Curtis Woody
Mixed Media Artist; Mixed Media Collage Painter
Artist Statement
Curtis G. Woody Mixed Media Collage Painting
I am a mixed media collage painter, drawing inspiration from historical connection points that join together individuals, families, generations and communities. I create highly textured and intricately detailed original art pieces that are intended to breathe new life into and enhance the unique characteristics of a common historical heritage. Life is a circle and I take pleasure in salvaging the old to create something new, asking the viewer to recognize the past while appreciating the here and now. My paintings are research-based collages and layers which are fabricated in a variety of ways. I highlight impactful images and also play close attention to minute details. Some paintings start with hand cut museum board blocks that are painted, embellished, scratched and merged together. I used an assortment of found objects, old books, aged photographs, buttons, letters, vintage newspapers and rusty metal combined with an assortment of artistic mediums. The meaning of the attached elements often becomes clearer to me as they are assembled. The result is a continual search for balance between spontaneity and historical relevance. My richly layered work invites viewers to step in closer, explore details, and create or reflect on their own stories of connection. Because of the multi-layering it is my expectation that the paintings become thoughtful, spiritual, interesting and sensitive creations.
