SAXTONS RIVER — GorMatt StrangePeak: Great Art Undone is a book compiling three years of collage making by two Saxtons River residents, artist Matthew Peake and poet Gordon Korstange.
Using techniques of surrealism such as chance, collaboration, and spontaneity, the two have crafted colorful collages that have been attributed to a fictional artist named “GorMatt StrangePeak” residing in the imaginary obscure village of “Happenstance, Vermont.”
Each collage, many made from randomly cut images of great art calendars, includes a parody of a museum label, written by the fictional curator, Jayne Doescent, as well as by other residents of Happenstance.
They are said to be “displayed” in and around the village to make it a “living gallery,” and are just now collected in book form.
Great Art Undone offers a collection of collages and humorous anecdotes about art making, artists, art critics, and people living in a surreal society - even during a pandemic.
The book also includes instructions for readers to make their own collaborative collages “for fun and profit.”