Last Friday's WeekendArts sections of the New York Times had opening page collages by Lou Beach that reminded me of Surrealist stage designs done by Christian Berard in the 1950s. The deep perspective and inviting colors made me want to see a dance performance, go to a flick or read a good book. So I emailed Lou to ask about his art and process. Here's the conversation:

Peggy Roalf: How do you go about collecting material for your collages? Is there a place in LA like the Strand Bookstore here in New York?

Lou Beach: I go to flea markets, eBay and garage sales for the old stuff, but if I need photographic images for a job that demands them, I have an extensive digital image bank and I use online sources like Dreamstime. Often the client will provide pictures if there are rights involved. I also photograph things I need, and my wife, Issa Sharp, is a photographer so I enlist her help as well.

There is nothing like the Strand here anymore. There was a great store on Hollywood Boulevard run by a native New Yorker, Alan Siegel. It was called Book City. Alan would let me borrow old books and get C-prints or stats made of images I wanted. The old used magazine and bookstores have dwindled to a handful in L.A.

Three by Lou Beech, left to right: Big C; World of Men; Thanksgiving. Copyright and courtesy of the artist.

PR: Do you have a huge library of reference materials - and how do you keep your stuff organized?

LB: I have flat files and cabinets and boxes full of material as well as a library of books exclusively for scanning and cutting up. I have things organized in general categories for the illustration work, but for the hands-on collages I have great faith in the subconscious to lead me to a picture. I will cull through piles of unorganized scrap and let things develop by combining images to see if there's a marriage.

It's a mysterious and surprising process and it keeps things fresh. I suppose there's a certain schizophrenia at play here. If I'm working toward a solution to an illustration, I will use images pertaining to the assignment, but if it's my personal work, there is no "assignment", no mandated images to be used, and the deadline is undefined, except for "when it's finished, it's finished."

PR: Was the art for Friday's NY Times a knife-and-glue job?

LB: Not that work, no. Most editorial assignments I get are deadline driven and don't always allow me the time to look through the mass of print material I have. It's easier to go to my digital sources where things are more categorized and easily accessible. The two pieces in the upcoming Society of Illustrators exhibit were done with a razor blade and glue pot. (Those are not drug references.)

I've gone back to my old collage methods in the last couple of years, most often for personal work, and I'm having a great time with it, enjoying the hands-on activity again. The computer is a very seductive and useful tool, but there is great satisfaction in using my hands and shifting from foot to foot looking at the picture come to life on my big table. But I suppose the tool doesn't matter.....if you don't have an idea you may as well be using an ax.

PR: What kind of glue do you like best? And what kind of paper for the support?

LB: I'm fond of Itoya O'Glue. It's a liquid gel stick. Also Yes! paste. I use archival inkjet paper sometimes, but I really like old cardboard the best. Lots of times there is no support paper or board, just the glued together cut-outs

PR: What do you listen to while working?

LB: My musical tastes are omnivorous....blues, jazz, country, reggae, classical. Sometimes I watch Judge Judy or The People's Court while working. Often just the voices in my head keep me company, though they can get loud and demanding.

PR: What's coming up for you in 2010?

LB: Well, I won a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators and a couple of my collages are in that exhibit, which opens today. I've got two exhibits lined up, one in Dallas at the 4th Wall Gallery and one in Burbank at Nickelodeon's gallery. Both of my kids, Alpha Lubicz who's 29 and Sam Lubicz, 21, will be showing with me. It's a little intimidating...they are both prodigious talents and seem to make things with great ease, while each piece I create is like pushing a cow through a cat door.

I'll be adding a store to my website this year to sell prints and t-shirts and lampshades. But perhaps more exciting is my venture into short fiction writing. By March my site will have a place for visitors to listen to my stories, which will be read by some actor friends.

PR: What's the nicest thing an art director ever said to you?

LB: There isn't anything that comes to mind readily, but I have a vague memory of someone saying something about "genius." I could be wrong. I get a lot of "easy to work with", "so quick with a concept", etc. and I'm grateful for anyone willing to work with me.

PR: What's the nicest thing you ever said to an art director?

LB: "It's not your fault....I hate the editor, too."

PR: Have you always been a cut-up?

LB: Yes, humor plays a large part in my life, otherwise I'd be weeping all the time. A book of my work came out a few years ago titled Cut It Out.

Illustrators 52: Sequential and Uncommissioned Art runs at Society of Illustrators through January 23rd. The opening reception and awards presentationis Friday, January 8. Click for information. 128 East 63rd Street, New York, NY. 212.838.2560. Click to visit Lou Beach's website.

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