Kevin Appel’s masterful collages constructed from whimsical shades of tissue, colored paper and finely sliced bits of wood invent an illusory visual plane, transforming found images of nature into fantastical visions. Each element of a collage is cut and adhered to the prints with a high degree of skill, intention, and without any trace of the artist’s own hand. Working on unusual archival pigment prints, many of which still retain their page number on the bottom right corner, Appel creates geometric forms over an owl, mushroom, ram, and the LA mountainside. The tension established between the distinctly precise collage forms and the bodies of the animals and scenery literally superimposes order upon unpredictability. What’s most stunning about Appel’s collage work is that it does not distract the eye from the archival image underneath, but rather presents a new manner of seeing an image, broken down into parts.
Published courtesy of ArtScene ©2009
