SUNDAY Collage Sessions (8-100yrs)(Max 7 people)

How about spending a bit of your Sunday at Montsalvat, where you/your friends/family/team/celebration crew come dabble in the arts of contemporary collage where I will show you why it is so much FUN, totally addictive and incredibly LIBERATING to cut up just about anything to recreate whatever's in your mind!

Work at your own pace during the 3 hours as you explore your imagination while hanging with other like-minded, inquisitive individuals. I'll be there all the way to guide you, when needed.

PS. for on/OFF-site workshops also welcome (perfect for schools/work team building/parties/gifts/special events).

~{*!*}~           Who/what this is GREAT for           ~{*!*}~

Super Curious, Creative Individuals

Inventors

Explorers

Family Bonding

Date Night

Friend Groups

Thoughtful Gift(s)

Company/School Team Building

Mental Wellbeing

Special, Small Gatherings

Storytellers

My background:

Growing up, I have found solace in cutting up and creating my own pieces.

As an extrovert-introvert, I LOVE gathering fellow creatives, but also need loads of time to do my own thing. So, being alone together with nice tunes playing in the background while being in the creative flow, is my idea of heaven. It's like finding CALM amongst the CHAOS, because, in the end, the world is a collage that we just need to piece together in our own, unique way so it makes sense to us. 

That's why collaging is brilliant for social anxiety, overwhelm and general get-to-know-others in an unawkward way. 

Sourcing & making different imagery by regrouping and pairing them with new elements, speaks to me as a natural-born storyteller.

It's a magical & fantastical thing to be able to form A WHOLE from so many incredibly different pieces, and to this day, I still get surprised by how every single artpiece takes on a life of its own, mostly completely different from what I initially had in mind for it!

My motivation & experience:

This meditating act of cutting & curating imagery is like being in the eye of a storm: C O L L A G i N G  calms & grounds me. 

That's how STORYHOLDING was born and how I finally embraced a long-overdue temptation by MONTSALVAT to set up my studio there.

It wasn't long, and I soon had the honour to partake in various group exhibitions, as well as having my very first solo exhibition: LONGING & BELONGING.

What I want to OFFER you in this workshop:

• Let's rescue those beautiful, old books and magazines no one's looking at anymore and give them a new platform from where they'll be APPRECIATED ONCE AGAIN IN A NEW LIGHT (a bit like a makeover for old/discarded/damaged things and regrouping/blending them with new "friends/families").

• Let me   O P E N   U P   your world to a    N E W     level of communication & expression where you're only limited by your imagination.

What will you NEED?

ALL materials will be provided, except... 

THE most magical ingredient of all, your...

~{*!*}~  c u r i ø S i t y ~{*!*}~

Oh, and also an appetite for diving
d

             e

                      e

                e
e

                                        e

                                                 p

                                         L
                                     y

    into an

                      *~ a l t e r n a t e ~* 

reality of 

d e c o n stru c ting
&
re c o n st ruc ti n g

paper images sourced from my eclectic collection of vintage, artistic and intriguing 

pieces from: 

children's storybooks

picture encyclopedias

National Geographics

calendars

old cards

interesting flyers

art/magazines, etc.

You're also welcome to bring along any images/books you may like to donate/share/work into your creation.

The GOAL of this class:

• To learn about & try out different contemporary collage techniques;

• To get away from screens and embrace the surreal reality of analog art-making;

• To help let go of expectations so you're NOT paralysed by perfectionism. To embrace organised chaos. This means NOT focusing on the final piece, but rather, the actual JOURNEY of getting to it (who knows, your plans for the final product may change about a million times as new ideas keep being bourne from your process!);

• To help you express ideas/feelings/emotions/views artistically in an incredibly accessible, diverse & tangible way;

• You don't have to be a painter, illustrator, writer, poet, sculpture or of any other artistic discipline in order to be able to collage... however, if you are, contemporary collage will be a great contribution to your already-chosen form(s) of art discipline(s);

• To bring you into the present moment in a safe, accepting space. It's incredibly healing when we get to work with our hands;

• To ease loneliness, whether it's bringing you back to a place of compassion for yourself or for others. Collage-making is full of imperfections and flawed/false starts, with the reward as the SURPRISING outcome of your creation that ended up taking shape! We get to be alone together, where we work on our own pieces, but also share in the process in whichever way we choose.

Age & competence level:

• People of 8-100 yrs old 
• Anyone who's competent to SAFELY work with scissors, is welcome. 

Hi, my name is Rochelle Van Der Merwe

As multi-disciplinary artist, I find exploring ideas through storytelling with imagery & words 

via contemporary collage 

a very effective way of connection 

&

creating a sense of 

BELONGING.

Collage allows us to deconstruct & reconstruct the world how we see it. 

It gives you an opportunity to 

create a new universe, 

irrespective of how 

small 

or 

large 

it 

is. 

I am especially drawn to how contemporary collage gives new life &meaning 

to pre-used books and imagery, 

so they no longer lie alone in the corner and gather dust. 

We already have so much in this world, 

so collage offers 

an opportunity 

to 

waste less 

& 

rebuild.

My studio, 

named STORYHOLDING 

is located at the pool in

MONTSALVAT, Australia's oldest continuously active artists' community. 

In fact, 

it's my MOST FAVOURITE room 

in 

the 

whole, wide world. 

Read all about it HERE!

My work has been featured in both SOLO & group exhibitions

As an immigrant from South Africa & as a trauma survivor,
I am passionate about using art-making 

as a way to thread our connection back to
our authentic selves
&
true expression.


What drives me, is to share & learn, 

which is why teaching has always 

drawn me like a magnet.