Lost in the Layers
The piece began with the collage, “Never Enough Payback” (blogged at Weeding and Never Enough Payback),but once I deconstructed the collage, it ceased to exist. Though the collage was recycled into this new work, its value changed. In pieces, it became tesserae, just as the millefiori and the smalti.
The words and images of the collage are now just pieces of the puzzle, trapped behind the glass and subservient to the whole.
Whereas the collage represented a tragic piece of me, of my past, its importance is now diminished. I feel relief. It’s as if the festering wound has been opened and bled out.
The mosaic is titled “Lost”; it speaks to the wilderness of youth and the search for sexual identity.
The substrate is polystyrene, 17″ x 17″ x 2″, tiled on all surfaces except the rear. The materials are mixed media collage under plate and tempered glass, millefiori, shades of red, black and gold smalti, and chips of red coral.
Filed under: change, collage, creative process, deconstruction, growth, journaling, layers, lost, materials, mosaic, payback on July 17th, 2008
V. This piece caused a sharp intake of breath. I couldn’t stop looking and looking. Such detail and so much of you ( I think?).
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Herhimnbryn… Yes, definitely, a very personal piece. However, it was the PROCESS that was personal. What is SO GRAND for me, personally, is that the process has helped me deal with some issues I’ve been trying to resolve for all of my adult life. The resulting piece ultimately is its own message, becauser I destroyed the “personal” aspects of the piece during deconstruction. I’m very happy with this piece. It speaks to the wilderness of youth and the search for sexual identity. It feels very powerful to me, when I look at it. It’s a bitch to photograph, though. It, along with “Secrets”, will be at the photographer’s studio on Monday. Virginia
This is an amazing piece! I’m very intrigued by the collage elements. I think its the first time I’ve heard of collage under glass incorporated into a mosaic. I am glad you are working through the issues that have haunted you for so long.
Thanks, Robyn. I installed a wall to keep people out long ago, and it began crumbling little by little about 15 years ago. It wasn’t until I stood up for myself and demanded the right to create that I finally started tearing out huge sections of the wall. I feel so great right now, I can’t tell you.
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