. . . read collage books

I spent a couple of hours yesterday after I made the above collage reading some of the books I have on collage. Here is the list. . .

1. The Art and Craft of Collage, by Simon Larbalestier, published by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd in 1990. Besides having pictures of wonderful collages created by famous and not-so-famous (at least to me) artists, it has a section dealing with Mechanical Reproduction; the author shows how to use a photocopier or photographic equipment to create unique images and collages. In 1990, not everyone had a computer available. So many of these mechanical reproduction techniques are probably now obsolete with arrival of digital photography and photo-editing software widely available.


2. Collage Sourcebook, Exploring the Art and Techniques of Collage, published by Quarry Books in 2005. I especially enjoyed the sections on collagraphy and the work by Jennifer Berringer and Deborah Putnoi.


3. Creative Paper Art, Techniques for Transforming the Surface, by Nancy Welch, published by Sterling Publishing Company in 1998. Some basic information about techniques for creating papers, and useful to jump-start my own ideas.


4. Techniques and Exercise, Mixed Media, by Jose M. Parramon, apparently published in Spain in 1999. Interesting photos of Kurt Schwitters' collages "Objects in Space" and "Merzbild No. 31", using what the author calls "objets trouves", also known as scraps and leftovers. There is only one column devoted to frottage and grattage, both of which intrigue me.


5. Collages with Color; Create Unique Expressive Collages in Vibrant Color, by Jane Davies, published by Watson-Guptill Publications in 2005. This book leans more to craft applications, but still gives examples of methods of creating collage paper.


The collage above used as a background the beautiful old endpapers from a book I have that fell apart. I bought it that way, just to use the endpapers.