post hiatus

To Whomever Reads this Post,
Once again, I have taken a hiatus recently from posting. If you are one of my followers, I apologize for that. I have been actively involved with pursuing some of my academic/scholarly interests (including my research on nostalgia and grief). I have also been somewhat involved in campus politics again, and that has kept me busy. In addition, the American election of our new President has been...well, more than a little disappointing; and certainly did not contribute to a positive or creative outlook on life. But alas, I am starting to get back into the creative mode and have spent some time in my studio recently. I expect to be spending more time there in the upcoming weeks as well (with a much desired and deserved break from classes). I have some exciting personal art news to share as well, but will do that in a future post.
I went to see the Steve McCurry exhibit here in Utica, NY at the Munson-Williams Proctor Art Institute. I also saw him speak. Both exhibition and talk were REALLY great. The "Afghan Girl" photograph was PHENOMENAL in-person! The reproductions (including the one on the cover of National Geographic in 1985) do not do the photograph justice. Perhaps these latest pieces were subconsciously inspired by McCurry's photography (although his are extremely colorful).
I have always been intrigued by the multitude of variations of blacks and whites when it comes to photographic reproductions which can be found in magazines. Recently I have been interested in using these variations in collage compositions. And of course, I have often used human faces within my compositions as well. The pieces I present here are not meant to be "pretty" (i.e., or necessarily aesthetically-pleasing... although I hope they are in their own ways). I do hope, however, that they are "evocative". At some level, I believe that evocation is the essence of "good" art. The image should evoke emotion... any emotion. Art should also provoke. I hope that these images provoke thoughts.
It feels good to be posting again on monkeybrain! I sincerely thank you for your interest...