"Gingko and Flowers," a collage



(Click on the above image to enlarge it.)

 My collage Gingko and Flowers is a small work that recently won an award in a local art show.  It's available for purchase at my Zibbet shop (see upper left column.)  Like most of my collages, this artwork is difficult to really "see" when viewed this way ... digitally.  In person, a viewer sees the translucency of the two diamond-shaped collage elements, and translucency is a quality I love in collage, both for its building of layers as well as its inherent way of hinting at mystery. 

A year or so ago, I made stacks of gelatin monoprints, using gingko leaves from my own tree, as well as a variety of other elements.  After these monoprints dried, I scanned them and altered their colors in Photoshop.  I then printed out these images on mulberry papers, using two-sided temporary tape and carrier sheets in the printing process.  Two of these print-outs became the diamond-shaped elements in the above collage.

I almost always opt to tear the edges of these print-outs before using them in collages; now, what to do with the leftover scraps? 

This is one answer -- mulberry paper is so easily shaped around objects that it was a piece of cake to glue leftover scraps onto these wooden hearts.  The hearts will live on as greeting card embellishments.