I woke up thinking I would make some potholders today. I even cleaned up the canvas and all the collage materials from my studio floor. But then I looked at the piece of muslin that I stitched some images on yesterday. I was inspired. So I spread the canvas back out and dumped the box with all the markers and paints back on the floor.
I worked on two collages today. One in my Freedom Book and the other on a piece of muslin about 18″x18″.
I took a shadow portrait of me holding a sleeve of hay while the sheep gathered around me this morning. That’s what made me think to use the simple outline of my head, neck, and shoulders.
I used some fabric but mostly a piece of tissue paper that Emily wrapped some of the collage supplies she sent me. I felt like in making this piece I really understood how to use and the importance of tissue paper in collage making. It has a particular translucency that works really well in certain situations.
As I made this piece I was thinking of the Chauvet Cave drawings. So I repeated the same image of my bust again and again. It’s a feeling and effect I’ve been thinking about for years but never could figure out how to get close to with the materials I was using. In making this collage, I think I’ve found a way to achieve it.
