In 2001 a vehicle-pedestrian accident severely damaged my body and forced me to make a new life for myself out of whatever pieces and parts I could pull together.

Perhaps that is why I am drawn to making collages in which I (re-)cover large canvases with assorted fabric scraps and found materials to make entirely new entities.

From the beginning an abstract style seemed most appropriate for this work because my goal is not to reference a specific life but rather to allude to the activity in which each of us is involved; i.e. making a satisfying life out of what is at hand.

While I work in my studio I listen to Zydeco music; it drowns out my internal critic and allows me to just play with the material and objects I have collected.

In many of my pieces I start with a scrap of plaid or floral fabric and then comb through my stash looking for additional pieces that complement those colors. I lay them out and move them around until I arrive at a combination I find pleasing.

In addition to being attuned to color, I am also drawn to heavily textured fabrics. To me, texture connotes age/history and the wear and tear of life experiences. (Consider the smoothness of a baby’s face as compared to the wrinkles of an eighty-year-old.)

To be honest, pain management is a major motivator in my art making. While I am deeply involved in selecting and arranging fabrics I am able to block out much of the nerve pain from my paralyzed arm.

Furthermore, I find it is deeply satisfying to make something solid and lasting out of things that have been discarded, are less than perfect, and/or that the universe has dropped along my path – a single damaged earring found on my morning walk, a stamp from a letter received, shells from the beach, etc.

And it gives me a reason to keep going.

Sandy Tschopp

2018

ABOUT ME:

• An Old lady (born in 1947), happily married for many years and currently living in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
• A former black-and-white large format landscape photographer
• Spent a brief stint (6 years) growing Kona coffee and hand-making paper on the Big Island of Hawaii
• I have a B.S. from Iowa State University and an M.A. in Education from U. of Iowa - that and everything else is ancient history