What Is Assemblage Art?

Assemblage art is more than a 3D collage. It’s a gathering of forgotten objects, layered stories, and second chances. In my studio in Bath, Maine, I transform found materials into one-of-a-kind assemblage works that hold memory, mystery, and meaning.

Explore Available Works

A short visual introduction to my world of assemblage art.

A Second Life for Found Objects

Assemblage often begins with the things other people overlook: rusted tools, orphaned photographs, bent keys, scraps of paper, lenses, gears, or fragments of everyday life. Individually, these pieces are ordinary. Together, they can become extraordinary.

Each object already carries a history—signs of use, wear, age, or purpose. When placed into a new context, it gains a new voice. It becomes part of a larger narrative, a bigger picture. Assemblage offers these materials a second chance. And often, it offers the artist a second chance too—another way to express something that doesn’t fit neatly into words.

Why Assemblage Resonates

Assemblage art is about connection—between objects, ideas, time, and memory. Viewers are drawn to it because it feels familiar and unexpected at the same time. Assemblage can be:

  • a story you can almost read

  • a quiet memory you can almost place

  • a bold statement about culture, technology, or loss

  • an emotional outlet or expression

  • an adventure through forgotten drawers and dusty shelves

There are no fixed rules. Assemblage is a conversation between artist and materials, past and present. The finished work invites the viewer into that conversation.

Assemblage vs. Other Art Forms

While collage usually lives on a flat surface and painting relies on pigment, assemblage embraces depth, form, and texture. It creates physical space for meaning.

Assemblage is:

  • Three-dimensional — often built in boxes, frames, or on sculptural supports

  • Built from real materials with real histories

  • Both sculptural and narrative

  • A blend of craft, design, and storytelling

  • Uniquely unrepeatable—no two pieces can ever be alike because no two sets of found objects are the same

Assemblage is as much about the story of the objects as it is about the final composition.

Why I Create Assemblage Art

For me, assemblage is an exploration—of memory, decay, renewal, and reclaimed meaning.

Each piece begins with a small spark: a fragment of history, a texture, or a curious object that catches my eye at a flea market, in a toolbox, or in an old drawer. As I build the composition, the story emerges—not because I force it, but because the materials suggest it.

I’m drawn to the tension between precision and accident: measured grids alongside crooked nails, polished glass beside worn paper, mechanical parts next to delicate script. Assemblage invites me to listen, respond, and give these objects a new voice.

Explore Assemblage in Your Own Space

Assemblage isn’t just something to look at—it’s something to live with. These works bring a sense of curiosity and story into a room: a quiet focal point in a study, a conversation piece in a hallway, a memory-laden presence in a living room or library. If you’d like to see how assemblage might fit into your space, explore the pieces currently available:

Each work is built from reclaimed materials, layered surfaces, and quiet narratives—and each one is truly unique.

Learn More About Assemblage Art

Want to go deeper? These articles explore specific aspects of the practice:

If you’d like to see how I’ve put materials together, visit: