Quick Pick: Terry Drahos at ARTSPLACE

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Terry Havlis Drahos, “You Can Be My Cowgirl,” 3D collage, 10" x 10" x 2" (photo courtesy of ARTSPLACE)

Chickens with wrenches. Books — and maybe some little yellow cars — flying through the sky.

Nova Scotia artist Terry Havlis Drahos draws inspiration from the Surrealists for her collages, which feature her own photos and magazine pages assembled into multi-layered compositions. 

Her solo exhibition, Trying to Make Sense, is on now through Aug. 30 at ARTSPLACE Gallery in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.

“On the heels of Dada, Surrealists adopted and adapted collaging and cut-and-paste technique. Much like their 'automatic' approach to painting, these artists relied on the subconscious to produce one-of-a-kind assemblages made of photographs, illustrations, coloured paper, and paint,” said Drahos, who is also a painter.

“Working in a similar method I started with a series of photographs and thousands of magazine pieces, loosely combining images in an effort to organize the randomness into some kind of order. The results are a series of collages combining photographs and magazine clippings assembled together to create new meaning.”

Born in Chicago, Ill., Drahos holds a bachelor of design degree from Southern University and a bachelor of education degree from Acadia and NSCAD Universities. She founded Uncommon Common Art, a public art and education initiative that became a national charity. Her work is also represented by Secord Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Gallery 78 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. ■

Terry Havlis Drahos, Trying to Make Sense, is on view now through Aug. 30 at ARTSPLACE Gallery in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.

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