My word, collage pictures are not prints. Each one is handmade and so they take time and patience to create, too. They are inspired by song lyrics (David Bowie is a favourite) or words and lines that amuse me. I also take commissions: family mottos; a one-line insult, the name of a child or business. I have even made numerous ‘wrap presents’ for actors finishing movies, as well as pictures to decorate rooms in hotels and restaurants.

Mostly I make the pictures to suit a particular frame. I find these in antique fairs, I buy them from my brilliant frame dealer and also, have bespoke frames made at my local framer, or use ready made shop frame if requested. If a frame is a beautiful antique wreck, then I may choose to make it into an exhausted ‘I danced all night’.  If it’s more modern and bespoke I might make a circus font picture like ‘Fabulous”, or ‘Whatevs’, I like them to take on a personality.

The next stage is to choose a paper for the background. Most I choose are Italian, Japanese or contemporary papers, or a plain bright book cover material, in orange, pink, green or blue from the wonderful Shepherds London bookbinders. But some are vintage linen rag papers or stunning Jemma Lewis hand marbled one off pieces or vintage music sheets. After choosing a paper that will suit a particular frame and I then choose a font that will suit both paper and frame. If the font is delicate, the pattern on the paper has to be even more delicate otherwise the words will get lost. The same applies when choosing the colour of the glitter words.

After the paper, font and colour, the sizing is the next thing. It  takes quite a lot of time to decide whether the lyric or phrase should fill the frame or sit quietly in the centre.

Once all that has been mulled over, with much back and forth, I hand cut each letter out of glitter card, double glitter them with a loose glitter (which gives the letters the depth that wouldn’t happen with a print) colour their sides and then centre them on the background with has been reinforced and glue them with the correct kerning (the space between each letter) if I get that wrong, the whole word looks completely nonsensical.

Finally I get glass and backings put on the antique and vintage frames or they go off to the framer’s if they are going to be bespoke (I work to a template frame even if it’s going to be a bespoke frame). And then they are finished. Phew!

Although I make everything to suit a particular frame, I can remove the picture and you can buy it unframed. Please contact me if you would prefer to do this.