11/16/17 collage 21x16"/53x41 cm.
12:58 PM: today i'm making another collage, larger than yesterday's. it includes some elements drawn directly on the paper with graphite & crayon, inspired by the colorful squash we found at the outdoor market last month, as well as collaged elements, including bits from the large paintings on paper by our friend charise's 2 kids and a drawing made on 7/23/12 in houston.
in comparing this with older collages, such as the 2 made in 2014 you see below, i observe a greater certainty in composition, color and line. the result is a more coherent image, with fewer unnecessary elements. while there is no "progress" as such in art, one evolves. i can track the evolution of my sensibility and draftsmanship over a period of years. it's rewarding to see that, in spite of my glaucoma surgery on january 28 of this year, my vision seems to have actually improved, if it has changed at all.
i do feel that my museum visits on our recent trip to phialdelphia, where mikela was a speaker at AMLE: the National Middle School Conference, have had an effect. especially the day we spent at the barnes collection, as well as my solo experience at the philadelphia museum of art. which is why i always recommend to young artists that they spend as much time as possible looking at great art. it not only inspires us; it allows us to identify, by deduction, exactly who we are as artists and as humans.
