How I started to create handmade collages

It started with small handmade birthday and Christmas cards lovingly put together by my step-grandmother Susi.  That’s how collage first came to my attention.

Susi adored collage. After my grandpa died she moved house and set up her spare room as a sort of collage workstation.

I know it occupied her time in a positive way and kept her mind sharp as she approached her mid-nineties.

My interest in collage has crept in over the past couple of years (since Susi died really).

But it’s only in recent weeks that I have actually sat down and given it a try.

I finally got started by gathering together some old magazines and annuals from the 50s and 60s, scouring charity shops and eBay for bargains.

I’ve been using some small scissors (meant for embroidery), a cheap glue stick and black card. 

These are the results so far - you will also find them on another Instagram account I have called @katie_collage

A few things I have noticed since starting - sourcing the materials is great fun and very addictive (every time I pass a charity shop or secondhand book shop i’m in there)

Collage can be anything you want it to be. I once asked Susi what one of her collages meant and she shrugged saying ‘It doesn’t have to mean anything.’ I like that!

Finally if you think you have a burning desire to start a new hobby - go for it. I’m having great fun with collage, it’s a great stress reliever after a hectic day. Each time I sit down to create something new, it’s great fun to get lost in my own little world and see what the end result is. 

Yayoi Kusama Exhibition - London

All Images © Katie Collins/EMPICS

The Moving Moment When I Went To The Universe was Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s twelfth exhibition at the Victoria Miro gallery in London.

It featured new paintings, painted bronze pumpkin and flower sculptures and a large-scale Infinity Mirrored Room (visitors to the gallery are allowed one timed minute inside this room).

It was the first time I’d seen Kusama’s bold and colourful work at an exhibition and after being completely intrigued I was keen to find out more about the 89-year-old artist.

If you have not seen it I recommend watching the documentary ‘Kusama Infinity’ which tells her story.

For further reading about the work of Yayoi Kusama, take a look at this David Zwirner page devoted to the artist.

#InstaKusama