'Splish, Splash, Splosh' Magazine Collage

This magazine collage 'Splish, Splash, Splosh' was a revisit of an earlier project. It was created in October 2014,  made entirely of ripped and cut magazines using non-toxic adhesives on recycled board.

Splish, Splash, Splosh

In 2007 I created a magazine collage called 'Rainy Day' which is where I first introduced the concept of the falling letters to represent the rain. The rain spells out related words such as 'drip drop'. Although to my eyes it looks a little crude now it was an important transitional piece that firmly established me on this creative path.

The piece was sold at the Trash Revamp launch exhibition I organised with fellow Trash Revamper Heather, the exhibition was also the first collaboration I worked on with Charlotte, who is now my partner at EcoCreate.

'Rainy Day' 2007

I have made huge changes to my technique since then, one of the most noticeable to me it the way I tear the paper to avoid white edges. When I first start tearing a magazine I first check to see which way it will tear. It one direction it will tear easily into even sized strips. If I go against this it will become jagged and change direction as I tear giving me little control. The direction of the tear can also effect which side the white edge will appear.

For 'Splish, Splash, Splosh' I already had a clear idea of what I wanted to produce. I wanted a dancing in the rain piece, adding an element of fun to the original concept. I asked my daughter to pose in a series of images until I discovered the pose that would work best. I only used these images as a guide to form, it was never intended as a portrait.

Inspiration for form

I made a very rough sketch to work with prior to collaging.

Rough Sketch

I liked the colour pop of the red in 'Rainy Day' and so carried this over to this piece. I also wanted to capture the feeling of movement by adding a more pronounced splash than I'd used previously. I also deliberately left a white edge on the road and pavement magazine strips to give a 'wet' feel.

Puddle detail

The piece was framed in a bespoke reclaimed wood frame by Alan at Roaring Tree for the Banks Mill open studios exhibition in November 2014. I have submitted to another exhibition opportunity for 2015 and am currently awaiting  response.

Reclaimed wood frame

This piece is currently available as an eco friendly print and I hope to add to my card range this year.
Available here