OM.2012.018 - Liz Yates - United Kingdom - Collage with prepared papers - 8x10 inches
website www.ravenart.co.uk
My work is about expressing how something makes me ‘feel’ rather than solely
the way it ‘looks’. I am also interested in the way the subconscious mind interprets
images. The fragments I find from everyday life, both man-made and from nature
become a starting point in my work, providing inspiration or forming an integral part
within the work. I believe that by using real life fragments combined with my own
creativity, the work conveys layers of meaning which blur the boundaries between art
and life.
I have always been a collector of interesting objects and it seemed a natural
progression that found objects would become part of my work. The creation of
Collage and Assemblage provides an endless opportunity for the re-combination and
layering of materials, inviting new interpretations.
My magpie hoard is full of old books, papers, tickets, feathers, driftwood, textiles,
stones, glass, rusty metal pieces, old sheet music and more. The signs of wear and tear
and the passing of time produce marks which sometimes tell the story of their history.
I ponder the life cycle of these items, looking back to where they may have begun
their journey, how a seed became a tree that grew and was once part of a forest. After
the passage of many seasons, the tree was felled, processed and ultimately became
paper. Some of the paper was used to produce travel tickets, which touched the lives
of people so far away from its origins. I may find that ticket, discarded, blowing
around on a windy street until it lands at my feet and becomes part of my ‘store’ of
papers, eventually becoming incorporated into a new piece of work. I try to use as
many recycled materials as I can in my work. It feels like a kind of ‘alchemy’.
My work, for the last few years has been mainly collage and creating small
assemblages. The materials I gather provide inspiration but I also look to ancient
history and the natural world. I am drawn to the past, mysteries, and to the unseen
aspects of our lives, in the world in which we live. I am fascinated by myths and
legends, alchemy and magic. Some of my work explores life, beauty, light and dreams
whilst others have explored the darker aspects of our nature in the imagination and
nightmares. More recent concerns developing in my work have been around the
natural environment and ecological issues. Many new works reflect my feelings about
the natural world and our place in it.
Additional work in the Collection by Liz Yates
OM.2009.012 Liz Yates - United Kingdom - Possession - 3x3 inches - assemblage - 2008
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