Eau de Henri began with a thrifted posterbook containing six Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec works printed on heavy card stock. Despite a hesitation to use another artist’s repertoire in my work, I was drawn to Lautrec’s color palettes. Larger than anything I previously chose to start a project with, I taped the posters to my apartment walI and at first only observed.

Inspiration finally arrived in the months following my wedding. I struggled with how this life change would now define me. I pondered what it means to be a wife. How would I be the same? How did I want to be different? I put a lot of creative energy into the wedding. Once it was over, what was my next project?

Answering these questions turned into my next project. I considered them while I worked, mixing images from beauty, design, and fashion magazines with Lautrec’s characters. The process gave me the freedom to explore my new role as artist/wife and unveiled ways to further experiment with collage. Some images in the collection are busy with lots of layers. Others are more sparse and let the eye wander instead of dart. I embrace both and appreciate them for allowing me to see in shapes and think in color.