Live Webinar: Collage Ideas With Roxanne Evans Stout

Editor’s note: On March 31, Join Roxanne for an exciting live webinar, including a Q&A session! She will present tips and techniques from her new book, Storytelling with Collage. Learn how to prepare your canvas, convey memories, attach components and more! Click here now to register and learn how to improve your collage art in this live webinar.

Collage Inspiration by Roxanne Evans Stout

As I am writing this, I am on an airplane flying home from teaching at a wonderful art retreat called “A Case of Curiosities.” It is very early in the morning, a deep pink fills the sky as the sun comes out, and tangerine clouds streak across the earth below. I taught this with Seth Apter from The Altered Page.

Our magical setting was the luminous Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. This week has been a celebration for me, not only because I was able to share so many creative ideas and projects with a beautiful group of artists, and teach with a great friend but because my book, Storytelling with Collage, was just recently released from North Light Books! Our students all had or purchased copies (which I signed!) and the response to the book was awesome.

I’ve always dreamed of writing a book filled with art projects and photographs of my world that I take myself, and filled with other artist’s whose work and I admire and love. A book that would share my visions and my dreams and a book that would tell my story and encourage others to tell their stories through their art making and collaging.

Storytelling with Collage began with handwriting scribbled in notebooks, fragments and snatches of sentences that sprawled across pages in pencil and pen. Compilations of words, quotes, ideas and email conversations with my wonderful editor Tonia Jenny, turned into chapter outlines and in-depth project descriptions. Soon the book proposal was ready and a few months later it was accepted! That was one of the happiest days of my life!

The whole book project took about two years from start to finish. Work in every chapter included the writing, the photography, making the art, and creating the collage challenges. Almost all of the artwork and photos were brand new for this book. It was decided that I could take my own photographs for Storytelling with Collage, and that made it even better!

Each morning I would work in my studio… gathering and collaging, and photographing as I worked. Then in the afternoons I would write on my computer at the dining room. My little notepads were still very important in this process, as that is still where I collected my thoughts and played with words.

Collage is my very favorite art form. I love to collage in books and art journals, on wood or canvas or metal and use all sorts of different materials that I share in my book. For me collage tells a story, even more than a painting or drawing. When I collage I am in another world. I love the intertwining of intuitive art making and the planning out of ideas. And I love how little parts of a collage can be a story in themselves, and how they work together.

I would love to have you join me for my Webinar on March 31 with Jeannine Stein and Cloth Paper Scissors (click here to register!), where I will share with you my very best tips for creating great collages and you can have a peek inside of my book. There will even be a bonus video about collaging using textured papers, fabrics and images.

Below is the collage I will be demonstrating in my video! If this video resonates with you, I have a new online class called Pathways and Wanderings (click here) that you will love.

Blessings of joyous creativity in telling your stories through your art,
~Roxanne

The journey between who you once were,
and who you are now becoming,
is where the dance of life really takes place.
~Barbara de Angelis