What started as a simple project with my daughters turned into this series of western collage. We would sit together at the kitchen table flipping through magazines and cutting out pictures, and I would watch as the “cuttings” started to take on the look of confetti. 

 

While I turned a blind eye to the mangling of magazines, I found myself drawn to the old images of pioneer settlers and cowboys. In their faces I saw grit and a raw spirit that contrasted heavily with the imagery contained in social media today. Really what I found in these images was authenticity (even with Kevin Costner) that when paired with a spectacular backdrop made for extremely interesting imagery. 

 

This collection is intended to take the reality of western living and give it a splash of the fantastical. Collage allows you to change setting, alter scale, and combine subjects to make something new and exciting. While creating these pieces I discovered humor, daring, and joy. These characteristics of the collage work make me think that these fantastical scenes with authentic people could teach us something about being truly genuine.