Scraps

Sometimes its good to create a collage by not intellectualising the process but by just "banging the pieces together". This is a case in point and was done in about ten minutes flat.

Stripes

ragga beat

Peony

Vintage hotel luggage labels

I found a collection of old luggage labels at our local charity shop. A brilliant graphic tradition that has become obsolete.

Gum Wrappers

I think the collecting gene skipped a generation in my family. My mother is such an anti clutter person that she has empty cupboards in her house. Well, I seem to be the opposite. Bubble gum wrappers were one of the first things I started collecting. They were popular at the time, cheap, you could collect the wrappers, the tattoos or stickers inside (which I made into artworks)and of course, the gum itself, that gave me a sore jaw and no doubt contributed to my dental bills. I even collected the chewed gum in a 20 cm ball until it was deemed disgusting and binned. Here are some samples of wonderful low budget gum graphics.

Charles Atlas

Pegasus

Collecting

These are my two contributions to a mail art call I received on the theme of "collecting". Well, if ever there I was a subject I couldn't resist, this is it. I chose to deconstruct two general collectors subjects - postage stamps and casette tapes - and remake them as postcards.

Cosmo-0

Shiraz

A collage from one of my collage books.

WF

Mercedes Pink

Blue One

My collages are usually made with paper but in this case I combined a piece of scrap board, collaged paper and some plastic lids from snuff packaging (typically washed up on our local beaches) to create this image.

Keith Bates mail art

Keith Bates is one of my mail art gurus. His work is always so refined, intelligent and slickly produced. I recently received this brilliant artwork from him and wanted to post it before framing it for my studio.

Howlin' Wolf

Ananas

A summer postcard on its way to Lothar Trott in Switzerland.

More Cards

Card Series

I have been buying playing cards in order to collect the joker cards and so I ended up with a whole lot of spare packs. Then I started appreciating the variation in patterns on the back of the cards and started doing a series of mini collages on them. This was before I'd even heard of the concept of ATCs. If anyone is interested in trading some cards, give me a shout.

Record Labels

I have been wading through boxes and boxes of dusty old 7" singles to add to my collection of record labels and singles sleeves. Here are just a couple of my favourites. This is one of the downsides of the digital revolution, the visual design that went hand in hand with enjoying one's music.

While on the subject of collecting, go and look at Lisa Congdon's blog, collectionaday2010.blogspot.com Wow, I want to buy the book when it comes out.

Jazzy Day

It is a muggy, overcast day just right for listening to some mellow music.  I am listening to a compilation CD called Jazz Foundations Slow Jams.  Every track is exceptional but my favourites at the moment are Jimmy Smith's "I almost lost my mind" and Boogaloo Joe Jones' "Things aint what they used to be". Music to make the heart ache and the soul soar at the same time.

In keeping with this mood, here is an early collage done from sketches made at a jazz show held in Mdantsane featuring Lulama Galuwana's band.  He is a great bass player and a jazz legend. My other inspiration, of course, is from Sam Nhlengethwa, a renowned South African collage artist who often features the jazz genre in his work.