by Laura Nussbaumer Peck

My motto in life and in art is reuse, repurpose. 

In 2023, Year 1 of my stamp work (for the last WOW in Alexandria), I created a piece called He, She, They, collage on cradle board. The used stamps on one half were male faces and on the other were the female faces. It was well displayed at the now defunct Christine’s Restaurant, in the right window. 

Was I totally satisfied with the piece? No: yet I loved the concept and the title. 

In 2024, I was given a stack of unused stamps. A pile of unused sheets of stamps. Who could purchase and keep those stamps? I wondered. 

I decided to create a piece, nature inspired, with green and blue. So, I collaged lines of unused stamps and showed it during The Big Show at the Community Living space. 

Was I totally enthralled with the new piece? Well, not totally. 

Following a wonderfully busy summer, two days ago I finally got the inspiration when I used a black marker. I would only erase some of the stamps and give a new life to the piece  – also because I attended a workshop about Erasure Poetry at the Cline House in June. 

Then I remembered I had a red marker. I love red a lot. You may remember one of my first stamp collages, Rouge? It was one of my favorites. I sold it to a professional for her office. 

Back to the 2025 creation. 

In a few hours, patiently, I chose the faces to hide, and the ones to keep.  The three photos below showcase the work in progress. 

Are you curious to behold the full piece? You’re invited to my November solo exhibition at the Alexandria Library. 

What is your process? Have you edited an older work to create something different, something new? Share with a few images and words: send to cagac.ca@gmail.com