Yellow Paper

I love old paper with that lovely aged patina, brittle feel and the dog-eared corners. It seems to hide such great stories and adventures. I fell in love with collage and old papers when the Surrealist exhibition hit town when I was 16 – I loved it! And, despite the entry cost, I went many, many times. My favourites were Kurt Schwitters, Max Ernst, Joseph Cornell and Picasso – I loved their collages and, most of all, I loved the wonderful old paper they used!

Kurt Schwitters, Aphorism 1923, Joseph Cornell Untitled (American Rabbit), c. 1945-46, Max Ernst Listonosz Cheval 1932.

I wonder, though, whether these works would’ve looked so ‘delicious’ on the day they were made? The paper would not have had that yellowed, old-fashioned look … and they would’ve been made with contemporary bits of ephemera that people were familiar with. I wonder whether most of my love of these collages comes because of their age and nostalgic sense. It’s true that you can’t artificially ‘age’ a piece of paper or other ephemera so that it looks authentic (all through my uni days I tried … and tried!) – you just have to wait, be patient and collect the little treasures as they come your way!

I have a gorgeous little hard-covered sketch book that a dear friend gave me that I have done quite a few little collages in. Here’s one I made recently using and old National Geographic image, a little playing card and a bit of Chinese joss paper … it doesn’t yet have that lovely nostalgic yellow ... maybe in a few decades?!