CONNECTICUT, USA — Connecticut native Violet Davenport is not only a collage artist, she is a gardener, reader, dancer and dog lover. Collage is an art form that takes paper, photos, cloth and other ephemera and makes something new from it.
“I discovered paper collage by accident. I was hoping to try my hand at creating a fabric collage but soon realized I would need to learn to sew, and I couldn't see myself doing that,” said Davenport. “So, I kept researching and discovered an artist in Florida that did magnificent paper collages. And I wanted to give it a try. I did and I haven’t stopped!”
In March, Davenport had her collage Under Construction in the National Arts Program show put on by the Community Renewal Team at the ArtSpace Gallery in Hartford. She was awarded a second-place ribbon.
Under Construction depicts a large heron with a twig in its beak taking flight. The heron is made of various materials, with different textures, colors, and patterns. On the left side there are cattails. In the background you can see pine trees in the distance.
Over the summer Davenport created her first collection after she noticed a ‘Bee Kind’ plaque in a store one day.
“I thought to myself, yes, we should all just simply be kind. The world would be a better place. But as I continued to think about that I thought ‘Why just Bee Kind?’" Davenport said. "We should also ‘Bee Happy,’ ‘Bee Honest,’ ‘Bee Polite,’ ‘Bee Nurturing,’ ‘Bee Compassionate,’ etc. And I made a long list of all these positive qualities that people should strive for. Then, I created bee collages, and each bee had a different word in its wings. It made me so happy to be spreading positivity in the world!”
In the past, Davenport has had over 20 pieces displayed at the Simsbury Library. She was also a featured artist at the Almost Famous Brewing Company in July last year, and at the “By the Beautiful Sea” summer open show at the Essex Art Association. She has also shown at the Farmington Valley Arts Center, The Underground Gallery, Gallery On the Green, Voice of Art, Arts Center East, Gallery 53, and at the New Britain Museum of Art.
Someday, Davenport aspires to teach art. She would also love to mass produce her works.
--
Ashley RK Smith is an assignment desk editor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at asmith@fox61.com
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
