Extraordinary story of Ion Barladeanu- from tramp to artist

There is an interesting story about Ion Barladeanu- a 63 yr old Romanian tramp whose amazing collages were discovered by a gallery via a stranger/ artist who happen to meet sieving through the same rubbish heap.

Using what he has- alot of trashed magazines and his imagination- he amassed about 1,800 over pieces of collage over the years, with himself being the chief audience.

I love this quote “”If I were reincarnated in another life I would still be making collages, and if I could take them to the moon I would.”

How many of us are so sure of our passion for our work?! Note to self- use what I have and never say die.

The BBC program can be heard here about the documentary film made about this artisit:
The Strand, Tuesday 02 March 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p006czyk

Read more here: Art world swoons over Romania’s homeless genius | World news | The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/26/homeless-romanian-artist