'The Impotence of Little Fists' Collage

Born in London, England, in 1945, I continue to live and work in this inspiring cosmopolitan city. Here I present images from my ongoing collage series ' Glossy Magazine Tear Sheets'. Although I am a painter, in oils on canvas, drawing and works on paper are the foundation of my art. Each of my paintings can take six months to complete. It can take years to find the images that form my collages but each one takes only a few days to make. Part of the enjoyment of collage is the ability to complete complex figurative narratives with speed. Glossy magazines are sheer ephemeral luxuries, always a heart-stopping mix of smiles and tears, pleasure and pain. Making collages from glossy magazines, Tear Sheet images, is my way of taking control of this marvellous and monstrous world and re-ordering it to tell a subversive story. Among my inspirators for collage are Hannah Hoch and John Stezaker. Artwork photo credit: Howard Woodruff