When I was first introduced to Henri Matisse’s Cut-Outs, I was drawn to his use of color and shape to create such powerful compositions that, to me, were visually explosive. I was living outside of Washington, DC where his works took up an entire floor – The Tower – in the East Wing of The National Gallery of Art. I remember walking into the space, looking up at “Large Decoration With Masks,” a cut-out that took up an entire wall of the gallery. Tears welled in my eyes as I was completely overwhelmed with the beauty of this visual imagery. At that moment, I knew that my admiration for this artist would follow me throughout my career as an art teacher and visual artist.
My hand painted cut paper collages draw their inspiration from Matisse and my love of the outdoors. I work to create an energetic balance of positive and negative space with organic shapes derived from nature. In some collages, I may create images with a more realistic representation of a specific place, while others may simply evolve into more abstract expressive compositions. My intention is for each piece to evoke a feeling of rhythm and balance where patterns of colors and shapes invite the viewer to experience a personal connection.
Janet Manuta 