ART APPRECIATION

COLLAGE WORK AND POEMS

FALL 2011

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These pages include some in-class drawings as well as collages

and experiments with Microsoft Publisher Techniques to design

pages. The text on the pages include poem responses to art work

at an outdoor sculpture park as well as artist’s statements related

to their collages and/or drawings. Everything was done collabora-

tively with students working on individual pages. If the integration

of all the pages was not entirely smooth, it is because the instruc-

tor was reconstructing the individual pages without the help of

that extra software. Indeed the whole project was a classroom ex-

periment...and an experiment with creative process.

Professor Mary Zore

Nashua Community College Fall 2011

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Andrew Cass

Collage With

Marker Script

Fall 2011

You may not have known this prior

But two hearts do we require

We cannot be rewired

When born, they are acquired

The first is the supplier

Human function transpires

Within its fleshly attire

Of the second burning pyre

Emotions are its fire

It is how we admire

And to things, we aspire

But now, you may in- quire

Are both really required?

If one were to retire

We would instantly expire

When I began thinking about this collage, my first

thought concerning a theme was that I wanted to

work with the artwork previously featured on the covers of rock al-

bums. In my experience, album art has a profound effect upon the

experience of listening to that particular album, and they can some-

times change or add to the mood or theme of the album. I wanted to

see what would happen if I took this art out of its context and placed

a number of elements of different album covers together in the same

What happened next was unintended and interesting. I

found that many of the landmark and “best of” albums

of influential bands like U2, Arcade Fire and Death Cab for Cutie had ei-

ther a black-and-white or sepia tone motif inherent in their presentation. I

decided to use this to my advantage, and created a historical, almost

timeless feel which mirrored my views of the albums being represented.

Why do the creatures from

“Torches” appear to be laugh-

ing at the boy from “Best of U2 1980-1990?”

What is the boy looking at? What is the sig-

nificance of the car from “The Suburbs?”

What are the birds in “Hello Hurri-

cane” flying away from? These

ques- tions and more are raised when I

look at the art I’ve made from the art of

others. I am very satisfied with how

this piece turned out. Everything,

even the title, re- flects the

theme of seemingly dispa-

rate pieces of art being absolved into a sin-

Lindsay Melanson

Collage Work

Fall 2011

Speaking in Stone

There once was a woman from Argentina

Whose sculpture will take on a patina

Formed from granite block

They do not mock

Cut from stone,

They stand alone

Shaping the stone gives sculptors so much

pleasure

They guard an unseen treasure

The pillars converse alone

The treasure will never be known

Because of their secret tone

This is called speaking in stone

The process I went through while constructing

my collage was that I wanted something unique.

When I think of a collage, I think of an array of

photos thrown together in a way that makes

sense. I went through old pictures that I didn't

want, and I randomly cut them into different

shapes and started placing them on poster board.

Once I got started, everything sort of fit together

like a puzzle. I wanted the heart to be the center

of the collage. Although it does sort of blend in

with the background, the heart stands out

among the rest.

Andres Institute of Art Brookline, NH

Ashley Kondrat

Collage Work,

Mixed Media

Fall 2011

Just a stone bench in the woods

Something more to a traveling soul

A place to rest is its good

After his long day stroll

He looks with longing at his seat

A place for his small bundle to lay

Finally time to rest his feet

And a bed to pass the night away

He waves goodbye to the moon

As he rises with the sun

He hops for another bench soon

For sleeping on the ground isn't

fun

By: Ashlay Kondrat

My College

I chose to make my college

the way I did because I love

to be happy and have a

positive out look on life. I

chose to use my main de-

sign as hearts because love

is such a powerful thing. The

next thing I chose to do was

to add bright colors because

they remind me of being

happy. And another thing I

chose to do was to add foil

because I believe that look-

ing at your self in it should

make you happy with who

you are. This was a long

process that took time and

being very careful. I had to

take my time and draw the

same thing over and over.

“Hidden Soldiers:”

As I am walking through the woods,

I see unfamiliar faces passing by.

The sound of war carries on,

You can hear the children cry.

The soldiers rush us in our houses.

Mothers’ faces show panicked tears.

The fathers pick up the closes guns

Oldest boys rush out for fun.

The bodies begin to pile up.

The boys no longer find this fun.

Everyone loses in a battle.

