Lisa Martel

Image © Lisa Martel

Artist Statement

This series has been a delightful departure from my usual camera work. It began as response to a group challenge to begin a morning studio practice. A fascination with interior design magazines combined with a set of cherished Audubon illustrations by Athos Menaboni were my initial sources. Each collage started with formal concerns (colors and shapes) and in the process of filling the frame, a thematic concept would emerge and become the focus. Themes of a post pandemic world and the ongoing horrors of climate change are present. Thoughtfully placed models from fashion magazines made their way into the subject matter. Some in the forefront and some hidden. Camouflaged by nature (organized and wild) people and birds share habitats. The brief descriptions of the bird species informed the subject matter at times. Some of the fabricated worlds are utopian, others dystopian. Most of the works were created in early morning with coffee and the news of the day. July and August were particularly brutal months with reports of fires burning in Canada and elsewhere. My psyche filled with fear and anxiety, and appearing in The Sun is a Memory, where burning embers are tucked in structures. Some days coffee and classical music filled my studio when I needed a break from the real world and my collage would take on a hopeful tone. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow depicts an abundant supply of fruit and vegetables with plastic homes floating above the crops. Similar to one's own limited capacity for constant dread, I found the collages allowed me the chance to solve problems in a small and intimate space, giving me a fresh perspective, one image at a time.

Lisa Martel | Portland, OR