When the word ‘collage’ comes to mind, I instantly think of brightly coloured construction paper covered in glue and choppy cut-outs from a teen magazine (in other words, my grade 11 locker door). As such, the notion of ‘collage art’, for many, does not instantly connote something very visually appealing or art-like – that is, until you see the collage artwork of Jackie Bassett.

A frequenter of Montreal art fairs (I discovered her at a Spring Puces Pop event), Bassett has perfected the delicate overlay of drawings and photographs onto maps, sheet music, encyclopaedia pages and more. A variation of colours, patterns and layers immediately grants inherent depth and thoughtfulness to each of her works; the black-and-white timeless images of renowned male figures and beautiful women are splashed across text and/or diagram-filled pages in a stunning way. ‘One-of-a-kind’ does not even begin to describe the uniqueness of each piece. I purchased two encyclopaedia-type pages with prints of falcons and blue-jays overlaying text and photos of the American congress – they are proudly hanging above my desk and they look oh-so-good!

Greeting cards and pretty frame-worthy prints range from $16 to $20. Items can be purchased on the Petal Pop Etsy shop, and while you’re at it, check out Bassett’s blog to see her newest work.

~Tyler Yank