PAPER COLLAGE Liz Innvar through November 7
There is something distinctly special about Liz Innvar’s meticulously crafted collages: they are upbeat and accessible without sacrificing their elegance and complexity. They have a musicality, each composition like a song with intonation, clarity and purpose.
They have “weather”—the shapes are buoyant but textured offering the viewer a nuanced and personal view of a deeply sensitive perspective on a seaside landscape, private meditation of a solitary vase or a quietly bursting bouquet of flowers.
To be moved by a work of art, one must find tenderness or vulnerability in the work and Liz Innvar gives us both.
—Robert Tomlinson, Director, Kaaterskill Gallery
Catskill Mountain Foundation
Artist’s Statement
There are a lot of moving parts to collage preparation. There is a long gestation period from the blank page to the finished product. I start with a variety of sume papers, as it is a very absorbent paper which bleeds through to the reverse side in unanticipated and often delightful ways. The paint of choice is always gouache. I love this kind of paint for the quality of its colors and the degree to which you can control its opaque nature. The paint is applied with sponges, house paint brushes, and bamboo brushes. The layering of paint can include additions of conte crayon, oil crayon, colored pencil or lead pencil. The idea in this phase is to create a palette of finished papers that are linked by texture , color and or landscape theme. I like to keep the landscape theme very open ended and simple. For example one idea I had was our flowering tree season here in the northeast U.S. Another idea might be the month of September in upstate NY.
I will begin a collage once I’ve accumulated at least 20 sheets of painted papers that are fixed with polymer resin. Cutting and layering the paper can take a very long time as I don’t commit to anything until I’m sure the piece is ready to be fixed in place. There’s lots of iterations of the image and it’s very useful taking pictures as the piece develops. Once I’m satisfied with the composition I will then glue the papers together by hot ironing the papers so the resin will fuse the composition in place. This process reminds me of the days when I would sew my own clothes except here I’m also making the fabric as well as piecing it together. The collage ends up feeling very much like a “thing” and it’s the “thing-ness” that I want you to experience.
—Liz Innvar
KAATERSKILL FINE ARTS GALLERY
Hunter Village Square
7950 Main Street • Hunter
Gallery hours: Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment.
More Information at 518 263 2060
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