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*editing on 5/25 to share the title: Random Influences

I don't have a title for this yet, but I had to post it. I'm really, really excited about this piece...I've been struggling for the past few months in terms of trying to break through to another level of narrative with my work. I've been wanting it to say more, but I'm not an illustrator, nor do I feel comfortable with really heavy symbolism, etc. I always end up feeling like my work looks contrived when I go in those directions.

In this piece, I'm using vintage materials like time cards and ledger pages and a practice target, which speak to me of accuracy, record keeping and validation- but also bingo cards and game pieces, which to me represent a kind of randomness. I've been thinking lately about how all of kinds of ordinary things can make you feel a little pushed around and windblown. So many obligations demand our attention, but in the big picture, you really have to wonder how much of your energy they all deserve. I think if you have a strong foundation that makes you feel at least a little anchored, you can weather the storm. I like how the house is feeling the strain of that big blue cloud- but it's pretty solid, and you get the feeling it'll still be there, and it'll be just fine once it all blows over.

There are two more detail shots I wanted to share - they were difficult to capture, given the reflectiveness of the glass, but they're critical parts of the whole piece:

It's in a shadowbox frame that my husband and I built. Someone once suggested that if my work was going into shadowboxes, I should consider pushing that third dimension a little more. I've had that in the back of my mind for a while- and love the way I went for it in this piece - I included a handful of vintage bingo chips and numbers in the space. They're not fixed down- that's intentional. I like the idea that they'll move around a bit in transport- and if someone were to take this home and hang it, the way the pieces end up will be totally random and largely out of their control. But that's not something to be concerned about- they'll be just right- however they end up. 

I'd love to hear what you think about this piece...if you're not sure about how to comment here on blogger- just know you can submit comments and choose 'annonymous' as your identity. Or, if you click the link up top for my full profile, you'll my email on my profile page.

OK- now, enough chit-chat, I've got to go get some stuff ready for showing next week!