GEORGE SAKKAL, 62, creates an unusual form of collage. Rather than pasting photographs and other images together to form a design, Sakkal goes a step further. He cuts magazine photographs into tiny pieces, so small they are unrecognizable; then he adds the pieces to a white acrylic-coated board using a gel as an adhesive, he said.
The tiny images blend together to form landscapes that range from surrealist to serene, almost as if they had been painted.
Sakkal started developing the technique in 1962, when he was a student at Texas A&M University, and perfected it during the course of 42 years, he said.
"People who see my work stand back and say, `What a beautiful painting,'" Sakkal said. "It's only when you look closely that you can see how it is actually made."
Sakkal's work has been exhibited in many venues, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Gallery K in Washington, and in Baltimore at the Hoffberger Gallery and the Morris A. Mechanic Theater Gallery. He teaches his collage technique at the Columbia Art Center and at Howard Community College.
Sakkal is one of several Ellicott City artists showing work at the Columbia Art Center's sixth annual Singular Sensations exhibit next month. He will show Giclee (archival quality) prints of his work - a seascape, an "urbanscape," and a "spacescape," he said. Each piece contains multiple perspectives.
"In the seascape, you see four parts of the ship at four different times," he said. "You see the imagery of a ship that's going under. You see the interior of the ship, and you see the exterior where it's crashed into a rock reef. ... Off to the right, you see calm water with a seagull flying across the sky."
Everything in the show will be sold for $150 or less.
"It's a great way for everyone to buy some art either as a gift or for their own home," said Rebecca Bafford, the art center's director. "What's exciting about this show is there is such a variety of work. There are so many different media. ... We are amazed every year."
The show is not juried. Anyone who is interested can participate. Some exhibitors have been working on their art their entire lives, and some are just beginning.
David Bagwell, a retired chemistry teacher, began painting furniture two years ago.
"I always enjoyed looking at art and going to museums, so I thought I would try it," Bagwell said. He began with classes in furniture painting taught through the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks. Now he goes to auctions and buys small pieces of furniture on which to work.
