Sea View, paper collage, 2025

I recently scooped up a vintage book of undersea photographs at a local antique shop. The backdrop of Sea View is my favorite image in that book. In fact, it’s actually a two-page spread. In the image above, I edited the final scanned collage to remove the center seam where the two pages meet. That isn’t something I normally do. Indeed, it’s rare that I digitally edit my collage art, especially in a significant way. But in this case, I felt the seam was too distracting and that it may actually detract from the composition.

I don’t know, though. It might just be me. I may have been so focused on the seam–so fixed on determing whether or not it was distracting–that it was all I could see. (I hate when that happens.) It’s also possible, I think, that the seam could give the collage more of a handmade feel. I’m torn; so, I thought I’d ask you all for some feedback. I love Sea View and would like to have prints made and added to my Etsy shop. Which version should I use–edited or unedited? I’m not particularly attached to either version, so feel free to be honest.

Thanks in advance. I hope you enjoy these experiments in collage art.