Using collage to create meaningful art

One of the collage-related topics people mentioned in the survey I sent out at the beginning of the year, asking what their interests were, was the idea of creating meaningful art. Several people expressed the idea that they wanted to create art that held a deeper meaning than art that simply looked "pretty". They wanted to make art that told a story or even commemorated something.

Highlighting family history

Taken a bit further, some people said they wanted to use their own family photos or papers in their collages. 

What can you do with art that contains family heirlooms? You could:

• highlight family history through your collage
• display it on a wall in your home
• pass it on to a new generation in your family

I created a wall art collage using letters my husband's grandparents wrote to us when we moved to California. 

Yes, several letters were cut up to create the collage (I used the originals, rather than copies), but now those pieces are part of a larger purpose in a work of art on display. I made two wall art pieces--one for each of my children.

Choosing a topic important to you

Creating this kind of meaningful art doesn't have to be with family photos and papers. You can create art that tells a story of a subject that is meaningful to you. 

Several years ago, I created a collage on a canvas, using images from my favorite place on earth: Vienna. I looked online for images of places in Vienna that I knew personally and that held memories for me, and had them printed at a printing center to get the highest quality print possible. Once I had a stack of images, I began collaging them.

I still love how this one turned out. I've got it hanging in my entry way and love to talk about it, if anyone happens to notice it.

A new online course

This month I am opening a new online course called Collage on a Canvas, with the purpose of giving you step by step directions on how to create your own one-of-a-kind wall art that is meaningful to you. The course is $14.

In this course I am using more family papers from my husband's family, but if you choose to follow along and work on your own project, you'll decide what subject and what papers are important to you to showcase on a canvas.

Here's a little video preview of the course:

https://youtu.be/8KWZKMACv_g

The course is hosted on a teaching platform called Thinkific, and is divided into 7 section:

• defining project scope
• materials
• laying out your papers
• marking placement
• adhering your papers
• adding embellishments
• the final touches

I hope you'll consider taking the course if creating this kind of meaningful art appeals to you. If you don't have time now, the course never expires once you've purchased it, and you can watch it as many times as you need.