Collages were always my first love, and when I stared using wood and found materials I wanted to incorporate them into the work. But it wasn’t until recently that I started making analogue collages to go in my labyrinthine wooden constructions.
The collages mesh with objects that are secreted within the piece. In the work, faded photographs, trinkets, and toys, along with snippets of collage, are hidden in secret drawers and cabinets much like old reliquaries concealing precious objects from view. There are also handmade collaged books hidden away in drawers awaiting discovery.
The collages have now become pieces of work in their own right; they have a narrative tale usually about childhood and growing up in the previous century. They are all analogue, and I use a lot of images cut from magazine and books from the sixties. The colour on these images are deeper and very evocative of their time.