Thinking about it...

Well, I'm not exactly sure how to describe this process; but I've been thinking about combining a couple of elements I can across recently (in a pile I have accumulated for A WHILE) several times this week. I recognized that the color, patina an spatial configuration were "congruent". So it didn't take long tonight to put together a sketch I had had in my mind. Inspired, no doubt, by the work of John Stezaker. I should show you the original elements by themselves... but I didn't photograph those tonight. So here is just the combined image... monochromatic gray. I rather like it!

Another phase

Last year I read a post on someone's blog that they didn't like viewing blogs that were just photos of artwork. I tend to like that myself. This particular blogger was looking for more "meaty" entries from bloggers. I think this entry might "qualify" for what he was talking about...
Lately, I feel as though I am going through another "phase" in my creative journey. I don't think it's necessarily a negative phase, but it has been a bit bothersome as of late. At this point, I am just trying to "go with the flow" a little bit and deal with what I'm experiencing (hoping to learn from it). Let me explain. Over the past several years I have had MANY successes as a collage artist (more than I could have ever dreamt of 10 years ago)! It really has been great! As I have grown as a collagist, so has my workspace. I used to work in the space of half of one of our guest bedrooms. I moved up into our attic space for a short while; and now have quite a sprawling area in the basement (space heater in the winter; de-humidifier in the summer). Over the past several years I have also collected (accumulated) hundreds of magazine and scores of books from which I cull the elements for my collages. One of my favorite things to do when I have limited time or when I am not feeling particularly creative, is to peruse my vintage magazines and books and tear out the pages with the most compelling images for collage. This has lead me to have a stack of hundreds of pages of awesome elements from which to choose for collage creation. So this all sounds "good", right? What's the "phase", Monkeybrain? I think a combination of recent continued success and the presence and awareness of so much interesting raw materials has resulted in a feeling of being a bit overwhelmed or intimidated. I like to be the "driven" individual I am, both in my profession as a college professor and as a collagist; but sometimes I think I "put too much pressure" on myself. When I descend into my studio area, lately I have been feeling like I "have to" create something "really good". Or I get the feeling like I should be using the many great elements that I have RIGHT NOW! It seems like I have lost the Zen of my collage experience. This makes it difficult to enter what Csikszentimihalyi refers to as "flow". I write this post not to "whine" or to seek sympathy; but rather to share my experiences. I am assuming that some of my readers have experienced (or may be experiencing) this phase at some point in their creative journey. Perhaps it will be a good feeling to know that you are "not alone". I am referring to my feelings as a "phase", because I am also assuming that "this too shall pass". I am trying to learn from this experience and potentially grow from it. I believe I had a similar phase some years ago when I was playing more music. Occasionally I would feel "pressure" when I got together with my musician friend Goody to play guitar (after not having played for a while). We would put TOO much pressure on ourselves to "play something cool". This pressure inhibited "flow" and resulted in less-than-satisfying jam sessions sometimes. Once we worked through it and found a space where we could relax and enjoy the moment, the music "flowed" again. I trust that this will be my experience with collage as well. I suspect that this kind of phase is common in many domains. I have often heard  professional golfers say that their game "came around" again after they started enjoying it. All that being said, I did spent some intense time in my studio last night cleaning and re-organizing some stuff AND experimenting with some sketches. I wouldn't want to post this entry without any images... so here are some of last night's sketches. Thanks for your indulgence in hearing about my latest "phase" ;-)

Kolaj article

I'm very excited to have an article in the latest issue of Kolaj magazine. The article is about "minimalist" collages and features artwork by two of my favorite collagists -- John Hundt and John Stezaker. I am working on another article about legal issues related to collage (and other appropriative art forms).

Thoughtsgiving 2015!

This is the 6th year anniversary of a holiday that I created with a couple colleague of mine (Brad Emmons and Jason Denman)! We celebrate with a couple of pints at one of my favorite local watering holes (The Green Onion in Utica, NY). Each year I have made commemorative lapel pins for the occasion. This year's pins (there are a total of 14 of them) were made from a vintage class photograph (I would guess circa 1920). I also wanted to acknowledge support for the French after the recent tragedies in Paris. I have entitled the "Meme Pensee" ("Same Thoughts").

in shock

I feel compelled to post to honor and support a city I love. Wishing everyone in Paris the strength to face this day and peace as we continue our journey into the future...

Main Street Arts (Clifton Springs, NY)

I unapologetically am putting in a plug for this wonderful gallery in central New York State. The opening reception for the 2nd Annual Small Works Exhibit (juried) was this past Saturday. There were 148 works (culled from 600 entries) from folks from all over the United States. The works were WONDERFUL... not really a "dog" in the entire group! The juror was Rebecca Rafferty, artist and staff writer for Rochester CITY newspaper, and she chose a diverse body of work representing many media (including a number of collages!). Brad and Melissa did a great job hanging the works and hosting the reception (which was packed!). The show is up until the end of December and I would highly encourage anyone to stop by this quaint town in the Finger Lakes region of New York for a wonderful visual treat. There's a very nice restaurant called Warfield's, right across the street for your dining pleasure as well. The 2nd and 5th image are actually collages.

monkeybrain, oh monkeybrain

Ugh... most every night I wake up at around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning with thoughts... thoughts racing in my brain. It's very difficult to "turn them off" (almost impossible, it seems) and it's mostly annoying. But SOMETIMES it results in something positive. I've been thinking A LOT lately (even during my waking hours) about the implications (legal and psychological) of using old yearbook photos in my collages. I will be presenting a paper at this year's Southern Humanities Conference (in Louisville, KY, USA) addressing these concerns. At this WONDERFUL conference, we also have an "open mike" night which usually involves poetry readings by members of the group. Last year, I was honored to be part of those readings. I have already posted one of the poems that I will read this year (entitled "Visage"), but am interested in developing two or three others. Last night when I was unable to get back to sleep, I worked on another poem in my head. I didn't want to "lose" some of the phrasing that was coming racing in my head, so I got up and actually started the writing process on this ekphrasic piece. I "reserve the right" to edit the poem, but am pretty pleased with what I have so far. I would prefer that you read the poem; and then re-read it once you have seen the collage below.

Thrall

Across the miles of time,

we meet, by chance.

… or perhaps better than chance;

albeit petite probabilities

The children rummage;

themselves adults;

and remind their children,

that your name was Mary

We’re looking

at the same moon this evening

We’re wondering

what happened across time

The narrative has

inevitably been changed.

Seemingly surreal,

but still grounded in the real

Am I taking advantage

of your beauty?

Like plucking and pruning a rose?

An alternative to obscurity?

Your granddaughter

walks into the room,

surprised to see you…

with Phillipe!?

A black-and-white world

has turned to the color of the fall,

of the buildings,

of the miles of time.