Tribute to Matisse 6

11.13 x 15 inches

Collage with Linoleum Block Elements on Cotton Rag Paper

2023

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Henri Matisse is one of the artists who has greatly shaped and inspired my visual approach and artistic process. In 2015, I saw an exhibit of Matisse's work in New York and this had a really profound influence on my mark making. I felt a connection to his shapes and collages, and to his process of how he worked with his assistants. I’ve since been evolving my approach to collage and fine tuning my shape language. 

Through his series of collages, I celebrate his influence. I’m using my own color palette and birthing a new body of shapes which are based on the plant and flower collages I've done over the past few years. What I love about these collages is the opportunity to practice my intuition and remain playful with my composition.

Through my approach to collage since 2015, I’ve been mimicking Matisse’s process.  During the last decade of his life, Matisse used two simple materials—white paper and gouache—to create works of wide-ranging color and complexity. All he used was a pair of scissors, to transform paint and paper into a world of plants, animals, figures, and shapes. His cut-outs were created in distinct phases. The raw materials—paper and gouache—were combined: studio assistants painted sheets of paper with gouache. Matisse then cut shapes from these painted papers and arranged them into compositions. For smaller compositions the artist worked directly on a board using pins. For larger compositions, Matisse directed his studio assistants to arrange them on the wall of his studio.  Matisse used pins, thumb tacks, and thin nails to secure the cut forms. The numerous pinholes that remain in the cut-outs attest to the many repositionings. This is exactly how I work today. I get help from my studio colleague to create my cutouts, and then I pin them down for the final gluing. I feel grateful to be able to continue the tradition of this great artist!