The beautiful streets of Nice

Back streets, Porto Portugal

Here are two collages that are purely pieces of paper – cut, ripped, and stuck. Amusantes Vanille is based in the south of France and Rua de Sao Joao is from a trip to Lisbon.

I am always on the look out for ‘bits of paper’ but with the introduction of more and more plastic packaging, paper is becoming harder to find.

One of my first collages of Paris started around the lovely, turquoise metro tickets (small, rectangular and made from cardboard) This collage was used for a full page feature in Time Out magazine.

I start scanning in the airport, tickets, labels, strong graphics – alas it is all a bit slick in the UK. Within one hour of landing in my destination city of Seville, Marakech, Havana I have usually collected a few unloved tatty tickets. Bill boards, especially ones with layers of posters, dusty curling and peeling are my next stop. These have the added excitement of finding hidden colours and graphics between the layers. For stamps, envelopes, hand written letters I usually search the flea markets and antique shops. The photographs I take whilst wandering and sketching.

Back in my studio I start my compositions with the slice of sky betweeen the buildings, then it is compose, recompose, balance, stick, peel, stick until a sense of unity is achieved.

Both collages available as giclee prints.                                                                                                                                                                        They are of a very high quality, every detail, crease, edge and shadow can be seen.       http://karenstamper.com/?cat=10