Relieved

I have felt like I have been in a bit of an artistic productivity slump over the last couple months. I've been busy teaching collage and have done some work... but not like I had been used to doing. This morning I worked on a piece for which I have had some of the "essential" elements for MANY months. I had my coffee and just started working without getting too "anxious" about creating something. FINALLY I finished this piece and I'm pretty happy with it. It measures 10 x 14" unframed and is entitled "Mods on Mars". I feel in a way that I have broken through the "block" a bit. I'm excited to get more done! Enjoy!

auction and searching

I guess you just never know when you're gonna come across cool images that will be potential collage elements. This magazine called "The American" (an issue from 1954) included all of the pages of images shown here! Don't know if any or all of these will make it into my collages... but you must admit, they're pretty interesting images. Enjoy!

behind the scenes

Thought I would just post a couple of shots of me preparing for the Dinner 'n' Collage event. Getting the substrates ready for the collages we did is a bit of a time-consuming process. I learned the technique from Jonathan Talbot. Although my composition area is 4 inches instead of the 3-inch area Jonathan uses. The technique allows an individual to create quite an impressive small collage (even if they have had no prior artistic experience). Part of that comes from the fact that it is a substrate that "allows" the creator to ignore the edges of the substrate (although some folks really still 'look' for the edges). The technique also emphasizes "framing" of a piece. So anyway, not all that exciting, but here I am prepping the 300lb watercolor paper. Enjoy!

Black Gryphon "Dinner 'n' Collage"

My good friend Anthony Morgan is the owner (and chef) of The Black Gryphon. He is an amazing patron of the arts as he regularly features visual artists, musicians and thespians at the restaurant. He also is committed to fund-raising for various worthy causes. On Monday, he hosted a "Dinner 'n' Collage" event with me as the "collage director". I think the event went well and folks created some interesting pieces. Here are some photos. Enjoy!

Ekphrastic piece

This piece was created in response to the following poem by my colleague Dr. Gary Leising, in the English Department at  Utica College (I will re-post a better photo in the next day or two... I was just excited to get this posted now):

I have heard of people being born with tails or webbed feet,

so why do you not believe I have a lizard tongue

darting out then in, in then out, testing the air,

tasting the scent of meat on a neighbor’s barbecue.

I tell my wife the cut of pork—loin—the sauce’s

flavor—honey garlic—before my fleshy forked tongue

runs the rim of my thin, nearly nonexistent lips.

Why must it be forked? I wonder at the mirror,

why a snake- or Komodo-dragon-like thing

for years scaring away clients on sales calls, women

in singles bars folding a tiny clutch under an arm,

scooting with Scotch or a martini to a dim corner spot?

I want so little – not even a human tongue,

but a chameleon’s, a long, precise projectile;

from ten feet I could hit Roosevelt’s nose

on a dime. As the daiquiri-drinking busty

blonde moves away, she won’t know what hits her,

a fleshy arrow suctioning to the highest point

of her model perfect, lightly rouged high cheekbone.

more student work

Just thought I'd post a couple more collages that my students have made in our 1-credit collage course here at Utica College. They're doing some really nice work (and they're really enjoying it too, methinks). Enjoy!