Mostly Abstract by Michael Toti

I approach my collage work as an artist with a designer’s eye for detail, interstices, composition, and interaction. The collage process lets me combine images and develop a new interpretation of the original forms, using color, texture, pattern, illusion of depth, and humor. It’s about looking at image after image, trying to find the connection between them and create interaction between the elements in the composition, whether it’s an imaginary dialog, a story, or a play off the forms.

Sometimes there is an epiphany, but most often it simply involves time and work to find the right elements to fulfill the vision I have in mind. Sometimes there is no vision and I am just letting the images themselves lead the way. My hope is always that the viewer will see something in the composition beyond my original intent.

My current work with envelopes and vintage ephemera explores randomness and the fragmentation of memory. Cut paper is the main element I use for imagery, but I also incorporate image transfer, paint, and pastels. While I try to make a connection – whether conceptual or visual – between the image and other elements on the page, I like the surprise in how my compositions interact with the stamp or the text on the envelope. Some of the envelopes use only image transfer while others combine paper elements as well.

Michael Toti holds a BFA from the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, MA, where in in studio arts he learned drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. He chose a graphic arts major at Washington University and after graduating with an MFA, worked as a staff and freelance graphic designer in St. Louis and Hartford, Connecticut. After 35 years as a designer, his focus is now on teaching at Manchester Community College where is is an adjunct professor of Graphic Design, and creating art in his home studio.

Instagram @cuttearscream

For pricing information on Michael’s work, please contact us.

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