COLLAGE 2020
Artist in our Midst, Nadina Tandy : March - June 2020
Beginning in March through June of this strange year, with the support of the Sunshine Coast Arts Council and Sechelt Downtown Business Association, I was thrilled to be the inaugural ‘ Artist in our Midst” of the newly established artist-in-residence program. A vacant storefront in downtown Sechelt in the BMO building was provided as a working artist’s studio with plenty of room to explore and develop ideas.
She’s got a Plan, collage installation 2020
Creating something new from the resources I was able to acquire had always been more interesting and enjoyable for me that playing with the manufactured ‘toy’ build and packaged for a child’s amusement. Play and creativity is problem solving, a crucial development in a child’s evolution. Often this aspect of play gets lost or forgotten as we grow older and move down life’s path.
I Miss my Friends, collage installation 2020
Collage Installation on BMO Wall location Periwinkle Lane, Sechelt, B.C. Photo credit Christina Symons
The Covid-19 pandemic has influenced my work in unexpected ways. I realized I was holding back by keeping the material intact, they needed to be repurposed, not saved. Previously I was scanning images from cherished copies of old Life and movie magazines for my collage work. Now I am simply taking my scissors or x-acto blade to the image. There is a liberation in the act, a commitment that gives a life force to these recent collages.
Hoo Hoo, collage installation 2020
detail, Hoo Hoo teaser for the larger collage characters
Periwinkle Lane, Sechelt, B.C.
Graffiti appeared on the Unicorn by an anonymous community member, adding their detail on the mane and elaborate eyeliner using a black sharpie. The installation will weather and ware with time, it is not intended to be permanent.
Collage Installation on the BMO Wall location Periwinkle Lane, Sechelt, B.C. Photo credit Christina Symons
Rin Tin Tin pony ride on the Sunshine Coast, B.C.
collage on a stick
Dog Knight goes for a stroll on the sea wall in Gibsons Landing, B.C.
collage on a stick
Rin Tin Tin goes to Cannes via Gibsons Landing Harbour.
collage on a stick
Hoo Hoo says hello from the seaside village of Gibsons, B.C.
collage on a stick
Experimentation and improvisation has always played an important role in my creativity. At it’s core, my art making has always been about being able to make something from what was at hand. To this day, my artistic practice starts with the seed of something found, the spark of an idea, an inspiration, coaxing that seed into art of my own creation.
Rin Tin Tin goes to Cannes, collage installation 2020
Even as a child, my play revolved around developing and exploring elaborated architectural designs using the materials I found around the house and in the yard. Garden materials and found scraps of wood formed the basis for reinvented worlds, that previously existed, only in my mind.
Dog Knight, collage installation 2020
In response to the weird and wonderful collages I created at the Studio I have ventured into the production of custom designs, ready to be ordered and wear. There will be more products and ideas to come so please check back for up-dates. In the mean time open the link for a boo at the Collage Character designs, order a shirt or two and take them for a walk.
Hoo Hoo in the Garden, racerback tanktop in Heather Gray