“I look to create movement and a sense of space through images, words, facades, colors and designs,” explains Dallas-based artist Debbie Klein. “My process is a combination of techniques found in collage, screen printing, photography, painting and graphic design.” The works resulting from this multidisciplinary practice, which often consist of thematically related images arranged into long vertical, horizontal or rectangular assemblages, use bold colors, text and abstract shapes to connect otherwise disparate spaces like urban scenes, dramatic landscapes, found objects, street signs and graffiti.
By layering so many photos and graphic elements, Klein creates quasi-impressionistic compositions that offer dizzying, repeatedly reflected and disorienting views of bustling city streets and fleeting glimpses of urban ephemera. In addition to their incredible dynamism, though, her images manage to convey a sense of order, a formal balance that seems rooted in her use of abstract elements. Grounding bustling activity with clean lines, she finds harmonic balance in carefully composed urban delirium.