"Iris Garden" by Renee Coates. Collage on canvas, 6" x 6".
One of my artistic idols is Henri Matisse, well known for the collages he crafted in his later years. After a bout with cancer in 1941, Matisse was confined to a wheelchair and found his ability to paint hampered. The resourceful genius didn't let the disease get in the way of his creativity for long. Several assistants would paint large sheets of paper with colorful gouache, which the artist would use as his "palette" and cut free-form shapes and designs. Matisse would then arrange the pieces on canvas and seal them in place. The artist liked to call his new artform "painting with scissors."
Matisse is not only one of my favorite masters because of the phenomenal work he created, but also for his resilient spirit that never let him get down when times were hard. I think it's important to remember that whatever our problems may be, there are people who face much more difficult hardships every day. Lemons into lemonade... drink up!
Henri Matisse creating paper cut-outs
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