No side has ever won.

-Jennifer Devost

While creating my collage, I never

thought out what I was going to do. I took every

step as a new creation. Initially I was going to cre-

ate objects in use. In the end, I had created an

aquatic scenery. I have never been much of a plan-

ner when it comes to my artwork. Even in the early

stages of creating my drawing, I just followed the

motion of the brush. Seeing the copies of the crea-

ture s the smooth lines with jagged edges look like I

carved into wood and stamped the result onto paper.

The warm pops of color for coral and the starfish

were last minute additions to brighten the piece up

and break the monotone, cool feeling.

Andres Institute of Art

Brookline, NH

Jennifer Devost

Collage Work

Fall 2011

Melissa St. Onge

Collage Work

Fall 2011

My Father and I (My Gate Of Faith)

One is sturdy and consistent

The other not at all

He pulls away– he believes he has more

He knows he must go in his direction—his fa-

ther stands firmly in his

There are more rough patches than smooth

There are still ties– they have lost one but still

some remain

They will forever have these ties they think–

dead or alive

They do not forget that one is sharp with little

softness while the other is soft with little hard-

ness

They are similar but different

And they will never forget these ties

While one is sturdy

The other not at all

He suddenly wishes he didn’t pull away while

the other wishes he didn’t stand so tall

Andres Institute of Art

Brookline, NH

MY COLLAGE PROCESS: When I was making my drawing all I did was start off with a couple

lines and some doodles. Then I looked at the doodles and tried to make something of them; al-

most like connect the dots of what I already saw. So I made a tiny man and woman that are

separate from each other and they are trying to find each other. I made this cartoonish looking

person, I added a tree, and it's all things I saw in the doodles. These figures are also broken off

into three almost equal sections. When I sat down to make the collage out of the drawing; I

thought it could use some color so I added color with colored pencils to parts that I thought

needed to stand out a little more. I also cut the three sections apart so they could be looked at

separately and people could look at it and see the same things that I saw in the doodles or what-

ever they wanted to see. I didn't have a meaning to any of it when I started to make it, it was

just like free flowing; whatever was there that I saw is what I made it, but as I kept going along

it started to revolve around the idea of "Finding". I didn't have a plan at first I just went with it

but then I started to notice that unconsciously I was making things that had to do with that idea.

I based a lot of the art on the shapes and lines that make the certain figures and took it to an

idea when I started to notice. It also only made sense to add something in the middle of the

three cut sections to keep them tied together. And I thought the tin foil just made a nice touch.

Corrine Martin

Collage Work

Technology has helped the world in

many ways and can help fix many

problems, but technology has also

taken away the beauty of a number

of things. This theme is the theme

of my collage and is brought to the

attention through lots of repetition

and boldness. I decided to use the

copies of my collage I was given

and pasted them in different ways

to emphasize the importance of the

battle between technological and

natural. I used mostly cool colors

ranging from yellows and greens

that remained throughout the col-

lage. The shapes and lines were

harsh and repetitive due to the

copies and pasting. The choices I

made were based upon how I was

feeling and the more I worked on

the collage, the more my theme of

the collage became clearer to me.

This is a good place to briefly, but effectively,

describe your product or services.

CORRINE

And sadly,

they all could care less.

What is she looking for?

She is lost and feels hopeless.

Not even offered by a simple hand

of those beside her.

Those who know how to help.

They all know she is desperate,

looking for an answer.

All content with their own lives,

standing on their own stepping stool.

She doesn’t know where she stands,

doesn’t now who cares.

Reynolds Cushing

Collage,

Mixed Media

My poem on the other hand is something I am not happy with at all. I wanted to try my

hand at Iambic pentameter and failed horribly. I couldn't get the syllables right, it feels awk-

ward and just bad. I wish I could sum it up another way but I can’t. Bad poem is bad.

The thought behind it was the story or a dragon or something kind of mythologi-

cal as the mother of us all. And somewhere along the lines I lost that. (No pun intended)

On my drawing I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I started off with some basic lines just thinking of something that would flow. Eventually I

ended back in my trap that I always end up in. I drew an eye. Trying to salvage it led me to thought of maybe I could try to do a dual image type

of thing. Which really didn’t work if you ask me. However, it did make for something interesting now that I look at it these many weeks later as I

hated the piece originally. It almost has a bit of a tender moment between two people, perhaps one is there and one is not there. I like to let that

be up to the viewer as I don’t like to dictate what one should see. Art is a personal thing, everyone can get their own meaning from the image.

