Good morning, and welcome to the first in a special series of Author Interviews!
Here in my Southern Colorado town of Trinidad, once a year we reach out to authors of all stripes and genres to come and present workshops to the students and citizens. This year, one of the authors coming is Janice McDonald, so let's get to know her!
Welcome to this exclusive interview with Janice McDonald, an acclaimed collage artist whose work captures the essence of transformation and creativity through repurposed materials. Janice McDonald creates elegant, abstract collages using salvaged papers from everyday life, reflecting her unique approach to art and storytelling.
Her journey into the world of collage art began with her diverse experiences growing up across the United States, which inspired her to piece together various elements into cohesive artworks. She holds a BFA with a concentration in design from Oregon State University and has maintained a successful graphic design practice in Denver, Colorado, for many years. Her shift to collage art started as a creative escape from computer-based design, evolving into a distinctive style characterized by torn, rather than cut, papers, and the inclusion of asemic writing and text fragments.
Her work has been widely exhibited in venues such as Denver's Spark Gallery, where she has showcased several solo exhibitions including "Overlooked Artifacts" and "Unboxed." Janice’s pieces are part of numerous corporate and private collections, including the Adolph Coors Foundation and Denver International Airport. She is a signature member of the National Collage Society and actively participates in the international collage community, often presenting at events like KolajFest.
For more about Janice and her captivating collages, visit her official website and follow her on Instagram.
Photos
Included with this interview are installation photos from Janice’s recent exhibition "Murmurings" at Spark Gallery in Denver, Colorado, along with standalone images of her works to give you a deeper sense of her artistic style.
Show Statement
"Murmurings" explores the concept of fragmentary storytelling through collages that blend found poetry and abstract elements, inviting viewers to interpret and add their own meaning to the pieces. This collection marks a progression in Janice’s work, integrating text and mark-making to create a dialogue between word and image.
We hope you enjoy this insightful conversation with Janice McDonald, delving into her creative processes and the inspirations behind her evocative collages.
Links:
A book you’re looking forward to release (by someone else)? Still: The Art of Noticing by Mary Jo Hoffman
A book that pleasantly surprised you? The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Coffee, tea, or cacao? Iced tea, even in winter
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? I produce at least one small collage every day and beyond that it varies tremendously. Sometimes I’m working on small works amidst larger commissioned collages and other explorations. My daily practice was covered by The Times of London in January 2024: https://www.janicemcdonald.com/blog/daily-practice-featured-in-the-times
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? I am writing with found words and phrases, assembling them with supporting imagery via collage methods. I have snippets of words and phrases stored in my studio for the moment when they join with another to speak more fully.
Where do you get your information or ideas\? I’m often inspired by just a couple of interesting words from a sentence, rip those out and allow them to start a search to complete an idea.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I produce artworks that do not include any words at all.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? An artist. I had an artist uncle who was a huge influence and role model for me.
Does writing energize or exhaust you? I find the discovery of meaning when combining words/phrases to be exciting and energizing.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? Messages appear somewhat fortuitously as I work. I hope they will be original and meaningful to the viewer.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer? I did a virtual artist residency during the pandemic with a group of international poets, writers, and collage-makers. We keep in touch monthly via a group zoom. I always find our conversations insightful and inspiring.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you building a body of work with connections between each book? So far each collage poem stands on its own.
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power? I loved to read as a kid and felt transported to other worlds. I vividly remember making my first collage in second grade — and being amazed at how I could rearrange reality in the process of working with imagery.
What are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to? Kolaj magazine, Contemporary Collage magazine.
Do you write novels, novellas, short stories, episodic fiction, poems, screenplays, or something else? What is your preferred format? Collage poetry, incorporating both words and imagery.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? None currently, but I’d like to put my recent works into a zine, perhaps eventually a book.
What do you have coming next?
I’m looking forward to presenting a workshop about collage poetry at LitFest in Trinidad, Colorado in September. I'll be participating in a variety of group exhibitions in Denver and across the country. An online course about asemic writing from The Poetry School (London) will also keep me busy later in the fall.
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