Collage
The word “collage” comes from the French “coller” meaning to glue. Used primarily in the visual arts, the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms or bits, creating a whole new piece. Collages may include some or all of the following items- magazine and newspaper clippings
- ribbons
- bits of colored or handmade papers
- portions of other artwork or texts
- photographs and other found objects.
Techniques of collage were first used around 200 BC in China with the invention of paper and later in the 10th century by Japanese calligraphers.
It appeared again in Medieval Europe during the 13th and 16th centuries where religious images, icons and coats of arms had gemstones and other precious metals added to create a new piece.
An 18th century example of collage art can be found in the work of Mary Delany.
The term collage was coined by both George Braque and Pablo Piccaso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art.
According to Wikipedia, "in the Guggenheim Museum’s online article about collage, Braque took up the concept of collage itself before Picasso, applying it to charcoal drawings. Picasso adopted collage immediately after (and was perhaps indeed the first to use collage in paintings, as opposed to drawings):
"It was Braque who purchased a roll of simulated oak-grain
wallpaper and began cutting out pieces of the paper and attaching them to his
charcoal drawings. Picasso immediately began to make his own experiments in the
new medium."
Surrealist
artists have made extensive use of collage. Cubomania is a type of collage in which an
image is cut into squares and then reassembled automatically or at random."
Collage made from photographs, or parts of photographs, is called photomontage. Photomontage is the process (and result) of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs.
In textiles
Given the definition of collage, one could
easily argue that applique and crazy quilt construction are collages. Some well-known textile artists that use
collage in their work include Rosemary Eichorn, Judith Baker Montano, Elly Sienkiewicz, Susan Carlson, and Deborah Boschert, to name
just a few.
Unlike
sewing clothing, or quilts from a specific pattern where your creativity is
limited to choosing and combining colours and prints of your fabrics, collage
gives you unlimited flexibility. You
won’t be restricted to one simple-shaped piece.
You will have the flexibility of choosing not only prints and colours,
but also specific motifs from a variety of sources. "No design has an edge too tightly curved, too
pointy, or too complex to use; a host of subject matter is printed on fabric
that can be used."
Finding inspiration for a collage begins with an
idea. This idea may reflect your
interests, a particular piece of fabric that says jungles, a big life event, or even a personal challenge like
working with a colour you don’t usually work with. There are plenty of textiles with specific
themes that can provide inspiration for a collage. Details found in nature such as lichen on
rocks can provide ideas for stitching texture patterns on a collage.
Mandy Patullo in her book Textile Collage describes collage in this way:
Fabric
collage is a kind of patchwork but without having to follow a pattern, and a
kind of applique without the templates.
In Collage + Cloth
= Quilt, Judi Warrten Blaydon states:
“…collage can be a quick way to assess color, value contrasts, texture,
scale, content, composition, …Seeing the collage allows you to make revisions
and adjustments…"
How to Collage
a) Iron fusible webbing onto the fabric(s). Cut out the pieces. Lay the bits out onto your background. Use an iron to fuse them into place.
b) Cut out the pieces of fabric and lay them out onto the backing (batting, muslin or fabric of choice). Baste the pieces on or glue them on with a tiny dab of Elmer's washable glue. Quilt all over the piece to permanently attach the fabric pieces.
Lettering
The possibilities are endless. You can:- cut out letters from fabric and fuse it to a project
- use a stencil to paint letters onto a project
- use beads to create letters
- stitch letters by hand or with a sewing machine
- draw letters and glue (or couch) braids or wool over them
- print on fabric/ribbon with ink for fabrics, permanent felt pens, calligraphy pens or a brush
- use brads to make letters
- attach buttons in the shape of letters or use buttons with letters on them
- use fabric pieced alphabets (see Quilters Connection magazine - Summer 2016)
