Paso Robles artist has first NYC solo exhibit this month
Hope Kroll hand cuts each piece she uses in her collages.
Hope Kroll creates large-scale collages out of books
Paso Robles resident Hope Kroll has been doing collages for the last 15 years. This month marks her first solo exhibit in New York City. Her art is being showcased at the Joseph Gross Gallery in Chelsea neighborhood on Manhattan Island at 548 W 28th St., Ste. 232.
“Temporary Residence” by Hope Kroll is a three-dimensional, hand-cut paper collage that is 20.5 inches by 15.5 inches.
The show is called “Unbound” and composed of new three-dimensional pieces. It was set up early in the month and the opening reception will be held on March 12 from 6 to 8 p.m., an event Kroll and her husband, Gary Kroll, intend to be at. She said the only thing that will keep them away is the harsh winter weather delaying and cancelling flights.
“It’s a pretty big deal for any artist,” Kroll said.
Kroll started working with book sculpture and collage when she was working on earning her Masters of Fine Arts at San Francisco Art Institute in painting in 1992. That led her to create such sculptures for several years, until she “just couldn’t work with the toxic chemicals,” she said. At that time she transitioned into collages, exclusively using books and material from books.
“It started out very simple,” Kroll said, adding that her canvas size was limited to the size of the book page. She started assembling books pages for a larger overall piece about three years ago. The largest one she’s done to date is 30 inches by 30 inches. “What sets my collages apart is they are three-dimensional.”
Kroll and her husband have lived in Paso Robles since 1998. Because he works in the wine industry selling barrels, she said he travels often.
“He stops in absolutely every bookstore in every single town he goes to,” she said about how support he is to her profession. She said she is constantly obtaining stacks and stacks of books through used bookstores, flea markets and eBay. Ebay, she said, is where she gets the majority of her books these days. She also has people give her books.
In creating her works of art, Kroll said she hand cuts the individual pieces she uses in her collages. “I cut every day,” she said.
To see more of Kroll’s work, go to www.hopekroll.com.
