Corla Bertrand

Corla pays attention to her nightly dreams, and has had many mystical or visionary experiences during her life—some bidden, some not. Creating collage allows her to meditate on and explore their symbols and archetypes, the language of the collective unconscious, as well as honor these numinosities. Many of her collage pieces come into being this way.

But she also loves to play with color and juxtapose images that strike her as intriguing, paradoxical and/or provocative—in an effort to evoke meaning and highlight the mystery of life.

Corla earned a Master’s degree in East-West Psychology from the School of Consciousness Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco  in 2004.  While doing coursework there, visions involving the homeless led to a powerful heart opening and an ego death of sorts, when she realized on a deep level -- We are all One. Not long after graduation she began a career managing non-profits seeking to help the homeless and the mentally ill.  Now 20+ years later, Corla has retired to pursue art and beauty—within and without.

Corla is a native of far northern California, but she’s also lived for long periods in Alaska, Washington State and Peru.  But now she’s in Eugene and loves it! If not working on collage, reading or cooking, she loves spending as much time as possible in solitude in the wilds—that’s the other way she recharges her batteries.

Corla is grateful to the gifted photographers whose amazing images she has gleaned from discarded and recycled “coffee table books” and calendars for use in her hand-cut collage.  They take time to come to life—as she doesn’t have unlimited images to work with—so they often sit and wait for just the right image to join the others and make things happen. She meticulously hand cuts each image, and colors each edge with permanent ink.  

Corla hopes that her collage will evoke something meaningful within you, and you will want to bring one home to enjoy.

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