VAQUERA SUDOESTE (HISS) original paper collage

Like all my paper collages, Hiss started with a base layer of vintage papers affixed to a wood panel and lightly painted over with white paint. Details of the original paper underlayer are purposefully visible. Look closely for music notes! The rest of the artwork is meticulously assembled on top using a huge variety of colorful vintage papers, hand-cut with regular scissors. The finished artwork is coated with a subtle, archival matte finish designed for collages. The frame is also hand-built with salvaged metal and finished with a pane of anti-reflective, UV acrylic.

For this piece in the Vaquera Sudoeste series, I continued to explore the interplay between light/dark, positive/negative, and life/death characterizing this Sugar Skull Cowgirl series. I continue to be fascinated with the celebration of death in Latin American culture. The dark coiled snakes are a menacing contrast with the bright floral details, just as the skeletal imagery (the skull face and vertebrae in the neck) interplays with the vibrancy of the piece. The tight curves and tiny eyes of the coiled snakes are also an interesting challenge in hand-cut collage.