Aura/Complex series 2012
collages - mixed media
Shellac, paint, graphite and metallic pigment on rives BFK and found papers - mounted on museum board
Each piece measures from 9"x11" to 14"x17"
I did this series during and after a time when I was grappling with multiple challenges that looked to be ruling my life for some time – physical challenges brought on by migraine, challenges of uncertainty brought about by a new direction taken in life, and a challenge of wrestling with the demon Fear. I call it a demon because it is capable of keeping a soul locked inside with only a window to gaze out of. Years before, a beloved professor for whom I worked had given me a number of items from his office before retiring and among the bird skulls and nests and rocks and fossils was a 1983 Spring edition of “Parabola: Myth and the Quest for Meaning” publication which dealt with animals in literature. I loved all the stories but to this day am taken by Dino Buzzati’s “The Colomber”. This story was my saving grace and taught me that there are gifts so to speak to be gained by embracing the very thing that torments us. In my case it was the fear of physical suffering, the fear of change, and the fear of the unknown “out there”.
