ARTIST OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER
Sarah
Saublet
Montreal
How did you discover collage?
In fact, I haven’t discovered it, I’ve always lived with collage, painting and all the other mediums as my grandmother is an artist. However, I dared to make it a practice since the last 3 years, at a time when I needed to express myself, to untie my emotions and anxieties. I stopped telling myself that I was not capable, that I had no technical training and let myself go. I also took a few classes in mixed media and collage several years ago at the Westmount Visual Arts Centre.
What did you like about the collage medium?
Collage is another way to write or rewrite stories. For me, it’s more accessible than drawing (I don’t know how to draw). It allows me to use other mediums such as watercolor, acrylic or pencils to compose work without feeling limited. This practice helped me work my sense of perspective!
How would you describe your style?
I don’t like this label thing! I tear, I glue, I arrange, I spread and start again until it makes sense for me or when I manage to transcribe my emotion, a desire, a dream. That said, my inspirations are urban, in-crime fiction, black style, comics, etc. It’s also quite personal because instead of writing a diary, I cut and glue. My collages express my state of mind.
In one word, what makes you unique?
I don’t know. We’re all trying to express ourselves one way or another. I’m not trying to create beauty or style. In short, I don’t have a goal.
Where do you find you collage material? What are your favorite magazines?
At home in France, in my grandmother’s attic, in old books. I enjoy LIFE magazine and all kinds of magazines that fall into my hands. Also, the old paper is of much better quality than an ELLE magazine from last month, for example. Its paper is of poor quality, it resists to nothing.
Any advice for a newcomer collagist?
Honestly, I am not an artist! I work on the edge of my kitchen table, on the floor, on my desk. I’m not organized, I’m piling up, it’s a mess and I don’t care. What matters is the process, and the moment when I start from nothing and arrive to the point it makes sense to me. Once it’s over, I must start again because the “high” is gone. Like a drug maybe. So my only advice is DO. The result itself is really not a source of satisfaction.
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