Jim Laugelli is a mixed media collage artist. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and after moving around the country for many years, has settled in Fairhope, Alabama. Jim is a self-taught artist whose work is guided by an intutive approach. He uses a variety of material including: vintage papers, old books, magazine ads, tissue paper and other found ephemera, as well as his own painted papers which are then cut, glued, and layered on a substrate. Acrylic, watercolor crayons, ink, pencil, and more all become the ingredients that help make the final image. Vibrant colors and layered collage elements dominate the work. Whether the images are houses, trees, urban or rural landscapes, or strictly abstract, vivid colors and textures are at play. In a collection Jim calls his "Human Bird Series," he uses images of models from fashion magazines and replaces the model's head with a bird image. Juxtaposing these two elements creates a surrealistic world, a world populated by "human birds," that go about their lives much as we do in our own world. The often whimsical titles provide a setting for the image. The result is a fun, humorous, and playful series, but it might also carry a more significant message at times. "I can not imagine a life without art. Creating, playing, thinking, and letting the muses speak are as vital to me as the air I breathe. It provides me sustenance and enriches life."