Art Sharing #6: Karin Collins (miniature collages, jewelry) (Reply)

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Karin Collins
(contemporary)

Karin's work speaks to me of healing through self-expression, not only because that was her reason for beginning this art, but because I believe every person who choses to wear one would also be healing themselves through self-expression. Each spoon collage is a microcosm of meaning; I imagine it would be especially meaningful for those who have suffered EDs, but not only for them. All of us have to learn how to nourish ourselves with positivity -- these look like spoonfuls of magic, and having one around your neck would be a constant reminder to drink in the beauty of life, and not let it pass you by.

"Fashion was the last thing on my mind when I began experimenting with using spoons as the canvas for the collages. I was looking for a way to heal myself from the eating disorder, and fashion sort of found me and became a part of that."

"I started SpoonFed Art as a business in late 2004, but it originated out of therapy I was receiving for a long-term eating disorder. I had been seeing an eating disorders counselor for about a year when she gave me an assignment to make a collage that told the story of where I was and where I wanted my life to go. That was in 2002, and it took me a year (yes, a year!) to start the collage, but as I worked on it, it took on a life of its own and I was truly amazed at the end result. I started making other collages and eventually they made their way onto spoons, finally evolving into the spoon pendants."

"A lot of things came together to make it happen, but the end result is that the spoon pendants were an extension of the collages I had been making. It sounds funny but when I started making the pendants, I didn't think about the eating disorder and the symbolism involved with using an eating utensil as the medium. I was just experimenting with different mediums for my collage projects and it just sort of happened. When I realized what I was doing, using something that you use to "feed" yourself to make jewelry, it seemed really appropriate – and kind of funny! It really reflected what I was working on personally."