Black Art Collage, An artistic expression in paperThrough the decades, prominent styles and artists have emerged making Black Art a unique category in the art world. It sings it's message not only in oil, pastel, and watercolor but other unexpected mediums. One of those mediums is collage...which I fell in love with completely by accident. Hi, I'm Monicka and since this is my home page, welcome. Come in and stay a while, the layers run deep. Collage is my passion and I am happy to share with you the different layers of how I became a black collage artist and what Black Art Collage means to me.... Collage came to me when I most needed it and truly by accident. I grew up in the Roxbury area of Boston, Massachusetts in the 70's. I was able to run through my house and out the side door and feel free as I roamed up and down the street. Since my parents drilled into me that going off the end of the street meant a serious whooping, I never felt the need to go beyond the corner. At that time my world was huge and in my world was my Grandma. My Grandma was a chic, renaissance woman with an easy smile and easier side-eye. She was majestic to me as I watched her do her daily routines. She was a woman who “worked in the home” as they would say. This beautiful dark brown woman introduced me to art. She was a sculptor, a gardener, and a painter. She was proud of who she was and made no excuses for it. Through her I learned that art was an extension of who you are. Collage came to me years later when I was having a bad day at work. You know, one of those days. Frustrated, I reached a breaking point. I threw my hands up and said I need...no I really need an outlet. I went to a local paint store and bought some paper and a box of pastels (which always reminded me of “grown up crayons”). When I got back to work, I opened the pack, and began to draw. What I drew didn't make sense and it was OK. A light bulb went on; it was finally OK to not have a direction. To let the paper and my “grown up crayons” do their work. So I drew....Remember I said collage came to me completely by accident? Well.... I was drawing and I began to draw a woman. A majestic woman, a phenomenal woman. A Black woman who had all the qualities of the women I admired as a child. She was amazing, except for one thing...I couldn't get her hair right. As all black women know, getting your hair right is KEY! I looked around my desk and saw some scissors, and began to cut.....VOILA, my first collage. My first black art collage turned into an 18 X 24 piece of paper with a whopping 5 layers. There was no going back. I found the one thing that I was completely in control of. By completing my black art collages, I was able to make all the decisions. No worries, no fear. I decided what colors to use, what fabric, or paper or place mat or wood or even place mat I wanted to incorporate into the piece. I decided when I was done. I was able to have the moment where I was able to look at it, cock my head to the side and say, “it's finished”. I am still amazed. I am honored to be able to share with you the different layers of my work. And show you what Black Art Collage means to me.
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