Much like Phee's surrealist creative process, whereby she would almost unconsciously put together whatever first came to mind, artist Jo Hudson featured here practises an art form which perhaps epitomises the very essence of the surrealist genre itself - collage.
If you read the likes of Ernst Jünger’s Storm of Steel or Michael Palin’s new book, Great-Uncle Harry, you will quickly realise that the First World War created a rather surreal experience for soldiers. One-minute bombs were falling around them and the next they were playing cards and overhearing the songs of enemy troops, who may have only been a few metres away from them, in the opposite trench. It was from such absurdity that the surrealist art movement was born, where rational and irrational concepts were merged through the use of painting and collage. What makes Jo’s collaging so interesting and unique however, is that she not only morphs absurdity with reason but the old styles with the new. As we will uncover, Jo, for instance, infuses the works of the original surrealists, such as that of René Magritte, and the likes of vintage photographs with modern themes and attitudes. Though, why does Jo seek to create in such a way? Indeed, why art in the first place?
'I have always loved Art, I love the way it can make us feel and think,’ Jo expresses. ‘The ideas that can spring to mind from viewing a piece of art. Art can change our perspective; make us more curious; more open to new ideas and new ways of thinking. It can be a great tool to protest, heal and bring about change... Finding a new artist, looking at their work has always been a source of joy to me, so the thought that someone might have those feelings from my work is very gratifying.’ Though, whilst Jo may have always held art itself in high regard, during her youth she quickly became disillusioned with her own practise of it.
‘As a child I used to draw, mainly copying illustrations by other artists but this led to frustration, as I had my own voice, but I didn’t feel that I had the skill and talent to express it’ Jo informs me. ‘I had, what I see now, were quite bad teachers, who gave criticism but not constructively and would belittle what I had done... On one occasion, we were told to draw a shoe. I drew my shoe, and it was perfect, but quite small. My teacher looked at it and said, “What’s wrong with this?” I looked at it thinking to myself “actually nothing”, but insteadI replied, “too small?” “Yes,” he said. And that was it. That’s just one example, but eventually I dropped art as a subject, feeling demoralised, and didn’t create any art at all for a long time’.
‘It wasn’t until I began using social media that I thought about creating art again rather than just viewing it’ Jo says. ‘I found a few artists that offered online classes, mainly drawing and painting with a little mixed media, and I found the informal setting to be what I needed to get started again. Even though I was initially satisfied with what I was doing and could see that my skills were improving, I felt there was something missing, thatI was still not able to put pen or brush to paper and really express myself ’. For Jo it was not until she started using Instagram, where she could search for a variety of different artworks, that she stumbled across the very art form that defines her work today – collage.
'I had of course seen collage works before but I hadn’t really thought about it as a separate entity or considered it as something I could do or would enjoy’ Jo tells me. ‘My first foray into collage was making a couple of rough cuts with some holiday photos I’d had printed. They were surreal and silly; I enjoyed the process, and I liked the end results. Having lit a spark of interest I started following more collage artists. When I came across the “Februllage” collage challenge, a daily prompt challenge with a word for every day of February, I decided to give it a try. Completing every daily challenge and connecting with other collage artists on Instagram was when I realised I’d finally found my Tribe’ she adds. Since then, Jo has embarked upon a collage making journey that has resulted in the marvellous works that you can see here and is a medium she hopes others will try out.
‘I love collage. I encourage anyone and everyone to give it a go’ Jo expresses. ‘There are no rules. No expensive materials to buy - although a decent pair of scissors is a good idea - and anything goes’ she tells me. ‘It is very freeing... it doesn’t matter if I can’t draw a person with a Telephone for a head after hearing the song “Telephone Thing” by The Fall, I can find the pieces and put them together. If something I just heard on the news makes me angry, I can make a collage to protest... I can express any feelings and emotions I might have through collage. When my Dad passed away a couple of years ago I made several collages that used pieces of his architectural drawings, and I believe this helped with the grieving process... it is also a very eco- friendly, sustainable way of working, as the only thing that needs to be new is a glue stick and any waste can go into the recycling bin. As I have had a life-long love of books it also gives me a reason – or an excuse rather - to buy second hand books.’
As for her creative process, Jo, much like the surrealism that seems to define her works, also appears to create in a very improvised, surrealistic way. ‘My mind is quite busy, and I tend to flick from one thought to another, which is perfect for an unplanned collage!’ Jo tells me excitedly. ‘Quite often I will see something, like a book cover, illustration, or a piece of text in a vintage magazine for example, and an idea will come to me almost fully formed; I just need to find the rest of the pieces and to put the idea together. This process can be very quick, or depending on the complexity of the artwork, it can take days or weeks to find the right pieces’.
As for collecting and collating her pieces for her collages, Jo tends to rely on everyday household literature. ‘I have several bookcases full of magazines and books, most of which are vintage, varying from 1940s/50s/60s women's magazines, children’s annuals and bird illustrations to movie star annuals and photography books’ she tells me. ‘I try not to force myself to create when no ideas are forthcoming as that can be a recipe for disappointment, but sometimes I’ll pick something up at random and flick through it to see if it sparks an idea... I also have several drawers full of pre-cut pieces such as figures from vintage magazines, objects and animals, random pieces of text and scrabble pieces’. Throughout her pieces however, the one theme in particular that appears to stand out the most in her works is that of vintage photographs.
‘I love collecting old photographs; if I had the money and the space, I’d build a library of them! I usually keep photos for a while before using them, as I’m conscious that they were a real person with a real life, but eventually most of them will find them a new life and a new purpose. One collage came about when I’d found some vintage stamps in a charity shop. I realised that two of the heads on the stamps fitted exactly onto two of the heads of the figures in the photo. (see photo The Odd Couple) I call this “collage synchronicity” and it comes into play in a lot of my work. Vintage photos are often quite formal, so I like to give the subjects something more fun to do or be!’ Though, whilst the likes of old photographs may be her favourite thing to collate, as well as collaging, Jo also enjoys assemblage.
For those who are not accustomed to this style of working, collage and assemblage may seem to be the same thing. After all, a collage is created by assembling a variety of pieces of paper; yet this is where the difference between the two art forms lies. Since, in literal terms at least, collage refers to collating specifically paper-based items, such as newspaper clippings, photographs and book pages. Assemblage on the other hand, pertains to the collection and collation of a variety of materials that one may find outside or lying around the house, like twigs, coins and shoelaces.
‘I love to make Assemblage pieces. I look for "treasure" when I'm out and about. This treasure can be a switch, a nail, rusty metal, an abandoned child's toy’ Jo says. Her piece, ‘Reset/Delete’ for instance, was made from a switch she found in a field. ‘A friend made and attached the "step" that the child on the left is standing on... It is a piece about the climate crisis and the state of the world: can we reset, or will our planet be deleted?’
Jo’s artwork, ‘smiles’ is also an assemblage piece, as she says: ‘"smiles" came about when I found the lorry on a beach. I knew it would be useful for something, and when I found an old book page with illustrations of men manoeuvring things I had the idea, particularly as I had just cut out several smiles from vintage magazines for another project’.
Although Jo’s pieces are primarily centred upon the likes of humour - ‘reality can be tough so I like to make fun pieces... as everyone needs to laugh sometimes!’ she exclaims – Jo’s recent focus has been that much more political. In that regard, her current artworks have centred upon calling for a ceasefire in Palestine. Of course, Art Etcetera is an apolitical magazine. Yet it is fascinating to see that even art forms that are seemingly funny and absurd in nature, such as collage and assemblage, can be utilised for the purpose of sending clear messages that pertain to very serious issues.
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