My Collage: Dada Inspired

This is a collage that I made. The style was inspired by a Dada collage which I saw in a book about the history of collage. Unfortunately I didn't note the title of the original work before I returned the book to the library.

What I was imitating was the use of blocks and geometric shapes. I mimicked the use of solid blocks of color. I changed it to be tones of color that I personally favored. Unlike the original I wanted to use some handmade papers from India which I purchased from the craft store.

Like the Dada collage I used bits of newspaper and other ephemera. The newspaper was from the 1940s and was something my grandmother had saved. The letter was my relatives letter. I loved the handwriting, the stamps, and the way the cancellation mark flows across the paper, so I decided to use that large part of it rather than tearing out just the stamps or using just part of the address. There is also a new paint chip sample piece. There is a cash register receipt from May 10, 1964 which my grandmother saved. There is also a tag from a linen towel from the early 1970s which my grandmother received as a gift but had never used. What I liked about the vintage ephemera was the color of the paper, I love the way the color of the paper changed as it aged. I also like the different fonts of the letters.

The size of this is 9 x 12 inches. I plan to frame this and hang it on my wall because I really like it.