A Rainbow of Paper in Thank You, Omu!

            Oge Mora’s Thank You, Omu! is a masterful display of skill and knowledge of the collage medium. Working with an endless array of paper in all colors, prints, and textures, Mora’s art is a master class on creating flat images that still feel full of movement and dimension. The fact Mora supplements her primary medium with acrylic paint, marker, and pastel while still allowing her collage work to take strong central focus is on display in Thank You, Omu! to great affect.

The page in which Omu ladles soup for the little boy is a good example of how Mora’s choices both add to collage and allow it to do what it does best. In the shape of Omu herself, there is a dimensionality created by the visible paper outlines and shadows, particularly around her arm and hands. The visible seams of the work create a unique depth and texture. In addition to the paper’s natural dimension, Mora has added shading in black pastel under Omu’s chin, under her shirtsleeve, and to her arm behind the little boy.  

The paper choices Mora makes also add texture to the image. Some paper is printed, such as the red floral soup, the map print pot holder, and the abstract printed blue mug. The bowls and sleeve of Omu’s shirt are flat paper, and other pieces look to be flat with added paint and pastel texture. The illustration’s background is a rose pink paper, with shading crosshatching created with pastel, in incredibly close colors so as to be nearly invisible. The tablecloth is given a more visible pattern in pastel, suggesting a gingham weave and enhancing the existing texture of the paper.

Mora blends media as a means of enhancing the primary medium of the illustration. In spite of the additions to her paper works, they still are immediately recognizable as collage, and feel organic and dynamic in dimension and texture.

Works Cited

Mora, Oge. Thank You, Omu!. Viking 2018.

Stats: CIP Fall 2022, Laramie Hearn. Installment #1: Artistry. 318 words.