The very first collage artists were born about 100 years ago when contemporary collage artists tried to break the norms of conventional art. Artists like Picasso and Braque gave rise to collage art as they cut and paste vivid textures and materials, creating enchanting artwork as they dissected life in a radically new way.
Since then, collage artists have explored this mixed media art in every form of art, ranging from Surrealism to Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Famous collage artists continue to use some of the most bizarre things to make art that captures the imagination. The freedom from a paintbrush meant that collage artists could now dive into the depths of their creativity and explore ways to interpret their thoughts.
What Is Collage Art?
Collage is derived from the French word ‘coller’, which means ‘to glue’. Collage artists create their artwork by gluing a wide range of items such as magazines or newspaper clippings, ribbons, photographs, paper, portions of text or artwork, or even pieces of cloth on a surface.
Whether they work with digital media or focus on paper, all of these contemporary collage artists are working in creative ways to reinvent art itself. Even photographers have begun to utilize collage as a space for experimenting with their photographs. Even painters are trying to break the traditional ways of creating art and experimenting with other ideas that help them merge their creativity in a mesmerizing collage artwork.
Collage Artists to Inspire Your Next Collage
Collage artists are no longer fringe artists who do not have much scope when it comes to earning for their work. Just to prove this point to you, let us show you some of the top collage artists and what made them achieve success.
1. Carlos Figueiredo SCARFIG
Carlos Figueiredo SCARFIG is a self-taught artist who dwells in various art forms and techniques. Born in the countryside of São Paulo, his floating roots allowed him to explore the depths of art and experiment in various styles such as abstract, oil paintings, murals, and collage art. His eccentric style of design and creative outlook brings out the best of mixed media techniques, op-style works, art, and minimalism all in one.
Collage artists are known to create abstract artwork that can be deeply connected, as seen by Carlos’s works. The use of symbolism in his art provides a sense of contrast in art between emotions of balance and strength, veracity, and stillness. In his work, he reveals the possibility to present a psychedelic experience while appreciating an upscale art piece. His most recent works reflect the attention to detail, the use of geometry and symbolism, leading to a concept full of meaning to collage and its vivid artistic dimensions.
Image taken from Strikingly’s user website
2. Teresa Raffray
Teresa Raffray is a French-Chilean collage artist who specializes in printmaking. She developed her skills as a collage artist while working as an exhibit manager in the National Fine Arts Museum of Santiago. She developed her artistic skills during her travels to Asia. In Hanoi, Vietnam, and then to Santiago de Chile where she facilitates art workshops for children and teens, in which the main focus is to stimulate the students' creativity, more than to achieve specific technical or academic goals. She also co-founds Art Bite. Art, Food & Mindfulness, a series of workshops pairing art with food. She is currently living in Geneva, Switzerland, where she works and continues to facilitate art & mindfulness workshops.
Image taken from Strikingly’s user website
3. Barbara Cushman
Barbara Cushman, one of the most renowned collage artists in San Francisco Bay, developed her interest in art at an early age. Her skills at producing contemporary collage artwork when she was introduced to collage art were impressive. She followed a naturalist approach to her collage art. She would make contemporary collage artwork from anything she could get her hands on - postage stamps, photographs, magazine clippings. She believed that everything is art - you just need a canvas to showcase it. And so she did by making collage art into notecards that could be scanned and printed out in a smaller size suitable for notecards. Each notecard was individualized. Vintage postage stamps and rubber stamps were among her favorite enhancers.
Image taken from Strikingly’s user website
4. Sato
Sato is a Japanese collage artist who inspired an intercultural exchange in contemporary collage. Learning art from a young age, Sato was inspired by culture and diversity. She perfected the ambidextrous technique printmaking skills at a young age, first in her homeland and then in New York. Growing up in Japan, Sato used ambidextrous techniques to create designs of the scenic world around her. Upon moving to New York, she noticed the vast diversity and was greatly influenced by the multicultural tones of the city. New York changed her perspective of collage artistry. She learned abstract printmaking techniques, handmade paper-making techniques and her skills gained notice and, in 2018, she was honored with an invitation to the Awagami Factory in Japan to learn the art of traditional Japanese paper-making.
