Bio
Vera Gierke is an artist who grew up in New Jersey, and after living in Michigan and Indiana, moved to Rhode Island. There she engaged in a broad range of continuing education classes at RISD with a few local artists. After moving to Providence, Rhode Island, she joined the Providence Art Club where she continued to explore a variety of classes there.
Through these classes, Vera discovered a fascination with paper collage and has made that her favorite form of art. Her work is not abstract, rather she looks for a way to make an image or object different than what is expected, to add interest through the material used for the collage and to entice the viewer to look at the work more carefully and mindfully. Vera considers working with photography and Photoshop to be an extension of the paper collage, and at times has adapted her paper collages in Photoshop.
Artist Statement
A Fanciful View of a Realistic Subject
My collages are more than what initially meets the eye. They offer the first view, the view from a distance. Then come in closer to see the fun detail -- fun that’s been created by pulling together a variety of printed material, especially from magazines.
The collages that I create are inspired from visuals in life, my experiences, my travels, images I see, and happenings. Something grabs me and talks to me and that's where I'm going with the next project or the next direction. I create what speaks to me.
In making my collages, I seek printed material that pertains to the subject or the message that I am putting into the work. From a distance, the collages create a charming or interesting picture, but there’s more to it when fully appreciated up close, when the viewer sees what I have employed to create the whole collage.
@veragierkestudio
