mixed-media, botanicals, collage, and fiber art. mostly foraged/found/repurposed materials.
pandemic postcard series – botanical collage with cards sent to me 2020-2021
“Happy HoliGays!”
2021. collage (catalpa leaves, greeting card, marbled paper, washi tape)
[image description: a white greeting card with rainbow foil serif text reading “Happy HoliGays! to You and Yours” is positioned slightly askew and off-center on a large piece of marbled paper with maroon, cream, and green streaks. Three large, dried catalpa leaves surround the card. The stem of one leaf is partially covered with an “x” of golden washi tape.]
“orbit”
2021. collage (delphinium blossoms, greeting card, paper)
[image description: a black and white greeting card with a photo of the waxing crescent moon, slightly askew in the middle of a piece of royal blue paper with gold stars, planets, moons, and constellations. Six blue delphinium blossoms encircle the card, like orbiting moons.]
“miss your face”
2021. collage (greeting card, lokta paper, peony petals)
[image description: a postcard with white handwritten text “miss your face” on background of light pink mums centered on a large piece of burgundy lokta paper. light pink and cream-colored peony petals of various shapes and sizes are scattered all over the lokta paper.]
“bananas”
2021. collage (greeting card, lokta paper, rose petals)
[image description: a mustard yellow sheet of lokta paper is covered in violet, scarlet, pink, and cream-colored rose petals of various sizes. a white card embossed with black ink is centered on the lokta paper. the card depicts a person with curly hair and sandals reading a newspaper with a front page that says “shit is bananas”. on the striped café table sit a steaming mug, a vase with flowers and a plate with bananas. to the left of the table, text reads “let’s protect each other” and “by PEOPLE I’VE LOVED” ]
“a river runs thru it”
2021. collage (feather, grasses, goldenrod, greeting card, marbled paper, penstemon sage, salvia, washi tape)
[image description: a large piece of emerald green marbled paper with streaks of gold, black, brown, and red is scattered with clusters of various grasses and wildflowers (goldenrod, penstemon, salvia) fastened with thick and thin pieces of gold washi tape. A large brown and white striped feather floats in the top right corner of the paper, fixes with thin gold and white washi tape. A letter pressed postcard with a forested mountain and river scene is fixed to the left side of the paper.]
“fossils”
2021. collage (iris petals, marker, paper, stag horn sumac leaves, washi tape, watercolor postcard)
[image description: a black piece of paper decorated with dinosaur skeletons (e.g., triceratops, t-rex, stegosaurus, velociraptor) has a white watercolor paper postcard in the middle. the postcard has orange marker scribbles and green and red strips of washi tape. orange, red, and yellow stag horn sumac leaves surround the postcard, and translucent orange iris petals encircle the postcard and sumac leaves.]
“<3 v-day <3”
2021. collage (greeting card, paper, peony petals)
[image description: a white piece of paper with horizontal rose gold foil ripples is scattered with dark pink hearts made of overlapping peony petals. in the center of the paper is a greeting card that reads “happy vulvavalentines day” above a pink drawing of a person’s thighs, pubic hair shaved into a heart, clitoris, and vulva]
“sharks”
2021. collage (chrysanthemum petals, dianthus petals, geranium petal, marker, paper, peony petals, washi tape, watercolor postcard)
[image description: a white piece of paper covered in royal blue shark silhouettes (e.g., hammerhead, mako has a white watercolor postcard in the center. orange and yellow marker scribbles cover the postcard, along with intersecting strips of thin green and red washi tape. overlapping layers of dark pink peony, white dianthus and fuchsia geranium petals fan out from the bottom left and top right corners of the postcard]
“ferns”
2021. collage (fern leaves, greeting card, marbled paper, redwood branches)
[image description: a peach-colored piece of marbled paper with streaks of white, red, and cornflower blue has a blue greeting card with green leaves and purple/pink flowers in the middle. four fern leaves extend from each of the card’s four corners. one vertical redwood sprig flanks the card on either side.]
“last letter”
2021. collage (delphinium blossoms, last letter from my grandmother written, with ballpoint pen on notebook paper, marbled paper, mum petals)
[image description: a large piece of marbled paper with green, brown, white, yellow, and purple waves throughout has two pieces of notebook paper on the right side. elegant, cursive handwriting in black ballpoint pen cover 1.5 pages of white, lined notebook paper with a light yellow and floral border. brown mum petals fan out from the bottom right corner of each page. a line of 15 pink and white delphinium blossoms follows a green streak across the marbled paper, overlapping the letter. ]
“kit yan”
2021. collage (cosmos petals, paper, illustrated postcard of trans poet Kit Yan, rose petals)
[image description: a cream-colored piece of paper decorated with red, gold, and white mushrooms has a centered postcard surrounded by a halo of dark red rose petals and pink cosmos. the postcard depicts a portrait of trans poet Kit Yan, an asian man with a white shirt and brown fedora. in the bottom third of the postcard, a quote reads “we are headless horsemen,/ we are faceless ghosts/ we are brilliant, beautiful/ nobodys tonight…” from Lewiston” ]
miscellaneous pieces
“chronically ill and sick of your ableism”
2020. collage (feather, lavender blossoms, marker, marbled paper, washi tape, wheat, wool yarn)
[image description: periwinkle, white and gold marbled paper is covered with the text “chronically ill and sick of your ableism” in pointed, purple text, each letter attached with a peach and gold strip of washi tape. two paper skulls sit below, and between them is a cluster of lavender blossoms, wheat sprigs, and a hot pink feather, held together by teal wool yarn]
“history of love”
2021. erasure poem and collage (rose petals, paper, book page, permanent marker)
[image description: cream-colored paper covered in burgundy, violet, and gold botanical illustrations has a single book page in the center, surrounded by overlapping dark red rose petals.]
kelly j. drumright, ph.d. 