Her artwork rises above the boundaries of discrimination to connect viewers from all backgrounds and she hopes to inspire them to embrace uniqueness and multi-cultural experiences.
Image taken from Strikingly’s user website
5. Nicole Bray
Nicole Bray, is a mixed media artist, painter, and spirit junkie who has inspired thousands of young artists to pursue a career in contemporary collage art. Her work can be described as “mixed media gypsy art”, where she takes inspiration from various cultures and settings to create her art.
Art was always something that helped her get an outlet to all creativity locked inside of her. And collage art was just the icing on the cake she needed. Being a collage artist allowed her to explore her creativity and push the boundaries of contemporary art. Her desire to help others tap into their creative talents is what made her travel across the globe teaching her art to young minds everywhere.
Image taken from Strikingly’s user website
Why You Should Start an Online Portfolio
Collage artists like any other require a platform where they can showcase their art. They can sell their work directly or work for a gallery or curate art. But it can still be difficult for budding collage artists to get a firm footing in the fine art industry. A good way to showcase your work and get some much-needed applause is to take your work online.
But that’s not the only reason you need to consider displaying your work online. If you look at the collage artists we told you about, they own a dazzling website of their own that complements their collage artwork. So it's not just about putting your work on a third-party website that displays your work. You need personal space - a virtual gallery that’s built around your collage art. Do you really need an entire website for yourself? Can you just let other websites sell your work?
Though it seems like an easy option, unless you want to be just another collage artist, you might want to think about getting a personal collage artist website. Let’s tell you why:
• More Eyes on Your Art
The internet is a world of its own. You could be uploading pictures of your artwork, and people from around the globe can view it instantly. It’s like having a gallery that’s open and visible to everyone on earth, 24/7. Having a collage artist website means that stakeholders from around the world can see your work, buy it if they like, or hire you for your services. You can reach new audiences and expand your network.
• One-Stop Shop
If you’ve worked with collage artists you know that a good number of them need to travel to various parts of the world to showcase their art. An online collage artist portfolio can help you organize your work in one place. It also makes it easier if you need to present your profile to clients. All your work in one place and one-piece plus you don’t have to pay those expensive gallery rents.
• Be the Boss
We didn’t suggest websites that only sell your work for this specific reason. As a collage artist, it is important that you hold your art dear to you. Giving third-party websites rights to sell your work can have many downsides. With a personal website, you can control every aspect of the business. You decide how much to sell your work for and to whom. You are in direct contact with clients and thus have a better understanding of your status as a collage artist.
• Custom Portfolio
A website is a cool ace up your sleeve that you can pull out any time, any place and by the push of a button. Your website is your personal branding. It gives you an identity outside your circle and expands your reach in the market. Because when you think of business, you need to not only showcase your work but work on how you present it. And what better way than to show clients a personal website that tells them exactly who you are.
• Build Online Network
We have mentioned this earlier but it still wont emphasize how important a website can be to improve your network and professional status. Sure you have a facebook, instagram, twitter, and email account which you’re very efficient at using. But having a personal website is a whole new ball game. You are not just visible to your social circle, but to corporates, art enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and collectors from around the globe. The opportunities for collaborations become endless.
So Where Do You Start?
With all this said, we would also want to give you one more suggestion. Since you’re probably thinking about getting a website built right now, you can have a quick glance at a website building platform called Strikingly. It helps you build and set up a fully functional website. And when we say help, we mean it gives you everything you need to build a full-fledged website from scratch.
Strikingly has templates, which are nothing but website designs created by some of the best designers around the world keeping in mind user-specific requirements, they designed websites to fit each and every job profile. Furthermore, if you think a template kinda looks like how you thought but not exactly, don't worry. Strikingly offers unlimited customization options so you can personalize it to the finest detail.
As a collage artist, it should be easy for you to set up a website with Strikingly. After all, building a website isn’t all that different from making collage art.
