an arting life
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…
I think many of us are searching for something in our lives. (And yes, as I’m writing this, the Eurythmics’ song is in my head.) Perhaps the more serious you make the search, the less likely you are to find what you truly want. That’s the message of this collage, and it’s another one I’m…
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…
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…
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”…
In this collage, “where we grew up” isn’t just about place. It’s more about the happy, fantasy worlds we escaped to in our childhood. For me, that was fairy tales. I probably read every Andrew Lang fairy tale book… all the colors. And then discovered “A Wrinkle in Time,” and so on. Those are the…
This collage is about hope. It’s about moving away from the serious, black-and-white life of the past. Embracing the full spectrum of experience that awaits us in the sunlight. Choosing the pigments – the colors – we want to use in our everyday lives. Rediscovering whimsy, and fun… just for the sake of fun. It’s…
This is one of my simplest collages so far. It may also have the clearest message. We may be in the middle of a move to a new apartment. I’m not sure. It’s a distraction I’d rather not have, right now, but it seems like the season for sweeping changes. (But really, I’d rather not…
In a way, this collage is a logical extension of my work from the previous day. (Looking Forward and then A New Start) Yes, I deliberately chose images of confident women of color. There is a nod to tradition – the marble supports at the upper left – and the boundaries we’re moving beyond, represented…
Today’s collage was part of a gradual process. Suddenly, I saw more of myself – my internal messaging – in my collages. Apparently, my collages – at least some of them – are a form of art journaling. (Others are simply whimsy. Or inspiration, depending on what sparked the piece.) In this one, I see…
This is the first of two collages I created, realizing the uncertain path ahead. Living in the U.S., where we’re not sure what may happen between now and the upcoming change in government, anxiety is reasonable. For this piece, I chose images that reflect the light and dark elements of this process. Perhaps it was…
It started with the word “Dreaming,” a mixed teal rectangle, an aerial view of a New England town, and a woman’s pensive expression… mostly her eyes. This was my first collage (of three) today. Next, I found the words “A Story” and then “worth telling, worth finding.” I feel as if each has an important…