So the finished composition turned out a bit simpler than an earlier toucan collage that I completed a couple years ago. I seem to do quite a few bird collages. I think it’s because different bird species can be really colorful and are thus more interesting to use as subjects in my work. Anyway, I’m off to get started on a new lemur piece…
A few months ago I received emails from several students who attend the British School in Caracas, Venezuela. The students were assigned to do a project on my work. This included writing a biography on my life, analyzing three of my collages, and then making three collages – one of which had to be a copy of one of my pieces, while the other two were their own creation that used my collage technique.
In April, several of the students’ collages – that copied my work or were inspired by my technique – were published in The Circle Gazette. The Circle Gazette is a publication that prints stories and artwork by students from around the world. The collages appeared in the center-spread of their April issue, which is pictured above and below.
It was great getting to see what the students did after exchanging emails with several of them about the project.
Here are my original collages alongside the students’ copies:
It was pretty impressive how close the students were able to get to the originals – especially with collage, which is such a hard medium to copy since you can never recreate the exact textures and fragments of photographs used. But I must say, they got pretty close!
All in all, it was fun getting to see their work. One of the things I enjoy most about being an artist is being able to inspire others. And it makes my day every time I hear from students and teachers that are using my collages in their classroom.
Here’s the finished lion – you can see I added a lot of texture to his mane and reshaped his face a bit. He was inspired by another trip to the National Zoo. I’m lucky to live so close to the Smithsonian museums/zoo – I can always find something there that inspires me for future works of art. I should probably swing by some of the museums sometime soon – I have a tendency of spending most of my time at the National Zoo when places like the Natural History Museum also have a variety of exhibits that are useful references for animal collages. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! I’m off to enjoy the sunshine!
My “Girl with Glasses” collage is currently on display in the Del Ray Artisans’ “Childhood Memories” group exhibit. The show displays artwork inspired by the artist’s childhood. This particular piece is something I made a few years ago and was actually on display at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center back in 2008.
The “Childhood Memories” exhibit opened on April 6th and will run until the 29th.
To change things up a bit – since I’ve been working on so many animal collages – I decided to put together a landscape piece. In the next couple of weeks I should probably get started on a new series of landscape pieces. I have a solo show next year where I’d like to exhibit landscape and cityscape collages of various sights around the DC area. And since landscape isn’t an easy subject for me to tackle, because I’m more interested in figures and animals, it will be quite a challenge. Thus I figure it’s better to get started early on that project so I can ensure that all the artwork is a consistent quality for the show.
April 13th – July 8th, 2012
Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art; Salisbury, Maryland
Map and Gallery Info
Coyle’s “Flamingo Dancers” and “Mallard Duck” collages were recently accepted into the Ward Museum‘s permanent collection. “Subject to Interpretation” was the first group exhibit that the collages were in since they were acquired by the Museum.
The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art is located on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. It promotes wildfowl art and celebrates the Eastern Shore decoy carvers, Lemuel and Stephen Ward – the artists that the Museum is named after.
The exhibit, “Subject to Interpretation,” showcased a wide variety of bird species depicted by different artists. The work explored the movement and form of birds.
Above is the finished “Barn Owl” collage. The client gave this piece to her sister (who is expecting) to go in the baby’s room. The color scheme I worked with matches the colors used to decorate the room.
April 6th – 29th, 2012
Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia
Map and Gallery Info
Opening Reception: Friday, April 6th
from 7:00 – 10:00p.m.
This group exhibit focused on the artists’ childhood. This included artwork inspired by childhood memories like trips, gatherings, experiences, animals, places, or people. The exhibit showcased a variety of artwork by local artists created in all different kinds of materials.
Coyle’s “Girl with Glasses” collage was featured in the exhibit. “Girl with Glasses” was previously exhibited at the Smithsonian Ripley Center as well as the Caton Merchant Family Gallery.
It’s been a while since the last time I made a penguin collage. This guy was inspired by the Natural History Museum in D.C. I wasn’t able to find inspiration from the National Zoo (like I usually do) since we don’t have any penguins there. The Natural History Museum has quite a selection of rocks and minerals and of course, taxidermy. And their animal collection has definitely helped me out with quite a few collages. I usually need some sort of point of reference in order to make a work of art. When it comes to exotic animals or even just ordinary animals, their collection helps me out a lot.
I’m pleased to announce that two of my collages, “Mallard Duck” and “Flamingo Dancers,” have been accepted into the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art‘s collection. This is the first time my work has become part of a museum’s permanent collection.
The Ward Museum is located on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. It promotes wildfowl art and celebrates the Eastern Shore decoy carvers, Lemuel and Stephen Ward – the artists that the Museum is named after.
So what does a permanent collection mean?
This means that the museum owns the accepted collages. A permanent collection doesn’t mean the work will be on display at all times – it means the artwork is part of the collection curators pull from when designing future exhibits. All museums have changing exhibits where they have a chance to rotate and share the artwork they own.
The two collages will also be in an upcoming exhibit at the Ward Museum called “Subject to Interpretation,” which runs from April 13th to July 8th, 2012. And Duck & Fish will be available for sale in their gift shop.