Midnight Madness

Midnight Madness
16" x 20" painted paper collage on matboard

This piece started with a random word generator web site that I found on the Internet. I used the site to randomly generate words based on syllable length and what letter they started with. I then used select words to create images and a sort of story.

I was really sort of stuck for how to begin and this idea of a word generator helped quite a bit. Selecting images to represent some of the words like midnight, medicine and media was fairly easy. But then I also mixed in some childhood memories of my grammar school. The building had black and white linoleum floors and prior to the demolition of the upper story, the hallways were a kind of mint green color. I was also sort of inspired by the book, Goodnight Moon. The illustrator used a kind of purple blue color to portray the night sky through the window. The Brownie camera and hands were images that I have been wanting to use. I guess the piece ended up being a kind of mash up of my thoughts which I think is just fine.

I tried a new to me media this time. It's called Duralar and it's a kind of acetate replacement material. It comes in both clear and matte forms. I am always looking for ways to draw freely with my acrylic pens without drawing directly onto the painted surface of the board or the shapes that are glued down. What if I screw up, which frankly, is very possible. The Duralar was meant to bypass that possibility. The clear version was very difficult to see to cut. Also, though the glue dries clear, you can still see it through the material. The matte was OK to cut but I still had the same problem with the glue showing. The whole thing sort of turned into a craft project (no insult intended to crafters, OK?). It's OK though. I am glad I tried it and who knows? Maybe it has other uses that I don't know about yet.

I am gathering ideas for my next piece. I also need to paint papers. I have accepted that some days are better than others; my connection to my art waxes and wanes. The only thing that matters I think is that I am thinking and gathering ideas, even if it is only through finding words or images. Put it this way. You can't draw money from your savings account if you don't make regular deposits.

Alright, send me an email if you like. libbyfife@ymail.com
​Libby