Painting and Drawing | Collages, Projections, and Variants
The Evolution of Bearden's Collage Technique | Printmaking

Techniques: The Evolution of Bearden's Collage Technique

Over the years Bearden's collages increased substantially in size, responding to the power of his Projections. He also added a variety of papers to his palette, including matte colored construction papers, pressure sensitive glossy laminates, brightly printed commercial sheets called Color-Aid, and wall paper and wrapping paper, as well as bright foils and patterned fabrics. Another important facet of his practice involved altering the surfaces of these papers and other collage elements in a variety of ways: adding painted areas using both spray paint and the more traditional brushed application of color; using abrasion and sanding to roughen and interrupt the plane; and removing color from both painted areas and collage papers by means of a bleaching agent.

As these surface properties become more complex, they took on an increasingly painterly character, in keeping with the phrase "collage-paintings" that Bearden most frequently used to describe his art.

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1. Pittsburgh Memory, 1964
2. Palm Sunday Procession, 1967-1968
3. Madeline Jones' Wonderful Garden, 1977