All the Past and Futures by Valerie Roybal
10"x8" ($24) | 14"x11" ($60) | 20"x16" ($240) | 30"x24" ($1,200)
In All the Past and Futures, Valerie Roybal masterfully mixes plant life, honeybees, gemlike shapes, calligraphic script and a myriad of other mysterious objects, half-hidden in her diaphanous layers of collage. Some details in the image are in sharp focus, others a soft blur, but all the bits and pieces form carefully crafted phrases in this edition’s visual poetry.
The New Mexico native composes most of her collages from vintage, salvaged or collected materials. To Roybal, working with these materials offers an exciting opportunity for discovery and reinvention. The artist combines sundries with differing nuances, textures or types, connecting disparate elements by arranging them in a single composition. In doing so, she gives new life to the objects she unearths. The power of association immediately comes into play—each element informs the others at hand, to an unexpected effect.
In this case, the whole is not just greater than the sum of its parts—it’s a different animal altogether. New aesthetic, new tone, new traces of meaning unfurl from the superimposed surfaces of her work. The metamorphosis of her found materials is a kind of alchemy. But Roybal’s magic isn’t limited to her ability to turn disparate ingredients into an entirely new whole. At the same time, she transforms seemingly mundane items into objects worth appreciation.
Living with All the Past and Futures, various moments in the work are bound to gradually reveal themselves. Facets that were hidden from you at first will emerge. Roybal’s penchant for discovery is not just a part of her artistic process—it’s ingrained in her images. Give yourself over to exploring this one, and it’ll keep you supplied with a steady stream of small surprises.
With art for everyone,
Jen Bekman + Team 20x200
