graciela: i'm a paper cutter

So a little bit about me...
I'm a graphic designer and so I use the same design tools I work with at my job to create my artwork. I did a collection of digital prints on canvas during the last Concordia/Discordia show but I wanted a change this time around. I wanted to create something that was more tactile, with mistakes, cheap to make, but stunning in composition. So I basically desgined a whole set of patterns, printed them out, cut them up, and reworked all the scraps into collages. I also integrated pieces of cloth, plants, buttons, and vellum into these pieces. I've always liked collages but I didn't want to take someone else's work and reinterpret it into a collage. I wanted to commit myself to creating every element on the scraps of paper so it could truly be my own.

My inspiration for the collage idea came from the person I love. It's a cheesy motivation but what else is there to inspire us than love? The piece I did about him is built on a pattern I created using his name. That idea lent itself to creating patterns for all the people I've loved. It was fun for me because I consider myself a type-lover but I'm also very conservative with the use of typefaces in my design work. But here, in trying to create patterns using names that were indistinguishable I got to use fonts I'd never dream of using in design. The end result is a visceral reaction to shapes and conversations of color.

Here are some teaser close ups of the first 5 pieces I did.