Simplicity can be so powerful

Art, painting, and creativity go hand in hand with a sense of calm, feeling centred, with serenity, poesy, and beauty. It is the one space where our brain is allowed to rest, and no words are needed. We can tell our story through colour and shape. 

This is certainly true for me. There are also times though when creating art brings up feelings of frustration and being stuck. Suddenly, I feel trapped and as if I have hit a wall.

It helps me in these times to step away for a moment, to take a break and focus my energy on something very different. Collage is then my rescue place—a space where I can switch off and have some fun. Using random pieces of paper in all shapes, colours, and textures, there's something so therapeutic about sticking smaller pieces of paper on a blank canvas and creating beauty. It frees me and helps me find space in my mind and in my heart again.

There are many ways to create a paper collage; it can be highly intricate and detailed, bold and colourful, and it can even include words. Collage can introduce the idea of working with solid shapes of colour and tone. It can help to deconstruct the picture-making journey or bring you closer to it, like a careful first step. 

I normally start with a colour scheme, simply by opening my drawer full of a collection of random papers and snippets of old artworks, some of which are cut-outs from my paper protection layer on my studio table.

The next step is usually a general decision of whether I would like my collage to be composed of a few large shapes or many small pieces, and whether I want it to feel ordered, loose, or even chaotic.

It is completely fine to start anywhere, even by randomly throwing all the papers you like onto your canvas and seeing what jumps out at you. After that, it's very much about seeing and feeling, about using the space or freeing the space you have on your base paper and the ongoing question of whether something works or doesn't work.

I find it immensely helpful to take photos in between, so I can't lose a creation that felt good but maybe isn't quite complete yet. That way, it is always there to come back to. This process can take a long time before you want to commit and actually stick the paper onto your base.

And then it is done—a new artwork is created. I will often add paint, soft pastel, and charcoal, evolving the artwork into a more intricate piece. There are no limits, no rules—just the joy of creation.