Why I Collage: A Journey from Fabric to Paper (and Paint)

TRANQUIL • LUMINOUS • ROOTED

Stories from the studio, reflections on process, and the art of the handmade.

I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been fortunate to have people in my life who encouraged that creativity. In college, I channeled my artistic interests into the design field, where I honed my eye for composition, color, and detail. Then in my 40's, I felt a pull toward something more tactile and expressive—textile and fiber art became my new creative language. That shift deepened my appreciation for texture and layering, which would eventually lead me to collage.

But why collage?

In truth, I’ve been cutting things up and putting them back together for years. Long before I began working with paper, I explored texture and shape through fabric—quilting, fiber art, stitching, and assembling layers without a fixed plan. I’m someone who creates by feel, led by intuition rather than formulas. Collage came naturally.

A few years ago, I took my first true dive into the medium through Catherine Rains’ Collage Joy class—a course I highly recommend! I had discovered her work on social media and was instantly captivated by the way she combined torn papers into soulful, layered compositions. Her class gave me a solid foundation and, more importantly, permission to play. Catherine is a generous, kind, and deeply nurturing instructor who encourages her students every step of the way. Her guidance helped me build both confidence and curiosity in my practice. One of the most impactful lessons she shared was a simple color-mixing method: using just three variations of primary colors, plus black and white. This gave me a cohesive palette to work with and brought clarity to my process. It made it easier to develop unified series while still leaving room for joyful experimentation.

The Alphanumeric Series created in Collage Joy

What I love about collage is the way it constantly surprises me. I work with found materials—scraps of old books, discarded packaging, torn paper—but I also create my own. Some of my favorite days in the studio are spent painting, stamping, and layering marks onto paper to build up a stash of collage ephemera. I also love to combine a bit of mixed media into my work adding depth and texture. By mixing my own colors and building a library of custom papers, I’m creating a personal vocabulary of textures and tones. Then when I collage, I get to mix intention with improvisation. It’s a little bit magic.

Through Quiet Frames

There’s also a kind of meditative rhythm to the process: flipping through pages, cutting, arranging, gluing, layering. And as someone who spends a fair amount of time working on various art projects as well as community work, collage pulls me back into the tactile, real world. It slows me down, centers me, reminds me to notice the small things.

I’m also fascinated by the ability of collage to mimic other mediums. Sometimes I aim to make a piece look like it was painted—or like it’s falling apart, weathered like stone. Paper can be manipulated in ways that trick the eye, and I love playing with that illusion. The textures, the layers, the unexpected juxtapositions—they all remind me that art doesn’t have to follow rules.

In many ways, I’ve been working in collage longer than I realized. My transition from fiber to paper wasn’t a sharp turn—it was more of a gentle unfolding.

These days, I recognize how much those early experiences with fabric and thread taught me about composition, contrast, and texture.

Collage continues to surprise and delight me, and that’s reason enough to keep creating. It’s flexible, forgiving, and full of possibility. And most of all—it brings me joy. And lately, I’m leaning hard into doing more of what brings me joy.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

If collage has been calling to you, consider this your sign to start. Gather some scraps, trust your intuition, and see where the pieces take you. And if you do—tag me on Instagram @melaniegrantdesign so I can cheer you on!

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