Sometimes I grab for the craypas to try drawing an exploration that might lead to a painting. Collages shown here are autobiographical, mainly from the 1980s. After a long day of work at my stimulating MIT job, collage was my quick way to make art in the evening. Postage stamps and envelopes came to me from all over the world. Safety-print designs inside billing envelopes had useful patterns. These collages were all enjoyed, hung on the wall for many years.
Shorn Sheep in Pen
Craypas on paper, 17×11 inches – est, 2012 • AVAILABLE
A drawing with Craypas was a first step to have fun and build confidence.
Mohair Goat – Cloud
Craypas on paper, 12×12 inches, 2012 • AVAILABLE
The square size shows it was a study toward an oil painting on panel.
Irish Cows
Craypas on paper, 12×12 inches, 2013 • AVAILABLE
The square size shows it was a study of two cows in an Irish field on early spring morning. This worked toward an oil painting on panel.
Young Goat (Prudence)
Craypas on paper, 12 x12 inches, 2013
This is like a baby picture when Prudence was new to the SPLF. Later I learned she is a Bermuda sheep, with short hair bred for sub-tropical climate.
Brown-Faced Sheep (Virgil)
Craypas on paper, 12×12 inches, 2013
Young Virgil had a beautiful deep-brown face. Preliminary drawing for 12 x 12 oil paint on panel.
Pig Bucket
Craypas on paper, 12×12 inches, 2013 • AVAILABLE
Preliminary drawing for 12 x 12 oil paint on panel.
Landa Immigration 1920s
Craypas on paper, 29.5 x 14.5 inches, 2021 • AVAILABLE
Exploration of a family group, mother and three children ages 10, 5, and 15. The reference was a 1924 immigration picture taken in a studio with group severely foreshortened by the camera.
Clams, C-grade
Craypas on paper, 12×12 inches, 2022 • AVAILABLE
Exploration to show depth within a mass of similar objects. Stripes and colorful tones go beyond a monochrome reality. Preliminary drawing for 12 x 12 oil paint on panel.
Night Ramble in the Garden
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 16 x 20, 11 x 14 inches, 1981
Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Connecticut was a place for teenage night rambles. The formal rose garden inspired this work.
Migration, Birds of a Feather
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 16 x 20, 11 x 14 inches, 1981
Bird migration was an early fascination. My family’s migration to Ameria from Eastern Europe made me appreciate movement across the globe.
Caught-up Fish
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 20 x 16, 14 x 11 inches, 1981
The net contains two fish, still swimming. I considered them to be like my mother and me, constrained and vigorous by nature. My mother enjoyed this work for many years.
Drawing Room, Imagined
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 20 x 16, 14 x 11 inches, 198
The elegance of a Back Bay interior was imagined. After college, my first job was in the Back Bay and I walked often between the Public Garden and Mass Ave.
Science, Close-in to Mystery
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 20 x 16, 14 x 11 inches, 1981
My 10 year “tenure” in MIT’s Biology Department lasted for all of the 1980s. From the beginning, lab glassware was cool as décor for my own office. The Department Head often doodled biochemical molecule ideas for his research when we spoke. My own attempt is chemically impossible and the scientists could not help but comment about that gaffe.
Budget Crunch
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 20 x 16, 14 x 11 inches, 1981
A self-portrait. Reagen came into office and budget cutting ensued, across federal grants and departmental resources.
House, Home, Love
Mixed media collage on toned paper, framed 16 x 20, 11 x 14 inches, 1985
We bought our “half-house” in Newburyport in 1985, deeded separately and a common dwelling in this historic city. I added the couple in the window upstairs, and gave the work to my mother who enjoyed it for many years.
Icon Self Portrait
Mixed media collage on toned cardboard, 7.25 x 9.25 inches, 2009
Looking a little unworldly with glowing hair and big eyes, I sit at my work-table with computer screen flashing active red streaks behind me. I’m beatific, super at my job, wearing a stylish shawl. A worker bee symbol is in the scene. This was made quickly during a particularly stressful episode of proposal development that I knew could not end well.
CYNTHIA KOWAL 