by Bella Erakko
For collage artist Ezra Collins, “Boredom is a dangerous thing.” Couple that with a severe case of childhood introversion, and a natural art talent, Ezra found his voice. After all, if you like being alone, you need a creative outlet. For Ezra, it’s collage art and electronic music. As the Alliance Art Gallery November guest artist, Ezra takes us on a geometric journey that began in Chicago. “I’ve always liked design,” he explains. “There’s a lot of geometric shapes—architecture—in Chicago and St. Louis. The landscape is just angular. Trains weave in and out; shadows are interesting. I use those shapes coupled with actual images to make a surreal collage.” Some collage artists create scenes—coherent images that use collage techniques. But Ezra’s creations create a sense of peace and harmony because of their geometric foundation, but also a sense of mystery and excitement from the collaged images he uses. “I go to consignment shops in Hannibal looking for periodicals from the 1950s and 1960s, with colors popular back then. Now I’m kind of into folk art.”
So, when is a collage finished? Ezra talks about negative space—the areas where nothing has been cut and pasted. “There is negative space I haven’t used that still has a space within it. If it looks good that way, okay, give that negative space some respect.” For years, he has managed the railroad bridge in Hannibal from a small building—raising and lowering the bridge—an ideal job for an artistic creator and quiet place to explore his other passion, electronic music. He’s become good enough to have an Instagram following, and a few small record deals with electronic music companies. He calls it, “a serious hobby.”
Solitude. Introversion. Boredom. In Ezra Collin’s world, that means unleashed creativity, collage art, and music.
An opening reception will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 4:00 until 7:00 with an artist talk at 6:00. This event is free and open to the public.
