Waste Not, Want Not: Small Abstract Collages

Nine collages 15 x 15cm with grey-black-red colour theme

I'm currently working on two sets of mini collages while I prepare wood panels for some larger paintings. I'm always making collage papers with leftover paint, or sometimes I'll spend an afternoon painting a whole batch with a particular colour theme. It usually takes two layers of paint on rice paper to achieve a good depth of colour and interesting mark-making.

I love rummaging through these piles of papers and sorting them into colour combinations for paintings. The other day, though, I thought, what the heck? Instead of using them as ingredients for larger work, I started piecing them together into these little collages. I'd seen some 15 × 15 cm wood panels online, so I decided to use that size.

These are my prepared plywood panels - the collages will be glued to these then sealed and varnished

Working small is enormous fun because there's far less pressure. Compositions come together quickly, and you build a lovely sense of momentum as you move from one piece to the next. I am trying not to overthink anything and simply reach for the first paper that catches my eye. After working as an artist for over 30 years, I figured there must be a well of intuition I can trust.

Once the first few elements are in place, I usually need time to reflect on how to resolve the composition: what it needs to feel complete, balanced and engaging. I often put them away for a couple of days before coming back to them with fresh eyes.

This has also proved to be a wonderfully portable project. I can easily bring everything home and carry on working at my little computer desk. All I need is a small cutting mat, some glue and a spatula.

My collage papers are usually A4, so they adapted perfectly to this format. There was enough of each sheet to work across all the collages without running out, allowing the same patterns and colours to weave through the whole series.

The motivation behind this project was simply playful curiosity and the desire to make something from these lovely papers while waiting for paint to dry. It reminded me of my time working with Karen Stamper on concertina sketchbooks. There was the same feeling of working quickly, letting the process lead the way, and allowing one piece to naturally suggest the next. Each sheet feels connected while still having its own character.

For this first series of nine collages, I used circles and arches as a unifying theme, alongside a restricted palette of grey, black and red. I've found that when making collage papers, limiting the colour palette really helps everything work together harmoniously. In this case, I used Payne's Grey and Alizarin Crimson with white, plus the occasional flash of bright red.

For the second set I used these lovely bright oranges, turquoise and teal - one of my favourite combinations. I used cyan, white, pyrrol red, cadmium yellow and paynes grey.

Nine collages 15 x 15cm with turquoise- orange-blue colour theme

My collage papers usually begin with a base layer of blended colour applied with either a brush or roller. It helps if the paper has been sealed or gessoed first, although I don't always have time. Untreated paper absorbs a great deal more paint.

The second layer is either a contrasting or harmonious colour, depending on the effect I'm after. While the paint is still wet, there's endless scope for mark-making. Drawing into the paint with a stick is my favourite technique, but splattering, lifting out, blotting, sponging, rolling, ragging and printing all produce wonderful textures and effects.

Many artists use Gelli plates to create collage papers. Sally Hirst is a real master of this, and I'm very much looking forward to attending her in-person course at The Lund in September.

My studio work table with collages underway.

Once the papers are dry, I occasionally add more marks. I've learned the hard way not to use water-soluble materials unless they're sealed carefully, as they can lift when the paper is glued and varnished. Neocolor I crayons work well because they're wax-based, and Posca pens behave much like acrylic paint.

These collage papers are strong and resilient while remaining thin enough to laminate beautifully flat. I apply acrylic matte gel to the back, then use a roller to press each shape firmly into place, with a piece of kitchen paper to blot away any excess gel. It's surprisingly satisfying!

For more complicated shapes, I draw on the back of the paper before cutting with a sharp craft knife. That way, there are no pencil marks spoiling the front. Cutting and tearing obviously produce very different edges, and both can be used to great effect.

After all the collage pieces were in place, I added a few drawn details over the top with Posca pens. They didn't seem to need much extra detail, but you could continue adding paint, drawing and more collage almost indefinitely. The possibilities really are endless. Sometimes it blows my mind that my life won't be long enough to try every permutation I can imagine!

One thing that surprised me about this project was that some of the most interesting passages came from papers I'd already cut lots of shapes out of (for other projects). Instead of throwing away the "waste", I used the negative spaces, layering them over contrasting colours.

I've always loved the interplay between positive and negative shapes. There's something incredibly satisfying about cutting out a handful of circles and then using both the circles and the surrounding paper. You can see this in the piece below, where both the oval shapes and their surrounding "waste" have been used in the same composition.

I also tried an idea borrowed from Sally Hirst by cutting the support paper into strips before laying them down. This meant I could trim the edges cleanly and, when I glue everything onto the wood panels, the pieces will slot neatly back together to create a seamless composition (see below).

At one point I did wonder why I was working on heavyweight paper only to glue everything onto wood afterwards. It might have been more straightforward to work directly onto the panels, but they weren't ready at the time. Perhaps I'll try that next time around.

Making progress as an artist is really a process of iteration. You never quite know what's going to work until you try it. Then, next time, you make a few changes. Over the years, those small improvements accumulate and gradually become your own distinctive style, skills and approach.

Giving yourself permission to play, experiment and make mistakes is essential. Creating work that isn't necessarily intended for sale takes so much pressure away. This is something I find particularly difficult because I make my living from selling art, and my husband is a partner in the business, so our family depends on it.

That said, I do think I'll prepare these pieces for sale. I'm genuinely pleased with them, and I'm curious to see how people respond to work that's much smaller than my usual paintings, particularly at my Open Studio event in November.

I also think these small compositions will influence my larger work. Lately I've been thinking about introducing more structure into my floral pieces, creating a stronger contrast between bold geometric shapes and looser, flowing botanical forms.

This week I'll be starting work on some A1 wood panels, so watch this space to see whether those connections begin to emerge. I hope you've found this interesting. I'd love to hear which collage is your favourite, or whether you've found any of these ideas useful in your own creative practice - please comment below.

Once the collages are finished, I'll list them in my website shop as sets, although I may split them up individually later on. If you'd like to hear about new work, exhibitions and more behind-the-scenes insights into my process, please subscribe to my emails using the form in the footer below or at the top of the page.