INSTRUCTORS

BARBARA DUNHAM

Elegance—what I strive to bring to my art.  Mystery—making the viewer yearn for more.  Layers—-trying to see what is beneath.  I truly make art to feed my soul.

I cannot recall a time when I was not aware of art, from childhood coloring books, through classes and school trips to museums, workshops and later as an adult furthering my art education through study with quality instructors. 

Through the years, I tried all mediums, but never really felt connected, always left with a bit of angst.  I was born in the Midwest and relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and it was there I began my collage journey.  In 1999, I took my first collage class and my creative world exploded.  I instantly connected with the tactile nature of tearing and gluing paper, using both found and purchased materials to achieve amazing results.   I sought out and studied with many respected collage/mixed media instructors, joined art organizations and incorporated art into all of my travels.  My journey has taken me from Atlanta, GA to Pensacola, Florida and most recently to the lovely town of Chippewa Falls, WI.  

By focusing on the fine-art medium of collage and learning about materials and the plethora of techniques, I ultimately (and joyfully) realized I could never know it all.  There would always be the excitement and promise of new, repurposed or manipulated ways of expressing myself with paper. 

I don’t always know what I am searching for until I find it.  The journey—the mystery—the spontaneity of putting puzzle pieces together—the intuitive process of letting the sum total of my knowledge and experience speak to me as I create—all the art I have ever made, seen, felt——–all of this guides me along my path of exploration. 

Today my art journal is filled with inspiration gleaned from all things external translated into collage/mixed media terms.  The idea is then joined with the internal creativity to form the impressionist and abstract collages I produce.  My goal is to create with collage elements a visually elegant story that is mysterious and makes the viewer yearn to see beneath the surface.