Artist: Matt Gonzalez

Title: Leaves on a Meaning-Chase

Medium: Found paper collage

Dimensions: 13 X 16 in

Matt Gonzalez composes his collages from discarded pieces of paper and packaging, which he finds on his walks through the city. "Every one of the scraps," he says, "has its own unique character, not just through its original function and use, but also through the distress of time and erosion." And it's not just the physical properties that interest Gonzalez. Each of these castaway scraps, he explains, is part of a story that gets woven into the unknown subtext of the collage. "I like the notion of repurposing or transplanting a carton that used to carry cigarettes or soda into a work of art. It's a reminder of what is possible: second chances, a degree of redemption."

The different lines and shapes that emerge from collaging the trimmed materials fall into structured landscapes that the viewer may spontaneously try to translate into familiar figures, say the outline of a cityscape, circuit board, or labyrinth. But as soon as we think we have identified a recognizable pattern, it vanishes, morphs into some other idea of order, which in turn will dissolve and change anew. Gonzalez's collages are kaleidoscopes of the mind.