Melanie Bouley

Artist Statement

 

In experimenting with several different mediums over the past couple years, I have arrived at the geometric abstractions made from cut up paintings on paper that I am primarily working on now.  Initially, I found myself making collages as a jump off point for a project, but I soon realized it was what I really enjoyed doing.  When dissatisfied with a number of paintings I had done on paper, for example, I decided the only way to effectively use the material I had was to cut it up and reassemble it into a different and completely new construction. 

 

The small collages that I began working with composed of three to five elements within each piece led me to realize how I chose to use color and texture together for my initial paintings. Thomas Nozkowski’s abstract paintings, in which he uses patterns and fairly flat areas of color together in his work, have helped me find that using flat areas of color can balance the busyness that patterns layered on patterns can produce.  Making these paintings on paper with the idea that I would then cut them up, I made decisions about the color quality of each painting based off of the others I would be including.  Each painting on paper was made in relation to the painting(s) that I had done before it.  It is important to me that there be balance in the overall piece; I don’t want one moment to have more weight or saturation than others.

 

To keep myself from going crazy and allowing my pieces to get too out of hand, which happens too easily with collage , I decided to set parameters for my work to keep things constrained.  I chose to use a singular shape as a repeated element in my most current works.  For example, in Untitled (Triangle), I created a large triangle from hundreds of smaller diamond shapes.  I find it interesting to see what a certain shape will allow the overall composition of the piece to be.

 

When working with collage one has to make decisions in the placement of every part and every cut that is made to create the work.  I struggle with indecision, so I found it hard to begin my pieces at first.  The rules that I have set up have aided me in this process by allowing me to organize my actions.  There are endless possibilities that can be explored through slight adjustments of these rules, and this is something that I will be pursuing in my future artworks.