Wendy Eiteljorg

Artist Statement

My collage work is all based in recycled or vintage materials--books pages, magazine images, art and photography collections books, auction catalogs, and vintage linens. I use various papers as both background and a veil to somewhat hide or obscure the background. Jewelry, flowers, and birds are frequent elements as are historical images (photos, paintings, sculptures) of women.

In building a collage, I frequently give myself constraints--a particular color palette, a circle or edge. Then, I work within that constraint until inevitably some piece must break the circle, hang over the edge, or be a totally different color. Text (or musical scores) as background is another constant in my practice. Sometimes the words themselves become important, but frequently the pattern or lack thereof of black and white words, numbers, lines in the background fill just enough space to let the collage elements 'sit in a place' that does not grab them too tightly. The possibilities are endless.