Joan Schulze

 

I move quickly through ideas in an expedient way, layering over mishaps, building to a conclusion improvising with technique. My intent as an artist is to find the poetry in the materials while being in the moment to reach something that feels fresh and new.

 

What fascinates me about making collages are the layers, both physical and metaphorical. Excavating to reveal what is underneath explores another dimension. Each layer could be a separate entity but together they tell a more complicated story.

 

I love working with nontraditional materials while pursuing unusual and experimental self-invented processes. These purposeful arrangements and colliding references are always subject to change. Intentional compositional disharmony forces images and materials together that do not usually belong in the same realm.

 

I process contemporary culture. This meditation on society often focuses on opposites such as cityscapes versus landscapes while seeking unusual and surprising relationships in collected images. Organizing these elements both personal and found is a daily studio practice. Being a step away from chaos is a great motivator.

 

My artistic adventures are driven by a need to make meaningful artworks. My obligation as an artist is to witness and observe, concentrate on the task at hand and most of all be serious and committed to my art making.