January Collage I

Colored Pencil and Photocopy Collage

Internal Connections

Your steadfast love extends to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the clouds
For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light

I will not keep silent
      about what I see, what I believe
I will not rest
      till I see, till I believe

Each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good

Some utter wisdom
      Some knowledge
Some have faith
      Some gifts of healing
Some work miracles
      Some prophesy
Some discern the spirit
      Some interpret

Our internal connections are just as the spirit chooses

I will not keep silent
      about what I see, what I believe
I will not rest
      till I see, till I believe

Your steadfast love extends to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the clouds
For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light



-adapted from Psalm 36:5,9, Isaiah 62:1, and 1 Corinthians 12: 7-11

Image: Internal Connections

Mixed Media Collage

Just What It Seems To Be

It is time to take a moment and acknowledge a fine line that must be walked when on a search for meaning - especially when one is exploring meaning in visual images. The simple truth is this: sometimes things are just what they seem to be. Sometimes there is not a deeper meaning implied in a composition or image or in the unique juxtaposition of objects. Sometimes, like the scratchboard image below of a band clamp, an image is just a visual interpretation or exploration of an object and serves no greater purpose.

I say this by no means to dissuade the search for connection, meaning and revelation in encounters with art. I say it instead as a call to mindfulness in those encounters. A mindfulness that brings awareness to what is presented - acknowledging it for what it is, gleaning from it what one may and letting it be simply what it is when a search for significant meaning and purpose seems fruitless.

Having said this I must also acknowledge that rarely will an image exist that is devoid of meaning or connection, even in some small way, for someone who encounters it. We are, after all, people living our lives from moment to moment carrying with us the infinite stories and experiences from each past moment which feed into each next moment creating context, connection and continuity. With all of those connections playing into each encounter it is very possible that someone may have a memory jarred by a seemingly benign image inducing an unexpected emotional response and there by imbuing that image with meaning.

Of course by now you can see why I call this is a fine line to walk - because even when something is created without intentionally implied meaning it is in the mysterious nature of art to reach out to us when we encounter it and stir within us memory, connection and meaning. In the opposite vein sometimes a piece of art, created with meaning in mind, does not move us but instead leaves us emotionally flat. We all bring different experiences into each encounter and what works in one moment for one person may not work for another but the moment remains valid for each just the same.

And so we must carry on searching for meaning where we can, encountering meaning when it sneaks up on us and letting meaning rest when things are just what they seem to be.

Band Clamp

Scratchboard

Found Collages

Collage as an artform is a unique and flexible medium. It allows independent images and forms to come together and create a new whole that is simultaneously derivative and original. Collage compositions can be abstract or literal; expressing emotion and feeling through color and form or sharing an idea or story through concrete representations. Collages can juxtapose the unlikeliest of images in unexpected ways to convey meaning or challenge assumptions. This open nature of collages makes them a powerful format for artistic expression and an intriguing medium for artistic encounters.

One of the most intriguing aspects of collages is their unexpected possibility. Almost anything can go into the creation of a collage and one never quite knows the full extent of what might be encountered when visually exploring a collage. This uninhibited potential makes the creation and visual consumption of collages a constant adventure.

Another unique aspect of collage is dimensionality. Because collage is a coming together of many separate pieces into a new whole there exists the opportunity for layering and overlapping in ways that create depth. Sometimes the collage creates an illusion of depth through thoughtful juxtaposition of elements, but in many cases collage creates a tangible physical depth through the layering of pieces on top of each other. This physical sense of depth is akin to our everyday experience of depth in the world. We take up space and we move in the spaces in between the things that surround us - we expect and innately understand depth because we live in constant dimensional encounter with the world around us.

In the opposite vein there are also times when the collage technique is used to flatten a sense of depth. This can be seen in the collapsing of space between two or more elements and a merger of those elements into a new relationship and composition. This ability of collage compositions to flatten space jars our visual sensibilities, challenging our expectations and encouraging us to look at the relationship between things in new ways.

I like to carry these lessons of collage with me into my encounters with the world as a reminder to constantly look at the elements of life around me and investigate how moments, events and even people overlap and relate to each other in creative and unexpected ways. I also enjoy being on the lookout for found collages - collages that exist independently of intentional creation but are instead elements that, when encountered as a whole, come together into a visually pleasing composition. Found collages are another method of keeping me engaged in constantly looking at the world around me in new ways, seeing things for what they are and what they may become when joined in relationship with their surrounding context.

Images - Found Collages

Photographs of Found Collages