A Palette of Paper
Aaron Needle
Exhibit: September 1- 30, 2015
Reception: Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Though my medium of choice is paper, the term collage doesn't quite fit. With collage one typically pictures a pastiche of 2-dimensional objects such as photographs, tickets, and newsprint composed to evoke a memory or experience. However, with my art I often strive to use paper as if were actually paint with scissors being my brush. I also often lay down paper as if it were tiles in a mosaic, or panes in a stain glass window.
Recently, I've begun doing without traditional frames. Several pieces are simply sandwiched between a wooden panel and a sheet of plexiglass. I’ve done that because frames can distract from the art itself, and also because I like to think my art looks good enough to stand on its own without the embellishment of a frame.
I’d like to acknowledge the friends, relations and artisans who have been the source of my art materials: My sister in law Cheryl Needle and her daughter Naomi who provided many book covers and trade cards; Others were reproduced with permission from Harvard Business School’s Baker Library; The H. G. Wells book jackets come courtesy of my life-long friend Andy Nagy; The beautiful marbled paper was produced locally by Chena River Marblers of Amherst, Massachusetts; And the cotton rag paper was made by hand at the studio of Colorado based artist Ray Tomasso. I would especially like to express my gratitude to the Belmont Media Center for hosting this exhibit.