Stephen C. Wagner

Artist Statement

Stephen C. Wagner’s mixed media works on paper show a keen eye for composition and texture. These pieces are created from of a variety of utilitarian & found papers, and consist of arrangements based on related sets of axis to each element. Thus, there is structure to the composition and design.

Using found, fragmented, and discarded materials, mixed media collage artists work in improvisation and informality, often treating materials equally & reusing them regardless of their original purpose or origin. Art made of repurposed items gives the uneventful, the commonplace, & the ordinary a magic of their own.

Emphasizing concept & process over end-product, collage has brought the incongruous into meaningful alliance with the ordinary. The original identity of the object and it’s history is layered with new meanings in association with other elements in the artwork’s metamorphosis into a new entity. Collage is a medium that incorporates fragments and deals with opposing tensions, broken images, hidden desires, & collective myths.