The Collage Journal: The First Decade at Hunterdon Art Museum

peter-jacobs-01-21-2015

17 May-6 September 2015

Peter Jacobs: “The Collage Journal: The First Decade”

This morning, Peter Jacobs rolled out of bed, poured himself a cup of coffee and reached into his leather shoulder bag for an X-Acto knife, some glue, a 9-x-12 inch self-healing mat and a 12-page Strathmore watercolor pad. He retrieved his copy of The New York Times from his front porch, and sat down at his kitchen table where he spent the next two hours creating a collage from the newspaper.

This is exactly what Jacobs did yesterday, and it’s what he will do tomorrow. In fact, Jacobs has basically adhered to this routine for the past 3,663 mornings in a row (and counting). Since that first morning, Jacobs has filled 308 Strathmore books, and has gone through 342 X-Acto blades and 374 acid-free glue sticks.

“The collages are paintings with paper, theatrical stages of abstracted colour and rhythms, layers that imbue surreal narratives, symbolism hidden in humour, social commentary, cultural irony and pure visual perception,” Jacobs said. “The Collage Journal is integrated into my daily life as a meditation, contemplation and daily source of creative expression.”

Jacobs had worked with collage for 35 years and wondered where in his daily life he could go for inspiration. He found the answer right at his fingertips one morning while reading The New York Times and discussing discipline in art making with his wife, Elizabeth, a sculptor. The first collage in the journal was created on 31 March 2005. “No one knows what the future will bring, but I will continue to bring a new work into each day as long as The New York Times delivers newspapers,” he said.

(adapted from the museum’s press materials)


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Image:
1/25/2015 from “The Collage Journal”
by Peter Jacobs
collage on paper
2015
Courtesy of the artist