Creating simple abstract collages
Music Credit: Softly to Myself by Kylie Dailey via EpidemicSound
“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” Carl Jung
Today’s video is all about abstract collages and small creative challenges.
In a previous blog post I chatted about a new book called: Make Every Day Creative, Art Anyone Can Do by Marion Deuchars, published by Skittledog 2024. I said I would pick a project from within it to share with you…so in today’s video I share a collage exercise from the book.
Creating collages from random shapes is such an interesting creative challenge.
On the face of it arranging pieces of paper is a simple thing, but creating a composition we find interesting and visually pleasing requires us to dance between sponteniety and thoughtfulness…Trying but not trying too hard.
Essential play
These playful tasks can be an important addition to our art practice, small projects where the process and the discovery are more important than the outcome.
Play is often underrated and is an important part of art making.
Carl Jung said that the “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct”, whilst Albert Einstein said “Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.”
Sometimes play can feel like an indulgence, but I think it’s probably nearer a necessity…it’s how we discover, innovate, try things out, problem solve, learn tolerance and adaptability …
Further reading
In the book, Make Art Everyday by Marion Deuchars and within this video a couple or artists are mentioned;
If you would like to find out more about the art books of the early 20th Century Russian Avant Garde artists this is a good article from Getty with further links to explore ( the specific artists mentioned in the book are Natalia Goncharova and Aleksandr Rodchenko)
Matisse is renowned for his cutouts and collages, you can read more about his approach in this article from MOMA.
Work on paper: acrylic paint on heavyweight acid free paper
11.7 × 16.5 in or 29.7 × 42 cm (A3 size)
Signed on the reverse
A bold painting from the Vessels of Colour series. A new collection exploring vessels as keepers of colour, memory, and imagination.
Each piece began with simple still life sketches, then developed into expressive, abstracted painted forms through colour, texture, and repeated mark-making.
This striking patterned cup, is made with layers of paint, and marks. Cups are symolic to me, they are containers fo life waiting to be filled.
Finished with a satin UV varnish and a light layer of cold wax, the surface has a soft, touchable sheen and subtle protection, while allowing the texture and brushwork to remain beautifully visible.
My hope is that this painting feels both bold and intimate. Contemporary in rhythm and palette, yet carrying the symbolic weight of vessels, containers of life, colour, and imagination.
Original, one-of-a-kind artwork
Acrylic on paper, finished with UV satin varnish and cold wax
Unframed 11.7 × 16.5 in or 29.7 × 42 cm (A3 size)
Signed on the reverse
£305 including tracked UK/international delivery
Carefully packed and shipped directly from my studio in the UK