Don’t throw it away

Don't throw it away, it might come in handy! Was a lesson I learnt from my family at a young age and there is no denying its made its way into my art.

I often joke that I have an affinity with The Junk Lady puppet in the Labyrinth movie. The one that carried all her possessions stacked high on her back - the cobweb covered chairs, dangling pots and pans, pewter water jugs and wicker baskets. 

My studio is similar the stack of treasured objects on The Junk Lady's back but I prefer to call myself A Collector. I've tried (sort of) not to amass so many things and be more minimalist but it's no use; all the objects spark joy. And annoyingly, those treasures I've found and kept for whatever reason, do come in handy for an artist working in collage. 

This piece (pictured) is made from a broken Chinese paper lantern and a 40cm x 40cm test piece of a collage I made from my 'Play At Home Mum' series. That collage was originally made from a vintage magazine image and a whoopie cushion. It's a sort of collage within a collage.

Nothing thrown away that can't be used. I just need to remember where I put the bloody thing...