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Kristi Abbott

Many artists create collage in their work. Among them is Kristi Abbott. Abbott depicts beloved icons and landscapes with materials from around the globe in her vivid artwork. Her work is influenced by pop art, pop culture, Hollywood, music, and fashion, as well as games from childhood.

As a collage artist, Abbott is fascinated with the use of color, pattern, and texture and tries to combine these elements in her work in an innovative and exciting way using a combination of surfaces, adhesives, papers, and materials to embellish each collage. She applies layers over layers in her collages, which often include other thematic elements within them. She likes including hidden images and icons in her amazing collages.

Watch the video Collage Artist Kristi Abbott (6:37) to learn more about this present-day artist. PBS login information.


Kristi Abbott's Collages

Prince

In Abbott's work Prince below, there are 73 hidden images, encompassing references to his music, albums, influences, loves, and life in this collage. Can you find them?


© Abbott, Kristi. Prince. 2016. Pop Icons Series. Image used with permission of the artist. Open a larger version of the Prince collage here.

Open the larger version of the Prince collage here. If you need help locating the different hidden images throughout the Prince collage, open the image map to the Prince collage.


Humpty Dumpty

In addition to pop culture icons, Abbott has a series of collages based on traditional nursery rhymes. Here's what she had to say about creating this series:

"When creating the art works all the memories and mental pictures came flooding back from those I'd conjured up over my early years spent sitting on my grandmother's lap listening to bedtime nursery rhymes, fairy tales and stories for hours."


© Abbott, Kristi. Humpty Dumpty. Nursery Rhymes Delights Series. Image used with permission of the artist.
Open a larger version of the Humpty Dumpty collage here.


Minneapolis Skyline

Using 'hidden images' in her collages was inspired by Abbott's love of completing Where's Waldo? books, "Spot the Difference" games, and intricate jigsaw puzzles during her childhood. Another collage she created using hidden images features the Minneapolis, Minnesota, skyline, shown below. This collage of her hometown includes over 40 hidden images of Minneapolis buildings, attractions, notable residents, and sports teams. Can you find them all?


© Abbott, Kristi. Minneapolis Skyline. 2016. Image used with permission of the artist.
Open larger version of the Minneapolis Skyline collage here.

Can you spot the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture that we learned about earlier in this unit? It's one of noteworthy attractions Abbott included in this collage.

Open the larger version of the Minneapolis Skyline collage here. If you need help locating the different hidden images throughout the Minneapolis Skyline collage, open the image map to the Minneapolis Skyline collage.

 

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