AlphaFind / SquigglePix
March Madness and Math
Preschool Art Activities
Inspiration for Artists
|
|
|
TRAVEL COLLAGES
by
Carol Bastien
Find
out what do with all the paraphernalia gathered on a vacation
Our
family has traveled and vacationed together over the years, and we typically
take a large number of photographs, forget to label and date them, and
put them in shoeboxes. If there's time, we stick them in photo albums,
which sit stacked in a corner gathering dust.
I've
always loved the art form of collage and felt that if our family could
create "trip" collages to display in our home, we would have dynamic and
artistic reminders of our wonderful times together. My suitcase was the
designated collection receptacle for admission stubs, maps, restaurant
menus, business cards, and handwritten notes to one another. At the beginning,
I was the sole collector, but after doing several collages, my husband
and son were also on the look-out for apropos contributions. The collecting
is the easy part, but collecting is not enough.
Following the trip, I go through old
magazines and cut out expressions, words, phrases, foods, and colors that
remind me of our vacation. Sometimes, in new places, we'd pick-up local
expressions or try new foods. I try to incorporate these into the collage
as well. I also, cut-up some of the photos we've taken, to make sure everyone
in the family is represented.
The collage can include treasured items you want to save but
don't know what else to do with. A favorite came from a trip to Montreal.
One evening, we left our young son with a hotel babysitter for a grown-up
dinner out. When we returned there was a picture with a message: "My loos
toof just fel out." This lovely note is on permanent display as part of
our Montreal Collage.
How to Make a Collage
Materials:
I like using a large sheet of foam core board ( it holds it shape well.)
Rubber cement, scissors, old magaiznes, photos, and trip memorabilia.
Assembly:
1.I often start by tearing
large pieces of maps or colorful pages from magazines (without writing)
to form the background of the collage. (Though the collection of the collage
materials is a collaborative effort. I tend to do the assembly alone;
however, if there's interest from other family members, by all means,
include them. )
2. Then I overlay
all the pieces that have been gathered in patterns that seem pleasing
to my eye. I get a general lay-out before I start to glue down.
3. Next , I start gluing.
Pieces will move around as they're picked-up, but it all works out. Fortunately,
rubber cement is very forgiving, and if you are unhappy with the placement
of a particular piece, it's easily moved.
4. I rarely sit down and
complete a collage all at once; it's good to take a break and return with
a fresh eye.
5. Going a step further,
you may want to look at collages done by famous artists like Picasso and
Braque and see how their collages were more than the pieces pasted - they
became pictures.
6. When the collage is finished
and dry, frame it and put it in a place where everyone can enjoy memories
of a shared vacation. Our family travel collages have given us enormous
pleasure and help us recall the highlights of any given trip.
Carol Bastien is an Interior Designer who lives in suburban
Connecticut with her husband and 16 year old son. A former art teacher
with an M.A. in Art Education, her approach to decorating blends a love
of color with the whimsy of children's art. She has published articles
on crafts and is currently working on a collaborative remnant quilt with
her sister-in-law.
|
|
|
