Where are you from?
Columbus, OH
What are your hobbies?
I’m usually creating something, photography, dance, and I’m always up for trying something new!
What kind of dance have you done?
I did Jazz and lyrical in high school and then I choreographed in an organization called Ayo at Cedarville University.
When did you start doing collage (is that what you call it?) and why?
I used to call it collage, and then someone called it photo compositing and I think that’s actually more accurate! I started about a year ago now when I got tired of trying to actually be good at hand drawn typography because it was a big thing in my major in college. Eventually, I just realized that wasn’t my gifting and I wasn’t enjoying it, so I tried to incorporate 2 things I love (vintage and photography) and it just snowballed from there!
What are you major inspirations and influencers?
This feels really strange to say but I really do get a lot of inspiration from people I follow on Instagram that do similar vintage composites. There aren’t a whole lot of us, but we do exist!! Specifically, Miss.Printed and greta_visualart. Sometimes I feel like I really geek out over their work in their comments.
If I would have to pick a famous artist, I would say a little bit of Edward Hopper. He wasn’t necessarily a surrealist painter, but I really connect with his using people in the mundane everyday moments and elevating them to art. Like the people in the vintage photos that I use, who would be lost to the world if I didn’t make something new. These people had families and loved ones, and I think it can be really sad to dwell on the idea that no one who knows them may ever see their image again. But this is a way to get it back into the world, even if it is such a small scale. A big part of what I like about using vintage images is the idea of taking something old and forgotten, redeeming it, and making something beautiful out of it.
I love the idea finding a new purpose for these lost images. When you first find an image that you want to work with, what is your process? How do you decide what background to put them in? What story to create?
It has a lot to do with what is going on in my life. I’m not actually sure if people can tell what I’m meaning with what I make, but I feel like it’s putting my personal thoughts out there for everyone to see! I have hundreds of vintage images saved on my computer that I think I may be able to do something with, or even if they just have interesting-looking people in them. When I want to make a new piece, I just go through those and find one that particularly jumps out at me that day. I’ll mask out the background and then choose an image to composite it with. That really kind of is a crap-shoot. I’ll start on unsplash.com and seriously just search things like “unique” or “pretty” or “weird” and then try some of the images with the vintage one. Usually I find something that I want to work more with after 5 images or so, then I just work on trying to make it look as believable as a composite as possible. It can be really hard to make something black and white look like it fits, but I’m always learning!
What is your ideal environment for creating?
I used to work at a coffee shop that I live close to, and I go there every weekend to work on new work or other creative pursuits. I loved working there so much, that when I left… I still “work” there! So I’ll get some good music on and sit next to a window and I won’t leave until I feel like I’ve accomplished something.
What are your future plans for projects/art?
I’m going to try to start selling my pieces. I had been trying to for a bit in the past but ran into some unexpected issues. Just currently working on making a lot of pieces to eventually start selling again! And again, I’m always trying to learn new techniques and try new things. I used to do a lot of monochromatic work, I’ve been trying to push myself to use more colors and brighten things up a bit. I’m sure in a little bit I’ll realize that I’m doing something else a lot of the time too and need to focus on changing that up.
Alyssa Moore is a creator who is still just beginning on her creative journey. In her spare time, she’s working on getting a long promised website of her own work up, soaking in any art she can find, and frequenting many of the antique shops in the Columbus, OH area. Follow her on instagram @alyssa_really.
VAGABOND CITY 