The Necklace

Reimagining an Old Diary

The Art of Collage and Pause

A mixed-media collage created on a lined 2018 A4 diary page. Features orange square cutouts, pale blue and grey paper shapes, black ink brushstrokes, and soft smudged textures, arranged in a flowing composition that resembles a necklace.

I've always been fond of collage—its playful, unexpected nature and the quiet "what if" questions it poses. This piece was made on an unused diary page from 2018, A4 in size. Instead of dates and meetings, I filled it with colour and shape: small rust-orange squares cut from painted paper, abstract forms in soft neutrals, sweeping brushstrokes in black ink. The composition feels almost like a necklace strung on a cord—connected, rhythmic, and anchored in movement.

Collage is often how I return to my creative self when things feel too planned or rigid. I'll stop what I'm doing and let materials lead the way. These spontaneous hours build into a language of their own. A visual journaling that bypasses words.

There's a sense of calm that comes from assembling pieces that don't belong, and yet suddenly do. This piece is one of many I've made this way—layered with colour, suggestion, and possibility

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