by Kristi W. Colbert

“Bits and Places” is an exhibition of painted paper collage landscapes by Kristi W. Colbert, a Leverett-based mixed media artist inspired by country life in Western Massachusetts, as well as travels and wanderlust beyond. Composed of snippets from the recycle bin and bits of junk mail painted with gouache, colored pencil, and neocolor crayon, Kristi’s work explores and evokes a palpable sense of place, as transportive landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes emerge from reclaimed paper fragments. As a self-identified perfectionist with the world closing in around her at the onset of the pandemic, Kristi turned to collage as an experimental means of breaking out – outside the lines, out of her perfectionism, out of the confines of her home. Right away, she fell in love with the freedom and duality of collage, in both process and aesthetic. It is painterly and sculptural; deconstructive and reconstructive; realistic and abstract; intricate and unfussy. Her work is a record of places traveled, and a map to what lies ahead. And, situated in a time of such global heartbreak and destruction, Kristi’s work is a meditative practice in, and energetic manifestation of, hopefulness and repair – gluing together pieces of a broken world to help remind us all of the beauty that surrounds us. Ultimately, through her work, Kristi invites viewers to revel in multiplicity, sink into the wonder of place, and make meaning from scrap.