This September, the Livingston Public Library is featuring vibrant collages and eye-catching multimedia artworks of local artist Darlene Sardinsky.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I have always believed that art is a way to present my essential being to the world without the structure and reason of words. I have been interested in art and the power of self expression for as long as I can remember. From a child with my film camera or crayons in hand to an adult with my more advanced dslr camera and colored pencils, having a creative outlet has always inspired me to express myself in a way that is as unique as my fingerprint.
Although my first love is photography, I find collage to be similar in the way that its composition takes form, creating an artistic embodiment unique to the moment, filled with mood and self-expression. I intuitively connect recycled books and magazines; gathering pictures, letters, colors and shapes, allowing the art to take form without thought or judgment. Oftentimes, the pieces seem to create themselves, as surreal manifestations. It’s been fun extending my art to mixed media, printing on recycled papers and adding 3D shapes and embellishments. I have also begun creating art journals featuring my collages and printed papers. The gift of multimedia art has given me a beautiful tribe of like minded people and a way to reveal and support causes that mean everything to me, namely climate change and the experience of being a woman in the world, gender issues, race relationships and humanity. I like to ponder the “what ifs.”
The materials I use in my art are nearly 100% repurposed and reused. My style is intuitive, art without thought or “rules.” It’s freeing and raw and hopefully allows the viewer to think and see in a different way. My books give new life to old books, typically books that are 50+ years old, they are primarily bought from the Livingston Public Library. Many were $.10 with strong, bold covers and worn fragile pages looking for a new chance at life. My books are sold in two forms, as blank journals and art journals. The blank journals utilize paper I bought many years ago and have found in a big bin in my attic. When that stash is depleted, I will use blank paper I gather from friends or thrift stores. The art journal pages are from old books, magazines, maps, etc. They are meant to be interactive, so I hope that the people who end up with them, add to them and collaborate with me to make them their own. My multi-media art has been designed from recycled magazines, books and items found in thrift stores. I typically feature the power of women and cheeky, unexpected ways. I love vintage materials, the quality and history they carry. My boxes are repurposed cigar boxes, meant to tell a story. They are collaged and filled with vintage jewelry and trinkets I’ve found along the way. My hope is to inspire people to look at and appreciate what they have and to see trash as treasure.
ARTIST BIO
I have lived in New Jersey my entire life, but love to travel to new places and experience unfamiliar cultures. I am the mother of a daughter and a son, both in their mid 20’s, a puppy and 2 cats. I have worked in Marketing, Entrepreneurship, been a Special Education Teacher and am currently a Learning Disability Teacher Consultant. As a special educator, I challenge students to trust themselves and their instincts and to feel liberated so that they recognize that being themselves is exactly what they should be. I have also taught and continue to teach adults the art of collage online at The Berkshire Art Center through The 97 Collage Project and at My Collage Lab, an organization based in Fort Worth, TX. My hobbies are vast, I love the great outdoors and everything it has to offer, Broadway, thrifting, road trips, and cooking/baking, to name a few.
You can Follow me on Instagram: @mindtocanvas @the97collageproject
Or reach me via email at: mindtocanvas12@gmail.com
