Collage: It's Crowded in Here

Collage: It's Crowded in Here

For the past 200 days I've been creating my simple journal page collages, one a day. I always try to leave a blank space in the middle, so I can write a journal entry, or a to-do list, or a one-day list. I love this technique I've developed, but I also feel a bit constrained by it. Years ago, I used to create assemblages and collages, then stopped for many, many years. And now, I think it's been 2 years since I did a full page collage. So out in my sister's art studio the other day I created a collage with the intention of covering the entire surface. I was a bit uncomfortable, but I just kept picking images, tearing, and gluing. I like the result, even if it feels a bit crowded and unbalanced. As I study the piece I realized I had picked images that all represented parts of myself -- the red-haired titan, the cheetah standing over the sleeping Buddha, the green shoot, the watcher (eyes), my sister, my mother. All sides of myself that often feel like they are jostling for attention. No wonder this collage seems crowded -- it's crowded in here!