My pieces for this exhibition combine older works with new. They unite through their minimalist arrangements and use of black and white photographs with coloured ones. For my two recent collages, I looked through my pile of torn out pages (some that I have kept since 2016) and chose backgrounds that instantly set up an idea. When I saw the photo of the boy and his stick insect, that Velvet Underground song came into my head: ‘I’m sticking with you’. I knew I needed some glue sticks to complete the scene. I didn’t know where I was going to find pictures of glue. I thought that I was going to have to resort to accepting junk mail in the letterbox and pray that there would be a Big W ‘Back to school’ catalogue inside. My friend who works at an art store came through for me after I asked her if she had any pamphlets showcasing glue. She gave me two copies of an annual ordering book of art supplies. The glue sticks are also a nod to analogue collage. My second recent piece formed after I picked out a page that featured a giant shell. I wanted to come out of the shell. I didn’t have any printed photos of myself, so I chose a nude woman to represent me. A personal work. The black and white shells are the former homes of other shy people, who grew confident and left the shells for good. Jade Elford works as a palliative care nurse in Melbourne and practices as an artist in her free time. Her art includes Super 8 videography, analogue photography and hand-cut collage. Jade likes creating endearing and dream-like scenes across all three mediums. I collect books for collage anytime I step into a second-hand shop or used bookstore. I don’t often keep a full book after purchase, instead I inspect every page and only tear out the ones that ignite my imagination. I have a thick pile of loose pages in my bedroom. They often end up as the backgrounds of my collages. The remaining pages contain potential subjects and I cut them out and keep them in a big envelope. I used to group the cut-outs: flowers, animals, shells, people, food – but now they all sit together in a jumble. When mixed together, I see them in a different way and they give me new ideas for collage assembling. I am drawn to creating simple scenes. A thoughtful pairing through placement. To see Jade’s work in the More is More listing click here.
