This mixed media collage is literally a huge mess. :) I wasn’t sure what I was doing when I began, I just started working, hoping for it to take on a life of it’s own.
Do you ever finish a piece that you don’t really like, but you love all the individual elements and parts that make up the whole? I don’t even know if that statement makes any sense, but that’s how I feel about this piece. I confess- I am not in love with my finished work here. And yet, I see so much symbolism shouting at me and there are things about it that I just love.
I love how every layer is peeking through. I love how the chipboard and texture paste on top of the chipboard look like new layers added over layers of age and decay, as if they’re trying to make up for or cover what has happened in the past. I love how the text is peeking through the gunky texture paste and colors, as if there are things written or done in the past that someone is trying to hide.
Of course, the chipboard is the namesake element- some are solid squares and some are open and filled with paste and ink while still allowing a bit of the background to show. Those squares are like focal points, highlighting certain ideas and opinions while ignoring or blocking others.
I know it’s my personal beliefs coming through, but every collage I create represents universal truth. All these elements- text, texture, chipboard squares, colors- they all represent what is true, what is not, and how human beings try to cover or reinterpret what is true for their own benefit.
So it’s true… I struggle with this piece. It is not beautiful or neat- in fact, it’s dark, dreary and, well… ugly. But every time I look at it I see something new that reminds me that understanding what is true and what is not is a struggle.
Wow, what is it about collage that makes me try to be philosophical all the time? Even when I don’t know what form my mixed media collage will take, it always ends up being symbolic in nature.
I’d love to know what each of you see when you look at this collage. Do any of the elements have meaning for you? Perhaps the way it’s assembled strikes you in a certain way? I’m always so inspired by your answers, so I hope you’ll share them!
