Marjorie Moeser

Last spring I was invited to participate in a Virtual exhibit organized by Galerie Imbert in Aix en Provence, France. The format stipulated was 10 X 10 inches, quite a drastic size change to what I have been working with lately in my canvases. I decided to work with paper, in particular Japanese papers, because of the wide array of colors, textures, patterns and transparency available. I fell in love with this small format, since each composition in its brilliancy sparkled like a jewel. I was able to transfer my approach to abstract painting directly to my approach with collage. My penchant for layering paint on top of paint, overlaying glazes to achieve transparency was easily transferable to my approach to composing with papers. Each composition developed intuitively as I shifted paper shapes, either torn or cut, overlapping shapes either to achieve a montage effect of revealing colors underneath and creating new shifting images. I found that I could use parts of photographs and play with these sections overlaid again with transparent papers to create photo-montages. I could use paint, fabric and other found materials to create textured surfaces, adding yet another visual element to the collage.
Abstraction has allowed me a fresh look at an age-old art form (collage). Exquisite Japanese papers have added a richness of color, which along with textured nuances give depth to each piece. Each collage offers an imaginative approach to image making and, as in the words of the French Impressionist, Degas:”Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Marjorie Moeser, 2010