Three-Dimensional Mixed-Media Wood Collages

The wood collages of George Wazenegger are featured.

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Filed under: Wood, Crafts, Recycling

George Wazenegger's charming wood collages seem to capture a moment in time, inspired by quaint nostalgic architecture. The skilled craftsmanship of his art is portrayed by everything from single buildings to landscapes or seascapes--cottages, lighthouses, crab markets, roadside diners and flourishing gardens.

Wazenegger started making three-dimensional wood collages by accident, more than 30 years ago. He was working on geometric abstracts when he was trying to explain what he was doing to friend. He realized that his technique would be perfect for buildings. He took the game of wooden shapes he was creating and started gluing them to his drawing board. Then he found himself flipping through magazines, cutting out doors, windows, people and other objects to glue to his shapes, thus creating his first mixed-media collage.

Wazenegger has since mastered his craft. Using a combination of recycled wood, paper, acrylic color and pencil, he begins his artistic journey. George cuts the wood into random shapes. He does not measure them because he does not want them to be to scale--he only wants to suggest scale and certain architectural elements.

Wazenegger uses recycled wood since it absorbs color better and has a nicer texture than new wood. Recycled paper images are added for additional detail, which helps him identify the piece. Acrylic paint is applied; then pencil is used to loosen or define a shape before the piece is finally coated with a clear acrylic. His creative works are most often described as dimensional watercolors of fictitious architectural locations. His contemporary art has a way of taking you to wondrous places along the way.