New work - Postcard Series

Postcard Collage #1 Venice (2009) paper, acrylic on board 4 x 6 in.

My postcard collages are moving along well. Several weeks ago I re-organized all my travel photos and as I sorted and filed images it was like a flying trip through different places. The experience left me with a bombardment of visual snippets of colours and textures. It was a synthesis that had nothing to do with the emotion or memory of the place. I found that very interesting because so much of my work revolves around the passage of time and memory. This was a much simpler visual response that I decided to act on.

This experience occurred at the same time I wrote about For Carrie 1907 and the follow up post about evolving ideas in art. This collision of ideas resulted in the postcard collage series. I am continuing to refine my original thoughts about how this series will be organized. Right now I'm creating groupings of 3 (e.g., Venice #1, #2, #3) and will display them in this way. They are on 1/4 inch birch plywood and will be backed with another piece of word on the back that is 2 x 3 inches and 1/2 inch thick which will hold the hook. I wanted them to stand out from the wall for viewing purposes and I also needed some consistent way to hang them evenly as they will be displayed in grids. I plan to create a jig (living with a carpenter) to ensure they are all backed and hooked exactly the same.

I'm also creating a series of postcard collages from the gardens at Birr Castle, just ot keep my mind on that project as I take this little detour from my usual work. I want to stop thinking about what I'm creating and just create. I feel the sheer joy I watched on childrens' faces for years - I'm having fun!