"...every artist is, in effect, trying to figure out, how the human race can be saved from itself." — Pete Seeger

About a year ago I stumbled into collage-making after realizing how much garbage I was creating because of food packaging. During a stay in Athens, Greece last summer I began to collect the cardboard boxes food like cereal, crackers, and of course Magnum ice cream bars are stored in. At first I drew on the packaging. But, the more I collected, the more I realized the cardboard itself makes an excellent canvas.

I bought construction paper in the primary colors and pink, (my favorite constrasting color), a glue stick, and a small pair of foldable scissors that I’ve grown to adore. The simple act of paper cutting is so meditative. And, assembling a collage, well, that is just joyous. It’s like a puzzle of your own design. You can make so many different compositions by simply moving differently shaped objects around your canvas. In a sense there is no wrong way to make collage.

Currently my collage-making process ends with the collage itself in the physical world. My goal is to take my collage designs and use them for surface designs and patterns on unique and environmentally sustainable products that folks find useful in their every day lives.

If you’d like to learn more about art, please visit https://maryandreolli.com/.