Collage
In my collages, I cut and re-configure found images to set up ambiguous narratives that often refer to the original source, but mess around with the message. Visually I respond to the operatic shimmer, sparkle and complexity—the grandly narrated spectacle—that is the history of western art. I want to continue that high key drama in my work.
My background in anthropology and art history informs how I construct these collages. I’m tethered to the possible of the story within the fragment. I play with symbols and metaphors from art history, language, and religion to create new images that are strongly representational, with an attention to precise cutting and visual consistency, and a nod toward absurd, implied narrative.
"An unbridled romp through history" -- Michael Weinstein, New City
"Doug Stapleton’s cover art is a departure for us – odd, quirky, powerful, polarizing. It has motion and strength, like the best poetry ..."
~Jan Bottiglieri (Managing Editor: RHINO Poetry Journal) commenting on the cover image used for the 2011 edition.
In my collages, I cut and re-configure found images to set up ambiguous narratives that often refer to the original source, but mess around with the message. Visually I respond to the operatic shimmer, sparkle and complexity—the grandly narrated spectacle—that is the history of western art. I want to continue that high key drama in my work.
My background in anthropology and art history informs how I construct these collages. I’m tethered to the possible of the story within the fragment. I play with symbols and metaphors from art history, language, and religion to create new images that are strongly representational, with an attention to precise cutting and visual consistency, and a nod toward absurd, implied narrative.
"An unbridled romp through history" -- Michael Weinstein, New City
"Doug Stapleton’s cover art is a departure for us – odd, quirky, powerful, polarizing. It has motion and strength, like the best poetry ..."
~Jan Bottiglieri (Managing Editor: RHINO Poetry Journal) commenting on the cover image used for the 2011 edition.
