Untitled Collage by Ryan Cummings

Collage: Paper on Paper.

This is one of a series of abstract collages made with vintage magazines, an x-acto knife, and acid-free glue.

Working in collage can become an increasingly chaotic working environment. When I’m cutting out pieces and pages for hours, I’m left with thousands of scraps all round me. The floor is littered. I have scraps stuck to the bottom of my feet. Strange shapes and interesting colors reveal themselves in the detritus. I never plan ahead when creating these abstracts and a ruler is nowhere in sight. Sometimes the best snippets of paper are found on the ground surrounding my table; sometimes what I thought was trash becomes the centerpiece for a new collage. I move clippings from place to place, discarding when necessary. Eventually a composition begins to reveal itself. More clippings are added. Others subtracted. When it feels right, I spray glue them to a backing. These pieces are the product of my pure love for the textures and colors in finely aged LIFE magazines.

All of the paper used in these are dated pre-1979, before oversaturation and cheap printing became the norm. This piece is affixed to acid free watercolor paper. I hope these inspire a bit of serenity amidst the noise of the world.