Erika Tysse

about me
.....................
Even though I have a degree in art, I have never considered
myself an artist. In fact, when people ask me what I do, it
seems that that is the last thing that always comes up (I usually
answer,
"Oh, I am just a Mom").
I was originally interested in oil painting but found the whole
procedure frustrating as I was never satisfied with the finished result.
I also didn't have the patience to wait for the paint to dry and
usually ended up with a muddy mess!
It wasn't until recently that I discovered collage as an art! I mean, I have cut magazines up and reassembled them just like anyone else, but I was surfing the net one day and was captured by all of the wonderful collages produced by some amazing artists.
I had recently taken a course in screenprinting and loved it, however, I had no access to a studio with printing
material/machines and was looking for an alternative to screenprinting - something that would give me fairly immediate results without having to wait for things to cure or dry!
I also enjoyed the layering aspect of screenprinting and thought that collage was such a wonderful alternative.
Of course now, collage is
what I do and I couldn't imagine doing anything else (including screenprinting!).
Now, I spend many a day searching for the right collage elements and find that some of the best sources are my fellow artists!
I also love the things sold from various vendors who produce wonderful collage sheets making it less
work for me
(artchix and queen-of-tarts are a couple favs!)

About a year ago I thought I would try my wares out on ebay and see if I got any response. As a result, I have not only created a customer base but have met so many wonderful people and other collage artists.
I have been involved in many swaps, trades and altered book groups as well and have enjoyed every minute of it.
It seems that the collage world is still fairly small in comparison to other artistic groups and having a little corner of it is wonderful.
Erika Tysse.