This collage is in a book called ‘Sketchbook with Voices’. It is actually a sketchbook of blank pages with an idea, question, statement or assignment by an artist. I got it way back in the 80s and decided to use it for photo sketches instead of regular drawings. This image is probably the only image in the whole book that has any drawing in it at all.
The black and white image in the background was taken by me during a photo shoot with a friend. My sister-in-law at the time knew that I liked tan lines and took the color photo of her friend while on vacation in Mexico and sent it to me.
You can see digital versions of this type of image, people in a museum looking at some huge photo on the wall, which is actually the photo of the person making the image. Just remember where they got the idea, ok? LOL
Another in my postcard series, #7 from our Colorado road trip in the summer of 2007. There was a great trail close to the home where we were staying and I took a hike on my own just for the purposes of photography. When I do something like that I often am not looking for a single shot (though I find those of course) but I am looking for pieces, for moments, etc. that will be part of the raw material for a collage. So in that case I am not worrying always about composition or lighting or a complete image. I am finding the essence of a place or a person and recording it.
In this case the trees had the knots in the shapes of eyes everywhere I turned, flowers were abundant and the creeks had the most amazing light playing on them. The final connection came for me when I saw this woman and her wonderful dog running on the path. The dog was protective and turned to scrutinize me, making sure I wasn’t a threat. The eyes of the dog were compelling and I loved the juxtaposition between the tree eyes and the real eyes.
