Author: Eibhlin

This collage, “And carry on,” is about darkness, the light ahead, and the path from here to there.

It’s about where we are as a country (in the U.S.), as a world, and as individuals. And what’s immediately ahead of us.

It may not be tidy.

Challenges may await.

We’ve seen the darkness. It may take us a while to shake it off.

It might be easier to pretend that everything is fine. As if everything is nice, normal, and… bland.

We have a better choice.

The light guides us forward, and we can get there.

It’s about embracing the wonderful things in our lives. The things that are true, and represent the very best of who we are… each of us.

That’s the important part.

We just need to carry on. And trust.

…

To create the rough effect, I deliberately “aged” the finished collage using wax paper with a bit of Yes Paste on it. I repeatedly rolled wax paper onto the image, and then lifted it off. Each time, fine lines of the collage lifted off with the wax paper, until the piece looked the way I wanted it to.

Size: 8.5″ x 11″

Materials: Poster board, torn magazine images and text, and Yes Paste

Shine is about us. It’s about who we are, inside, and who (or what) we’ve pretended to be.

Yes, sometimes pretense is about privacy and a sense of personal safety. It feels like protection.

Sometimes, pretense is just for fun. The aspects – or even complete identities we adopt, even briefly – can actually reveal nuances others might not have seen. (Or perhaps they saw glimmers of them, and weren’t sure what they were seeing.)

We’re multi-dimensional people. Sometimes one side is highlighted while another is hidden, accidentally or on purpose.

I like to think that the world is changing. I want to believe we’re emerging from the default of categorizing people with tidy labels.

There’s no time in which a single label reflects the full person – their strengths and vulnerabilities, and their uniqueness. Labels prevent us from learning from one another and experiencing true connections.

Some people step onto the stage and embrace the attention. They can read the audience and respond. Is there such a thing as “authentic pretense”?

Perhaps.

Others, including me, know we’ll be judged, and perhaps unfairly. We adopt stage personas, muttering, It’s show time, before we step into the spotlight. And then, after the performance, we bolt to the safety of a green room or dressing room.

Many of the elements in this collage were chosen deliberately. Others were entirely intuitive.

The makeup tray is about race and equality.

The woman, looking slightly timid, and the lower legs in the red image to the left of her… that’s about finding courage. Not staying hidden.

The rest, and how you interpret this, is up to you.

It’s one of those days when I realize my art may reveal more about me than most people will see, if they meet me in real life.

Size: 8.5″ x 11″

Materials: Poster board, torn magazine images and words, Yes Paste

Voice. It’s not about noise, but self-expression and authenticity.

That’s the essence behind this collage.

Now is the time to move beyond monochromatic living and tidy, clasped hands.

It’s about travel and adventure and exploring our boundaries.

It’s a simple, straightforward collage.

[Note: After photographing it, I saw that part of one image hadn’t adhered properly. I fixed it, and will replace this photo, later.]

Size: 8.5″ x 11″

Materials: Poster board, torn magazine images and text, Yes Paste

This collage started with the dog with the plaid bandana. Then, it grew with Christmas images.

The more it grew, the more I realized I was creating a vision board of my perfect Christmas.

It might be in England. It might be in New England.

But, next Christmas (2021), I want to spend the holidays in one of those two places.

Size: 8.5″ x 11″ 

Materials: Poster board, torn magazine images, Yes Paste

If you sense turbulence around the edges of this collage, you’re right. It was one of those days when the world seemed to tilt just enough to feel off-balance. A day when I should stop following the daily headlines, and just find my “quiet place.”

And so I did, in this collage.

The word “welcome” and the lighthouse are about that sense of calm. For me, New England and the beach – or at least a view of the ocean – give me a sense of stability and… well, the word I’d use is “limitless.”

That’s a feeling of space. The wide-open space I need to rediscover – and be – myself. The bracing salt air, the choppy waves in the distance, and the comfort of seagulls walking alongside me.

It’s where I feel most at home.

The images in this collage are also about textures and contrasts and variety. I drew some vertical lines for a sense of stability. And, of course, the words “keep calm” were a good message, if only to myself.

In the current series, this was the first collage that I actually signed. It was the one where I realized I’m creating art, here.

Size: 8.5″ x 11″

Materials: Poster board, torn magazine images and text, Yes Paste, metallic markers (for the lines).