UPCYCLE LEFTOVER COLOR PALETTE
During our March lockdown in 2020 in Auckland, I had fun making small collage pieces. The idea came when I found how beautiful my used colour palettes are - the colours are vibrant and the brush marks are raw and potent, full of unexpected shades, textures and happy accidents. Out of sheer delight I cut them into small shapes and collaged them into small works. I never thought more about them and went on doing other “more serious” paintings.
Fast forward to September 2021, a school friend who happened to run the brand “Rainstory Umbrella” in Taiwan wanted to collaborate with me to use one of my paintings to create a limited gift umbrella. After trying several designs of my “more serious” works, I suddenly remember my collage work from 2020. After some design test I sent her a rough draft of the umbrella. The immediate response was excitement!! This is the perfect design. Two months later. The gift umbrella”Kaleidoscope I” was successfully launched and was an instant hit!
During the 2022 new year holiday, to ease into my creative flow, to study colours and explore composition, I got all my leftover color palettes out and made into many small collage works using different surfaces including paper, wood board, and canvas. Some then were varnished to have a resin-like surface. Some were left matty. The process was highly therapeutic during the most recent Auckland lockdown. “Spread Your Wings” was born! An abstract collage collection consists of 21 small works ranging from 100 x 100 mm to 250 x 250 mm, with one 400 x 400 mm centrepiece. I named each piece according to its feel and personality. They are so cheerful I feel they are ready to spread their wings. Originally they were to be part of “Festival One” art show in January 2022, but the event was canceled due to Omicron. But a wonderful invitation came later from Kumeu Arts Centre, and “Spread Your Wings” were able to meet the public as part of the “Multiples” group exhibition from 30 March to 23 April.
