COLLAGES
In the 1920's, many artists began using "collage" as a new approach to making art. This method of cutting and pasting became one of the most popular techniques in the early 20th century used by Picasso and Braque, as well as others.
Recently collage has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity resulting in an explosion of creativity.
In this work, appropriated images from the history of art are placed in an entirely different context. The image itself is but the beginning.
Diverse elements are placed together to make something entirely new.
From there the fanciful embellishments of scrolls, gold leaf and pattern are applied...layering of adhesives, more pattern, glazes and subtle color...these elements are unique to Shirli Marcantel’s practice.
The gold leaf has become a hallmark of her art; its genesis was seeing icons in ancient churches in which the gold leaf metaphorically represents the light of God and on a practical note, reflects and captures light in darkly lit spaces.
Even though the works are two dimensional in nature, the canvas is addressed directly with cutting, gluing and touching. If one is a painter only, the brush is the method of laying on the image. Here, both the brush and the hand are important.