The drawing itself is also the first time I ever used India Ink, so its really loose and rough and as stated before I wasn’t to fond of it so I didn’t

want to do to much more on it as I was afraid of what already felt I screwed up.

The back ground here is a mixed media piece I started with pencil for the initial drawing. I inked it then colored it with markers. I then

moved the image into Photoshop and played around with some filters and whatnot to get this water colory look I love so much. This was far

more planned than I normally do, I normally just play around till I get something I think looks interesting. This is the process I used on the collage

and I can’t tell you how many copies of that picture I destroyed trying to get interesting. Anyways, This piece took me about three days and is

inspired by Kuan Yin the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the pearl of light. A Given to her by a Dragon King for saving his son.

Mixed Media By: Justine Jodrey

For this collage I was influenced by my original drawing. I took the flow of the drawing and

applied it to an oceanic scene, with an October sky. The smooth vs rough waves indicates

how life takes its course, leaving the future unpredictable. The two different types of waves

come together to symbolize equilibrium in life, which is achievable through experience.

Unrevealed Life

By: Justine Jodrey

I am free,

With the world flowing effortlessly by.

These walls surrounding me,

Suspend me in the quintessence of life.

The key to the world I know,

The only key.

Therefore, am I really free?

This key,

Provides a life of innocence.

Where even one made of stone,

Has no solid core.

Is life supposed to be this pure?

What happens when my supports are gone?

Will I stand?

Of will I fall?

If I fall,

Andres Institute of Art Brookline, NH

Andrew Demers

Collage With Cut

Paper

Ball-O-Rama

Balls

Are round

Are smooth

Are white

Balls

Have textures

Have lights and darks

Have different sizes

Balls

They float in space

They resemble planets

They exist in life

Poem from Andres Institute of Art

Anne Marie Gardenour

Collage Mixed media

Christopher Klesh

Mixed media Col-

lage

“The King”

The Iron Man of the Woods

The Iron Man of the Woods stands as a reminder of man and there past

For we were once one with nature

He is one with both nature and the modern world.

Because, he is made of iron yet lives in the woods.

He has seen the change of his surroundings to a more modern world.

Although he is made of iron he still connects to his roots

For he blends so well with the branches of the trees.

Standing on his perch above the valley has given him a great view of the world.

And he wants to journey to the modern world, but nature suggests otherwise.

For nature has changed him, and he cannot be apart of the modern world.

Time has aged him, for he has started to corrode away.

Looking now more like a ghost than a man.

Which has made him question whether or not he should go

into the modern world?

He is starting to slowly wither away from this world.

And with so much wisdom that he could tell a person what he has seen

That like every being in the world, they will eventually fall from the modern world.

Coming back from where man had originally came from

The woods from once we all came.

So in a sense the iron man has given us, some wisdom

This is to stay close to nature.

For one day you will return.

Chris Klesh

For my collage I took different piece of pictures

for the other people in my class at the time. I

started to notice that some of the pictures that I

cut were starting to form a face. Acting on this

discovery I decided to make a face. As the face

was starting to finish I decided that it needed a lit-

tle more so I added a yellow crown to the top to

symbolize that he was a king. That was my inspi-

ration for the collage

Andres Institute of Art

Brookline, NH

Mellissa Morgan

Collage Work

Fall 2011

Melissa Morgan

The DisputeThe DisputeThe Dispute

Stone is the hardest of toolsStone is the hardest of toolsStone is the hardest of tools

It stands above others and can break the It stands above others and can break the It stands above others and can break the

rulesrulesrules

Listen to me and understandListen to me and understandListen to me and understand

For I know what we need in the Promised For I know what we need in the Promised For I know what we need in the Promised

Land.Land.Land.

So small and so weak is the rock in your So small and so weak is the rock in your So small and so weak is the rock in your

hand.hand.hand.

My gift is bigger and can be used for moreMy gift is bigger and can be used for moreMy gift is bigger and can be used for more

Than a mere small rooted stone which Than a mere small rooted stone which Than a mere small rooted stone which

puts holes in our floor.puts holes in our floor.puts holes in our floor.

