I have been spending an inordinate amount of time in the past week attempting to transfer countless photos from my laptop onto an external hard drive in preparation for the arrival of a new computer. Although, not quite the same depth of nostalgia as family photo albums can produce, revisiting old collages et al have held within them some powerful emotion previously not fully understood. In particular, this magazine clipping collage I named "RED" appears to scream "anger." In hindsight it was pure helplessness. The particular event that evoked this visual outcry needn't be revisited.
What I take from this review is how often what appears to be random at the time (cutting, pasting, composing) and the process of trying to 'not think' or censor from an ego state leads to some quiet revelations in the future that depict some soulful feelings in a way that seem to make words close to impotent.
What I want to begin to explore is whether images for me express my 'heart felt' feelings much more powerfully than words. And this 'passion' or 'urge' to create - is it a need to purge/express
what can't be realized in any other manner? Do you see more truth in your artwork in hindsight? Does it tell you a story that wasn't quite over the edge into your conscious mind?
3 comments:
Absolutely. But, I need to play first, work on something that isn't important to me, mix colors, glue and paste and then before I know it I start working on something that I don't want to stop working on. I don't want to be bothered, leave me alone until I get it all out and the piece is done. Then I can walk away. Another day, week or month, I can look at it and see clearly what needed to be expressed. :)Bea
Looks as if you have been "reflecting"! You've caused me to stop and think - will reflect at this point.......
Your words: "the process of trying to 'not think' or censor from an ego state leads to some quiet revelations..." reminds me of two different instructors/teachers I have worked with.
For working with images rather than words you might enjoy the collage classes that Shelley Klammer provides online.
http://www.expressiveartworkshops.com/
Shelley writes: "There is such wisdom in spontaneous art making. It reveals things that are true that we might not realize about ourselves. It is amazing what a simple doodle, a brief poem, or a quick collage can express. Sometimes my drawings haunt me with mystery and I do not know how to read them. Sooner or later however I fully experience the feeling they convey I go back into my journal with gratitude to my unconscious mind for expressing my inner wisdom so clearly."
For a process of combining images and words, Juliana Coles is an awesome instructor. She holds classes at various retreats but also sells booklets on her Etsy site:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5598281
Juliana's work is more of a conscious approach to dig deep and reveal the thoughts and feelings that you have hidden from even yourself through a technique she refers to as extreme visual journaling.
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