Rest in peace - Jennifer Galbraith

Here's a photo of the woman who apparently committed suicide and the beautiful collages she created. She was part of the small group of people in my collage workshop last month.

Ghost in the machine?

Recently, I entitled a post "Synchronicity", so I thought I would stay with the "Police" theme and label this one "Ghost in the machine". Whilst prepping some materials for collage this past weekend (i.e., coating with acrylic medium), I noticed something interesting to me. I have shown this image previously in a post discussing the treasure trove of potential elements from the set of photography encyclopedia that a friend recently gave me. But here's the cool part (ghost in the machine? synchronicity?). I noticed that on the back of the industrial pipe photo was a photo of a guy jumping to his death out of a building. I thought perhaps this might be a macabre image I could use in some collage. The potential problem was that if I use the pipe, would that preclude me from using the man. The issue of using images from opposite sides of a page is fairly common. I can test this by holding the page up to one of my studio lights to determine if the images overlap. Unfortunately, they do. BUT, check out the juxtaposition of the images. It looks like the man is starting his travels through the industrial pipe. Kinda cool methinks! Hmmm, I wonder if I could make a "see-through" collage of some sort.

Weirdly and sadly, two other synchronous things that happened: just last night my friend Tom left me a message that he was listening to the Police's "Ghost in the Machine" that I had let him borrow last week and just last night I got word that an acquaintance of mine from PA was found dead of a single gunshot wound; presumably a suicide. Very sad...

"There's nothing" trimmed and placed

Not sure I made the right decision to cut off the dental terms. but here it is...

something different

Well, once in a while I think it's healthy to do something completely different; to explore some "unchartered territory". This composition is definitely a little different for me. I think it's a strong composition in terms of being provocative. I haven't put anything down yet, but I am enjoying playing ;-)

Synchronicity(?) and the case of the goat lighter!

After posting the photo of "Paddling Down Goat River" on Facebook this morning, I went down to Byrne Dairy to get half-and-half for MC's coffee. While checking out, I noticed this lighter. I just had to buy it! Before last night, I had never included a goat in any of my collages (see previous post) and I have never seen a goat on a lighter before. Weird. These kinds of synchronous events seem to happen to me OFTEN. But is it truly weird? I have come to believe that the explanation of these kinds of coincidences lies in the fact that as part of my attention deficit disorder, I am distractible, but then become aware of more of my surroundings that perhaps other might. I don't really know. It would be interesting to see whether artists in general are more aware of their surroundings and/or are more able to "make connections" between these stimuli. There is certainly some research literature which suggests this to be the case. Regardless, I'm loving the journey through the life and my awareness of my environmental stimuli!

"Paddling Down Goat River"

Here's a piece I completed last night. I have shown it with and without the accent elements. As a teacher at heart, I like to illustrate points that I think are important. Without the accent elements in the lower left portion of the composition, the balance of the piece seems a little bit "off". With the accents, the balance is established, both with color and with "weight" in general (I hope).

"Dinner 'n' Collage" at The Black Gryphon

We had another successful "Dinner 'n' Collage" event at The Black Gryphon in Elizabethtown, PA on Monday evening. Owner Anthony Morgan is a good friend of mine and is an avid supporter of the arts. He hosts many events at The Black Gryphon, specializing in live original musical performances and unique dinner theater events. He also features a new artist every quarter in the dining room and charges no commission (a rarity these days indeed). His philosophy is that new artwork is appreciated by his patrons and enhances the establishment as well as the artists. This past Monday, I offered a collage experience after folks finished their dinners. This is the second time Anthony and I have done this event. I am always impressed with the quality of the pieces that are produced. This time around, my favorites consisted of a pair made by Kim Seilhamer Moses in honor of her mother who battled and finally succumbed to breast cancer. Understandably, she was pleased with the outcome...