The Visionary

I promised my friend Angela Kennedy on the Creative Souls ning that one of these days I would actually explain what I was thinking while I was creating some of my wood panel collages. Usually, I prefer to let the viewer make up their own mind about what a piece might mean, I find it absolutely fascinating the way that our own life experiences, culture and personal bias colours the way we interpret elements of art, but I digress; which you've noticed by now happens often...



This latest piece titled "The Visionary" depicts a woman living in one time, but who is looking forward to another. She is trapped in her body and her mind is longing for something different. She is in such need for a different reality that she can clearly visualize it. This is emphasized through the addtion of the watch piece as a monocle. The chain creates a connection between the monocle and the door knocker at her chest (heart) further accentuating the depth and magnitude of her longing to be in a different time. The collage elements that form the woman's body heighten the awareness of a woman pulled between two places in time. The turban suggests an older form of dress, while the grungy ink covering her eye suggests a more recent time. The ink further represents her vision obscured by tears that trickle down her face as she is denied the existence she so desperately seeks. In the background collaged numbers and pencils represent a time that women were denied access to education. The antique brass compass and chest piece reminds of the same facts, contrasted by the metal plate from a microchip that brings us to modern times and the emancipation of women.


So that's my biased interpretation of "The Visionary" - now, what do you think it all means?

Working Backwards

I don't know what happened to March. Really I just don't. One minute it was March 1st, then the next thing I know it's practically the middle of April....how did that happen? Anyway, as it appears that I'm in some type of time warp, I figure that I'm just gonna go with it and post events backwards....I promise that eventually I'll tell you all about ArtFest - amazing artists Richard Salley, Jesse Reno and Keith Lo Bue....and then go back in time a little further to the phenomenal Michael deMeng Vancouver workshop at the Upstart Crow, but for now...I've been working on something new. A new collage series that unites my love of different mediums and techniques and fuses them together to create these:

Le Couer Gardé (the guarded heart)
12" x 24" Cradled Wood Panel 

Tons of layers and textures in this piece and yes her heart is covered in shattered mica pieces and guarded with wires and nails.



The Journey of a Man
12" x 24" Cradled Wood Panel

Vancouver *2 * 0 * 1 * 0*

I can hardly believe that February is almost over. Living in Vancouver during the sporting event that I'm not allowed to mention by name has been pretty crazy, but crazy in a good way for a change. Unfortunately a little too busy for much art making. I did however manage to get in a quick digital challenge over at Digital Whisper, a Valentine's Day Card using a stock image pair of lips. Here's what I came up with:



Hope everyone's Valentine's Day was spectacular! Now I need to order supplies and gear up for Michael de Meng's class and ArtFest next month. Can't wait!!!