Collages of Dennis Parlante

I'm finding that I'm becoming more and more interested in, and being inspired by, the many different styles of collage art. Dennis Parlante's collages is one of the artists, whose work I am drawn to. Below is some of his work, and a video that I found in researching his work, in which he explains his some of his influences.

I like his term "interesting pieces of paper that no one wants anymore".

I have a lot of those! He also speaks of being influenced by Japanese calligraphy, which I LOVE!

Dennis Parlante

This one uses Asian script, and the center line suggests calligraphy.

Dennis Parlante, "Any other son"

. . the composition and neutral color palette . . and . . script

This composition is what I call "symmetrical composition" on perhaps could be said that it is based on a grid.  

Dennis Parlante, "O"

Dennis Parlante, "V"

Dennis Parlante, "Horizontal 20", collage

Dennis Parlante, "Black and Tan #5"

Dennis Parlante, "Eller"

Dennis Parlante, "Changing Thoughts"

Visit Dennis's website. He has many many more. 

Right now I am planning an encaustic collage painting using vintage Asian note books and accounting books, that I was delighted to find online. 

Black and Tan and Symmetry

One of my favorite palette colors are black and tan.

As I was making them, I realized how much these small collages 
have been influenced by my attraction to:

. . the black and tan of some African Kuba cloth

. . Asian symbols and script

. . grid composition

. . vertical symmetry

. . circles, squares, rectangles, and lines that overlap
. . the range in shades of vintage paper
. . the surface of printmaking
. . some graphic designs

I have been collecting natural wood frames from the $1 store

The first page of an old bible . . Genesis

All are paper and stamps

They are the beginning of a grouping
that will be in my home.

My father's confirmation certificate . . 1934

With Pinterest I can organize art into various categories. I now have a Pinterest board called "graphically", as well as a board of "art . grid composition", and another named "with symmetry". It's kind of amazing to me how my eye draws me into areas I would not have thought my mind was aware of; and how my eye informs my hand as I create. There's something about symmetry for me. Perhaps it is that part of me, within, that longs for balance in my life.

This blog is my journey in making art, and it suprises me all the time!

A fascination with symbology and script

"I believe in the language of symbols, because they carry the power to

transcend barriers, allowing us to travel beyond the barriers of culture, intellectual dogma, and ultimately personal identity." ... Juan Rosenfeldt

Mesopotamian incantation bowl

"Where there is a symbol, there is creation" ...

Stephane Mallarme to Jules Haret .. 1891

 

this appears to be a middle eastern 

chart of the cycles of the moon

I'm drawn to cultural symbols and script that

seem mysterious, in that they are unfathomable to me,

yet steeped in another culture's traditions, spirituality, 

lineage, and daily life . . books, paper, stone, wood.

Persian sale purchase document from the 1800's

Yin/Yang

Small folding manuscript in northern 

Thai script (British Musem)

Ironwood shaman's calendar

Pasir Dayak

The labryinthe at Chartres

Moroccan calligraphy, 19th century

A Sino-Arabic calligraphy panel by

Yusuf Chen Junhui

(translation: "praise be to God)

The oldest known inscriptions of a family tree
thought to show the names of emperors from the Chang Dynasty

from Sri Threads website

Nanso Satomi haken den by Kyokutein Bakin (1890),
one out of 98 volumes from his long novel, Yomihan 

Inscriptions on stone drums (Eastern Zhou Dynasty, China, 5th century BC)




Postage stamps as contemporary cultural identification symbols . . .

Using "asemic" (without semantic meaning) symbology in art . . 

Antoni Tapies

Two encaustic paintings from my Semiotics Series . . the symbols

are meant to be a mystery (asemic) and were chosen for 

the aesthetics of their graphic qualities.

Janna Gougeon 14 x 14 encaustic

Janna Gougeon, 12 x 12 encaustic

When I was young I wanted to be an archeologist, but that didn't seem very "practical". Then I discovered that there was something called sociology. That also didn't seem practical, as I didn't want to teach. So I chose to get a degree in psychology. Now, as an artist and spiritual seeker, my eye is drawn to visual symbols. In my fascination with the ancient (archeology), sociology (cultures), psychology (personal creation), I seem to have combined them all.

I COLLECT . . .

. . in my studio . .

working vintage typewriter . . 20's, 30's, 40's?

bird's nest with stones and one robin's egg

old books (taken apart), papers, envelopes

 papers and photo

my grandmother on the left . .

in the pile is my father's confirmation certificate

my grandmother's typing book . .

 old papers, evelopes & hard copy 
calculator print out (a list of numbers)

I used some of these typewritter

keyboard numbers in an encaustic collage that I made

some time ago . . below . .

the school's date stamped on the my grandmother's 

touch typing manuel . . . nearly 100 yrs ago

fodder for collage . .

old box with this wonderful dot pattern

. . it held old keypunch cards

old wire office basket . .

old stamps & stamp holder . .

from my aunt & uncle's accounting business

. . probably 50 yrs old

 I put circles in my paintings, and I am drawn to spheres.

I have collected many kinds through the

years. The more history the better . . 

 the following images are some

of the spheres of in my studio.

a spring from a train holds a metal sphere

on my desk

old croquet balls

on my desk . . a brass "gadget" . . 

holding an "eight" ball . . 

book ends that have brass spirals
mounted to wood

solid glass ball
held by an iron votive candle holder
with a roman numeral clock face decoration

old iron post finial

one of my vintage bocce balls . .
I sometimes use candle holders
to display balls/spheres


Many years . . collect and collect . .
 different colors of vintage papers are a favorite . . the old type 
. . the vintage graphics and decorations . .
symbols, diagrams, charts, lists of numbers
have all "called" to me through the years.
I know there was a part of me that meant to use
them in art someday, probably collage.
Who knows where they will turn up!