I started experimenting with collages that include photographs of paper cut-outs…working on them reminds me of making paper dolls when I was younger, carefully creating the shapes with scissors after I sketch them on paper. It also reminds me why I am not an artist that works with pens or pencils – stars are about the only thing I can draw that aren’t laughably bad.
Some people might read this as being a mournful image, but for me, “solace” isn’t simply an alleviation of one’s sorrow. “Solace” also means “to bring cheer.” We are each responsible for our own happiness – others simply cannot provide what we first must give to ourselves. There is something lovely about considering the night sky and feeling as though all that has been set in motion is meant to be, that we are gently guided by forces outside our own control.
(This print is part of the “Little Poems” 2011 calendar available here).