Olive Rush loved poetry. Titles to her paintings were often lines from poems – from William Blake (The moon like a flower in Heaven’s high bower) to e e Cummings (Into the sea of sky, Light walks). These lines add layers of meaning to her paintings.

In this workshop, we will incorporate poetry to deepen one of the most basic art forms – collage. We learn this form in kindergarten. But let’s explore what scraps of paper cut from discarded magazines and catalogs can show us, by incorporating poetry into our collages - to discover meanings hidden within our materials, within our perspectives, and within ourselves.

Participants are invited to bring a favorite poem, whether their own, a beloved classic, or a new favorite: some words that move you. As we work, we will let the words shape the images and let the images imbue the words with new meanings.

Need inspiration? Deco will bring poetry that will inspire you! The workshop will conclude with a celebratory circle as we present our work to each other and describe our thoughts and process.

TEACHER: Deco is an award-winning collagist with decades of collage experience. She lived in Chicago most of her life and moved to Santa Fe in 2010, to embrace the warmth and color of the Southwest. She has created still life, portraits, landscapes and starscapes in collage. Her work has been displayed in the White House. The State of New Mexico commissioned a collage to honor our state poets; this piece can be seen in the Tewa State Building in Albuquerque. She has embedded the poems and prose of Stevie Smith, Shakespeare, James Joyce and Abraham Lincoln into some of her collages.

COST: $90 plus a materials fee of $20 to be paid at the time of class. Scissors will be provided but participants are welcome to bring their own if they prefer.