The Amazing Art of Angela Petsis

The Amazing Art of Angela Petsis

Written by craig coffman

While the art world has seen an emergence of collage art recently, not everyone can do this well. In fact, many people cannot do this well. While I want to encourage everyone to make art, regardless of my thoughts, certain people definitely need to keep creating. Angela Petsis is one of them.

I stumbled across her work on Flickr and was blown away. Not only because her image selection actually made sense in the context of the piece, but because the work was extremely well crafted. The colors used are otherworldly when combined with image. The inclusion of painted and drawn shapes with collage let her talent show through. There is more to her skill than simply cutting and pasting.

That is what really drew me to her work. While many people find awesome reference material and create from there, the end result is flat. Should you remove the images you are left with a piece which says nothing to the viewer. The entire experience is hanging on the selected image and not the work, where it should be. This is not the case with Angela Petsis’ work.

With her creations, you strip out the clever and well crafted images and you are left with a canvas which stands on its own. The entire work is considered and executed. That is the mark between an artists and a craftsperson. An artist will make substance out of all which goes into a piece. Every element is considered and nothing looks random. Further, there is consistency and cohesion throughout the body of work.

Angela Petsis has an incredible volume of work and it is all top drawer. While there are certainly thematic and stylistic reverberations through the collection, it does not get stale. Each piece has a unifying quality, but its own voice. This is not an easy task to accomplish.

You can tell she is very serious about her work, but is actually enjoying the creation. There is a fine collaboration between aged photographs and newer styles in painting. The blending of the elements make it difficult to place the era. It feels familiar and foreign, like a dream. Some of the work provides a snapshot while others seem to maintain an entire narrative. The storyline, in both cases, somehow becomes personal to the viewer even without a connection to the images used. Delightfully captivating and engaging.

If you are unfamiliar with Angela Petsis, you should take a few minutes and browse through her work. Even if your day is busy, who could not take 5 minutes to be transported into a surreal world of yesteryear? If you are interested, many of her pieces are availble to purchase, and in my opinion they are a steal for the asking price.