Pattern Mixing Collage

My work explores pattern mixing inspired by modern quilting, and jigsaw puzzles. I push the limits of maximalism, while creating a balanced and harmonious composition. I reference these functional objects in my paper cut and collage work because quilt making is an area of design where there aren’t any rules around mixing patterns or having too much colour. I’m interested in pushing the limits of what is considered too much, while still creating a composition that is balanced and harmonious.

Working with patterns has been an interesting means of exploring history, the effects of colonialism, the intersections and influence between different cultures, the rich symbolism and meaning in patterns, and so much more. I enjoy the challenge of bringing very different types of patterns together in a single piece of work, to observe how they interact, connect, and vibrate with one another.

About the process:

The collage and cut paper compositions are a process of piecing together a puzzle from scratch, never quite knowing what it will look like until the end. With the collage pieces, I construct, deconstruct, and then reconstruct the pieces. I construct the composition through drawing, cut the pieces apart and add patterned paper, and then reconstruct all the pieces together into a single composition.

Mixing patterns in my paper cut work is very different from mixing them in my collage pieces. With the cut pieces I am working in a single coloured paper and reducing the patterns to negative/positive space. It’s an additive/subtractive process of drawing the patterns in pencil on paper, and then removing bits of the composition through cutting to reveal the patterns as intricate lines and shapes.