Untitled

Kate Fallon-Cousins

Collage
A3
2023

“An advanced human with wings.”

“An advanced human with a halo presents a small version of herself. Perhaps it is her self portrait.”

“An advanced human with wings holds a placard protesting for peace.”

“An advanced human with wings and a halo presents a small version of himself.”

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“Until I discovered God, my collages used to be fairly meaningless and random. It was more about the process than anything else.

My work now expresses my beliefs that we are here to learn and graduate from the cycle of birth and death. The microcosm echoes the macrocosm. The greatest artist God made us and in turn me the humble artist makes her creations.

God has a mighty plan and even though I don't know what it is, I am fully on board. Like The Blues Brothers I am on a mission from God. Although I'm not so full of myself to believe that God is guiding my hand, when these pictures come together it really does feel like He is. I use halo's and wings to represent enlightenment and ascension. They might be angels or advanced humans, who are Gods servants here to help us.

When I was in school I asked the teachers to use the photocopier. I copied my picture of the Hindu God Ganesh and collaged and coloured them in. I would buy 3 clip frames for £1 and sell them for £2 each. My maths teacher liked it because it was symmetrical. Customers would tell me what colours they would like and I would bring them in the next day. It kept me in cigarette money. I had a really great art teacher.

What I lack in imagination I make up for in creativity. My strength is taking what I have in front of me and making something with it. When I was in University I explored the idea of value. I tried to fake value by making a replica of the crown jewels out of costume jewellery and a Romanesque bust. After University I carried on my practice at home. My first collages were multiples and i collected all kinds of ephemera.

Another strength of mine is occasionally having a really good idea. I like to think my work is half conceptual and half physical.

I played with the idea of value again in a project called The Provenance Brothers. I made two identical hand sized sculptures. One would be a control in the experiment and would receive no provenance (I gave him to a friend.) I would try to affect the value of the other by having him signed by famous people and I spray painted his face around Liverpool.

I made some other sculptures which i believe are some of my best work. When i found religion these sculptures from found objects had a real holy feel to them. They started to incorporate halo's and wings. I took two sculptures and took elements of each one made a child with traits from their parents. I would love to breed my sculptures with someone else's. I stopped making them for now because I have nowhere left to put them.

In 2013 I went to a summer school at Kurt Schwitters Merz Barn in the Lake District. Kurt Schwitters was a German artist who fled to the United Kingdom as a refugee. He was the grandfather of collage.

During my time there I made a magazine for which everyone contributed a hand printed page. I started this current series of collages in 2014. It started with a collage of Madonna and Child. I took the same approach as with the assemblages. Looking for arms legs and heads. I particularly like hands. I use a magazine called Antiques Trade gazette. I gives me beautiful cultural objects and lovely colours and textures to work with.

The characters I create are usually holding something precious. A small version of themselves or a bird or an object. Creator and their creation or perhaps parents and children. I had an exhibition of these first collages in 2018. During lockdown in 2020 I bought three boxes of Antiques Trade gazette on eBay. Something about lockdown really agreed with me. I was on fire. I made a collage every day sometimes two. They got better and better. Someone on Instagram gave me some lad mags and fashion type magazines and they really gave the collages some edge.

Recently I have dedicated all my work to Peace. I am shocked and appalled by the events happening in the world and I wanted to use my voice to help. The characters in my collages are holding placards protesting for peace. Sometimes you can feel like you are powerless to help and it feels good to do something.

I recently decided to do my art principally for the love of doing the work. Being happy with it for myself only. This is how I measure my success. Anything else or anyone else who likes it is a bonus. I also decided that I would not be my own salesperson. If anyone wants to buy my work they can make a donation to charity.

I recently finished collaging a set of Tarot cards. I have also been printing my work in the form of postcards and distributing them around my hometown anonymously.”

Instagram: @katef_c
Facebook: Kate Fallon-Cousins

Kate Fallon-Cousins

I am from Liverpool Merseyside, in the north west of England. I went to the same school as John Lennon, Calderstones School.

After art college I went to University in Preston, Lancashire. I made some great friends. There was a flea market on a Tuesday and Thursday where i bought a lot of my materials.

When I moved back to Liverpool I moved in with my friend, who became my partner and we still live here together twenty years later.

Not long after moving home from university I had a psychotic episode and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. This has made me a stronger person. Me and my partner had two dogs. They're really clever at learning things. They bring slippers and the mail. Scrappy past away but Houdini is still here and learning new tricks.

I am passionate about antiques and collectibles. I spend a few days every week at flea markets and car boots looking for interesting objects. I have a particular love of figurines. I love to find out about the history when I get home. My dad comes with me and we'll go all over and find awesome things and have a coffee. My studio at home is full of wonderful objects. I also have an extensive collection of quilt covers with pictures on.

Every year I make Christmas crackers for my friends and family. I find at least twelve new prizes every year, make hats and write jokes. I am very proud of them and swear they are the better than any in shops.

I have developed a real interest in music, It gives me joy. My studio is stacked with CD's which i put on my MP3 player. My favourite genre is country. I find a lot of music second hand so it is an eclectic mixture of genres and go back as far as music was recorded.

My partner likes computer games so i will put on my headphones and listen to music while he plays a game. I believe that if good stuff goes in an artists ears and eyes, good stuff comes out of their fingers.