Collage A Day

A Collage A Day
In order to jump start my creative batteries I am creating a mixed media collage piece to post every day. It's all about "upcycled" paper that would otherwise end up in a landfill. And I'm also hoping to generate a smile or two. I’m fascinated by language and am often inspired by oxymorons, onomatopoeia and odd turns of phrase as you can see by my titles. I enjoy giving new life and meaning to rejected and neglected items. Disparate images are juggled and juxtaposed from within my vast palette of old papers and ephemera.

Artist Profile


ROBERTA SMITH
As a child in Colorado, Roberta dreamed of adventure in the far corners of the world. Her first big adventure took her to New York City, where she studied art at Pratt Institute. After graduating with a BFA with highest honors, her journey took her into an award-winning career in jewelry design. Eventually, adventure lured her to sea, where she spent six years in a small sloop exploring the seven seas and visiting 60 countries along the way.

Back on land, Roberta continued her travels as a professional artist, including stints as a graphic designer, a children’s book illustrator, and a muralist. She has spent the past 15 years journeying within and without using various creative media. Her inspiration comes from dreams, politics, the natural environment, and the beauty and diversity of the human family.

Her recent work combines pigmented plaster and collage with drawing, gold leaf, and found objects. ‘The pieces have both narrative and surreal qualities that reflect my joy in participating in the mysteries and complexities of life. My focus is becoming more interior, exploring “the outer reaches of inner space”. Ironically, I find that the more deeply I delve into the deeply personal the more closely I connect with the universal.’

Her work is in many collections, including those of The Children’s Hospital of Denver, Xcel Energy, Paine Webber, RTD, Doubletree Hotels, Kaiser Permanente, Storage Tek, Arthur Anderson, Invesco, Joseph Coors Jr., Delta Dental Plan and The Fulbright Foundation.  Her collages are in the collections of ArtColle Museum of Collage, Brittany, France and Tsanko Lavrenov National School of Fine Arts, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Roberta is a signature member of The Pastel Society of America. She conducts art therapy workshops, encourages environmental protection, and is diverted by hiking, fly fishing, and river rafting.  She lives and works in the Upper Arkansas River Valley of Colorado. And she still dreams of adventure, and travels to distant lands.