PL Burchard-Ballard

Peggy Burchard-Ballard’s collages come from years of acquiring old books, magazines, and abandoned family photos found at flea markets and antique stores. Additional elements come from personal photographs and copyright free images. She uses original images, reproductions, gel transfers, a good collection of paint, glue, and several pairs of sharp scissor as everything is cut by hand. The collages are part process and part play. What does not work in one piece usually finds a home in another.

Between 2016 -2018 much of the collage work was focused on political situations in the United States. Woman’s rights, guns, and anger seemed to be in the forefront of every news or social media situation.

In many ways the collages became my own form of therapy in managing the discomfort that I experienced when exposed to so much negativity in the country where I live and work.

The gel transfers are a combination of an acrylic painting and vintage photographs. The photos are made into a gel transfer and attached to the board that is pre-painted. After it is attached details are added to complete the piece.

On occasion I am asked to create a piece that is based on an individuals personal preference. This usually begin with a conversation to try to know more about the person who is requesting the piece.

These pieces are difficult to create and typically are more expensive then my usual pieces. They take more time, sometimes a long search for and purchase of specific imagery. I only work with pre-1960 imagery, or original photographs; this can make the process challenging.

2020 - 2022 are what I refer to as the years of the plague; however I did not want my work to become consumed by isolation and fear. I tried to focus on the positive and began to work in 3D. Obviously, I reverted to the current events of Covid and other political events that bombard life through social media and the news. The result is a fluctuating between negative and positive outcomes with as much humor as allowed.