Cut & Paste

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MICHAEL LAZARUS

Collage has become an increasingly important part of artist Michael Lazarus’s work. For many years he used it in a ‘somewhat visually covert way’ using simple images and textures in subtle ways. Recently he has used it in a far more overt way, with recognizable images such as signs playing a much bigger part in his work. Based in Portland, Oregon, his bold, decorative pieces have an almost tribal feel to them. The technique he uses gives his work a very precise, graphic quality: ‘I generally prefer to cut out the paper into the shape it needs to take, rather than paint over parts of the paper. For me, this helps it to operate ...