---

Collages: The Work and Pleasure
Part 1

---

I never tire of a wall of nicely matted personal effects and photographs. Traveling, and life's big events, generally result in momentos--the movie stub, crinkled street map, photograph, or flea market find.  I have a few such keepsakes.  Like the recipe card I snatched from my mom's kitchen drawer; one given to her by her mom.  It is written in my grandmother's hand and explains the steps to a treat which will ever remind me of her.  Or, the 2009-2010 Calendar for the MET; it lists the exhibitions and events that occurred during my stay in Manhattan.  Clipped to the side are a collection of admission pins.  They are in an array of colors and remind me of the nights my girlfriends and I would hop on the train and visit the Museum before close when few tourists were around (This is such an enjoyable time to tour the MET).  These memories deserve a simple frame, a large mat, and a spot on one of my walls!

I always look forward to the airline terminal magazine purchase.  You know, the one you keep yourself from indulging in as you wait, until you are restfully in your not so roomy seat on the plane.  The following helpful hints about creating a collage or "montage" were on one of the pages I viewed from 35,000 feet.  As included in Small Room Decorating, Shelley Myers, an architect, discussed her tips on creating a wall of well-matted frames:

(1) Test it Out     Mock up a sample display before finalizing the layout.  Tape up car-board forms, ct to the size of your frames, or use blue painter's tape to outline the placement of shapes on the wall.  Rearrange as needed.  The goal should be a display that is dynamic but not cluttered.

(2) Find a Mix     With so many endless variables--frame color, size and style; mat color and size;  color versus black-and-white photos--choose some elements that will remain consistent (a simple or ornate style of frame, for example) and vary other elements (such as color of frame).

(3) Pick a Height    The center of your montage should be at eye level (around  5 1/2 to 6 feet), but other measurements, such as the top of your display, can tie into parts of the built structure, like the height of a door frame.

(4) Balance Yin & Yang     Anchor the overall display by placing similar-size, larger frames at opposite corners and fill in with small groupings in between.

(5) Think in Threes     Unless you want a very formal effect, groupings of threes look more relaxed than twos.

(6) Play with Scale     Photos filled with people can make a display very busy, so experiment with some large mats are much smaller photos, such as a 4 x 4 inch snapshot within a 2 x 2 foot frame.

...

(7) Drill it In     To protect the finish of drywall or plaster walls, use drywall screws instead of picture hooks.  Install them with a handheld electric  drill.

(8) Protect It     Take extra care of your walls by using rubber bumpers or felt pads on the backs of rames to avoid scratching--especially if your walls are covered with wallpaper.

... .

Mara Bragg.  Fall 2010. Small Room Decorating. Living Large. No. 132. 38-45.

Tomorrow, we will discuss collages or "montages" further, and I'll give you a peek of some top-notch examples that, for a bit of work, will give years of pleasure.  See you then.