Both of you place valid pointsBoth of you place valid pointsBoth of you place valid points

But I suggest not stone but air that is lightBut I suggest not stone but air that is lightBut I suggest not stone but air that is light

Anyone may use itAnyone may use itAnyone may use it

Yet it is more complex than a solid.Yet it is more complex than a solid.Yet it is more complex than a solid.

My Creative Process

For my collage I started by picking a back drop color.

Originally, I was going to use black for the background, but

figured pink stood out more and made a bold statement that I

was willing to take risks. Then I cut boxes and triangles out

and placed the boxes on either side of the paper and took the

triangles and had them connecting the boxes. I cut out strips

from an original art work that I had done and criss crossed

them to give them a different look. Honestly , I did it because

I thought it would look make a unique impression. After, I cut

out different thin strips in red and placed the main focal

point in the center, and placed the other two figures of the

same material diagonally from the focal point. The collage

doesn’t really have a specific meaning and is not mean to rep-

resent anything in particular, but maybe other viewers can

interpret something out of it. Melissa Morgan

For the collage drawing, action is always a captivating subject. Action in the natural world may be even more so.

The hurricane in my drawing, which was Hurricane Ivan from 2004, made a fitting subject. This hurricane reached

Category 5 strength, with top wind speeds of 165 MPH and a pressure of only 910 mbar, was indeed the ideal topic for

furious action in motion. The well-developed eye and clearly marked arms made for a frightening yet amazing and won-

derful image, an image of balance and symmetry in a storm of unbridled fury. The very shape of hurricanes has always

captivated me, by their sense of balance in form that is maintained, even if for a limited time, amid much natural chaos.

Even in a motionless photograph, you can still see the movement and sense the power and force generated by the

storm.

As odd as it may sound, a hurricane is kept together by laws of nature that develop within the chaotic birth and

form of a hurricane. Even as these storms follow no set track, they form and abide by natural forces that help to create

such an awe-inspiring shape, and to try to translate that movement to a photograph, than from photo to drawing, is

Vessel of the Voyage

Silent in stone, yet graceful in line,

Does the story match the rugged, cold face?

Often times, the voyage goes long,

Fitting perfectly “Haze grey and underway” I see

Though silent and cold, it appears

What lies behind has the warmth and life to see

Even in such rock you feel

The epic tale told in its shape, contour and polish

Of voyages long, homes left and gone

But over the horizon, that just lays beyond

A sense of wonder, amazement

As the unknown stares at you from afar

How far, how long?

Though these may be asked, they matter little

Andres Institute of Art

Brookline, NH

Rory Wilkins

Drawing Work

Fall 2011

Erin Desimarais

Collage Work

Fall 2011

My heart is breaking.

Y u have left me forever.

Never let me go.

Rushing Rivers For my collage I decided to use re-

peating shapes. I felt as though it

was a modern approach to a col-

lage. My first drawing reminded

me of a river. It had repeating

lines, with rhythm and different

patterns. I decided to keep that

theme in my collage. I used blue

paper to represent water since my

actual river is black. I chose to use

colorful paper to make it aestheti-

cally pleasing. The colorful paper

also repeats to create some more

symmetry in the collage. I feel the

sense of balance makes it feel more

harmonious. Erin Desmarais

Young Blood

My collage is based on how I like to express myself. In the

middle of the collage I added two of my own personal works

of art surrounded by other works by different artists. The

colors and different types of lines express the chaos and

creativity that follows me throughout my life. I chose a vari-

ety of color and black and white pictures to represent my-

self as being a person of mixed race and different outlooks

on life. This is showing that I am not into just one specific

way of life or one specific style, I have many and life to be

as wildly out there as possible. This collage is a representa-

tion of my feelings and myself as a human being by show-

ing how no one piece is perfect.

A young child hurt

Hurt from much abuse

Abuse that never changes

Change that never takes place

Placing the child in harms way

Ways that will not lead to peace

Peace is not an option for this poor,

Poor child you are hurt

Hurt from so much pain

Pain that saddens my heart

A heart that aches for you

Zoe Alexander

Andres Institute of Art ,Brookline, NH

Laura Raissier

Collage Work With Marker

Fall 2011

Pen and Marker Drawing

Bradford Comjean

Demitri Veritos

Drawing Work

Fall 2011