When I was about 8 years old, I overheard my mom say that there was a drawing to win a new television. I immediately yelled, “I’ll do it!”, thinking that I had to actually draw something.
Yes, even as a kid I just loved to create artwork.
The mixed media collages are created by combining acrylic paint over layers of old images from books and magazines. The overlayed black images are applied using an image transfer technique.
For 35 years, I ran Alan Brooks Creative, an accomplished graphic design firm, which developed highly creative identity and marketing communications for multiple clients. After years of romancing the idea of getting back to creating more tactile artwork, I finally got my hands dirty with paint, glue and all the mess that goes with it.
These paper collages are mainly a study in color balance and composition. By using parts of deconstructed old books and magazines and adding dimensional pieces of ephemera, the result is an authentic vintage paper collage.
Collage has always intrigued and excited me – especially vintage themed artwork. After collecting old books, publications and ephemera, I decided to try different styles of collage. My interest expanded into exploring other forms of art – while always trying to add some whimsy.
Gelli Plate is a form of printmaking which produces a monoprint. This is similar to screen printing except that every print is unique. Using stamps, hand-made stencils and multi-layering with acrylic paint, the results are an unexpected and often delightful surprise.
This website showcases some of the recent artwork I have created. Enjoy.