Modernized for Mildness

Troy Dugas' meticulous collages create compelling patterns that look like mandalas or stained glass windows. Dugas' work reflects a sense of the sublime from the mass produced label: "My work is made from vintage product labels I purchase in unused bundles. I cut and arrange this material onto flat surfaces (paper, canvas, or wood) to produce artwork that appear woven. I use repetition, pattern, precision, and scale to distract from the original purpose of the label to sell a product. The material is deconstructed through cutting or shredding and the essential elements of color, shape, and line are utilized in a new way. The immediacy of the graphic label is substituted with aesthetic sensation and contemplation. There is a certain mischievous pleasure in the process of this transformation, and at the same time, a kind of meditation." -- Troy Dugas