallel and Entwined so that the frieze on the reverse pages can be seen
Five superb pieces from the Root series by Anwar Jalal Shemza, loaned from the private collection of a Shropshire based collector
Peter Williams and the great Malcolm Tillis, who called in to see us on the opening day
Some of Malcolm Tillis’ work (right) alongside the work of Gretchen Christman-Johnson (upper left) and London-based artist, Paul Bott (lower left)
Gretchen (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Gretchen was born into a family of artists and musicians and has continued in that vein for most of her life. She has always loved studying nature and its individual parts as they relate to one another. She is also constantly on the lookout for different ways to express old themes and to use artistic expression as a way to comment on history as well as current events.
Gretchen has been a student of Stuart Brandt and Jack Baker of Santa Barbara, California. She says her greatest teachers are her eyes as everything artistic comes from observation and the willingness to remove roadblocks from experimentation . This is her second collage exhibition as she usually works in oils, watercolours, colour pencils and pastels.
Malcolm discussing finer points with Ted Eames
Ted Eames’ joyful and provocative work
“Frozen Forests are Full of Feisty Fifties Film Stars”, Ted Eames
Ted – the man to Trust (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Ted was born and bred in Shropshire and returned to his roots some 13 years ago after spending most of his working life in Oxford. He now lives in Wem.
Ted has been active on the poetry scene for some years and has a collection of poems out. He writes a monthly blog at www.maintenantman.wordpress.com
Influenced by the work of, amongst others, John Heartfield, Peter Kennard and Max Ernst, Ted has become more and more engaged in collage making over the last few years.
“I see collage and montage as an increasingly relevant medium in contemporary society. I like the potential for surrealist expression, for philosophical comment, for satire and for humour.”
More of Bamber’s finely crafted work
Bamber with his amazing cabinet “Full of Wonder” (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Bamber Hawes’ work is varied in style and is a meditation on the beauty and wonder of insignificant things and found objects:
“I am inspired to use anything from mother of pearl to rotten lino, MDF or brass in my art and espouse the design philosophy of “truth to materials”
Found objects and components that have caught my eye while making furniture and other commissioned projects. These small framed squares have an underlying theme, story or structure in the finished work. By choosing the items, arranging, rearranging, then rearranging them some more into the tightly restricted 200 x 200 mm squares of grey board, I transform things that have no value into small works that show off their inherent wonder.”
More information at: www.bamber-art.co.uk/
Found poetry and collages by Emily Wilkinson
Emily (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Emily is a Shrewsbury-based artist and poet working with collage, paint, poetry, writing, textiles and bookmaking.
In 2014 she was artist in residence at Wenlock Books, resulting in nine month’s worth of generous funding from James Patterson’s Independent Booksellers Grants to work with children using art and poetry.
Emily has exhibited in Scotland and Shropshire, and she has created installations at events such as Wenlock Poetry Festival. She has strong experience in delivering public workshops and in community engagement and regularly teaches workshops in mixed media art and words. Emily is currently working with care home residents in Herefordshire as part of the Courtyard Art Centre’s Colour Me Purple project.
More information at: https://emilywilkinson.net/
Rosie Read (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Rosie is an artist and teacher, graduating from Camberwell in Ceramics in the 1970s.
“I have been teaching ceramics, painting and drawing, and history of art for many years at 6th Form College and in adult education. My work has been shown in exhibitions in the South East, France and the Marches.
I was Chair of Castle Artists in Bishops Castle for many years, and currently a Trustee of Visual Art Network.
At present, I work in my own studio in the Market Hall, making “Boats”(papier-mâché, cardboard and found objects), painting and assembling collage using layers of papers, mostly archaeological subjects and memorabilia. I also produce watercolours of local landscapes and seascapes. I use inks, watercolours and acrylic paint in the main and often incorporate text in my work. On a lighter note, I paint fruit and veg.
Creating is one of the most important things I do! Maybe the most important.”
Heather Prescott with some of her collages, prints and handmade books (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
From Heather’s Tread Lightly project (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Seeds of Enlightenment – Prescott and Martin (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Angela Martin (photo courtesy of Pat Jones)
Heather Prescott is a printmaker, illustrator and designer. She makes artists books because she likes to tell stories and because making books brings together all the disciplines she enjoys including collage, printmaking, drawing, watercolour, typography and design.
Heather studied Graphic Design & Illustration at Camberwell, post graduate printmaking in Brighton and then gained MA (dist.) in Art & Education at University of Central England in Birmingham.
Angela Martin is a cartoonist, illustrator and printmaker. She studied Textile/Fashion at Middlesex Polytechnic and later did an MA in Textile History at Winchester School of Art and retains an interest in textiles through research and lecturing. Angela has run workshops and courses alongside freelance cartoon work. Her education work has developed into coordinating community arts projects and working with a variety of people young and old. Arts projects include Sheepshape, Hatscape and Art Allotments.
In 2009 Angela and Heather started a collage collaboration called Art Allotments which ran for a number of years. The two artists sent each other envelopes containing their rejected art work of drawings, roughs, prints & abandoned ideas together with interesting ephemera and text. They in turn created collages quickly and intuitively using the received materials.
Peter’s fabulous Trump collage attracted plenty of attention. Visitors are invited to write a poetic message or make a collage, perhaps on a climate related theme, or on an issue in which the Donald’s words or actions threaten peace, so that we can make an art installation in response to the work. Some opted to throw missiles at the work. A “Pin the tail on the Trump” game was another good suggestion…
Many visitors took part in the Art Allotments workshop led by Heather Prescott and Angela Martin, assisted by myself and Peter – making collages recycled from “artistic compost” of rejected work and other collage bits.
Paul Bott and Peter get to work
Two of Paul’s collages are featured in the exhibition:
“I have three A levels in Art and studied at Waltham Forest Adult Education Centre. I enjoy collages and abstract art and practice every week at my art group in Finchley in North London, which is supporting people with Asperger’s and Autism.
One of my pictures is based on a song by Freddy Mercury of Queen. I live by myself in Muswell Hill, although on weekends I stay with my family. I am very proud to be exhibiting in this exhibition.”
The exhibition continues until Saturday 8th July. There will be further workshops at the VAN Street Gallery, 18/19 Shoplatch:
Emily Wilkinson – Found Poetry and Text Art
Friday 30th June, 2pm-4pm
Cost: £12 (students etc £10). Please email Emily on emily.f.wilkinson@gmail.com if you have any questions about the workshop. Suitable for adults & teens aged 14+
See link below for full details
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/found-poetry-text-art-workshop-van-gallery-tickets-35006853441
Jacs Collins/Rosie Read – Collage
Thursday 6th July, all day
No Time Like the Present 