I am enjoying tearing apart my collage journals and organizing them into visual themes and stories. If you recall I made a commitment in 2017 to journal daily with collage. If for some reason I missed a day, I would make two the next day. The point is I created a high volume of work. 

I am a safety and order person. I like things to be a certain way. While I don't put my spices in alphabetical order, I valued that the work of 2017 was neatly in 5 journals and in order of the way that they were made. Taking them all apart and out of order feels unsettling. My goal with Project 2017 is to lessen the overwhelm of the sheer volume, and divide my collage work into cohesive collections. 

ALL work is for sale. Reasonably priced $54. Plus shipping. 

These are the stories and themes I've discovered so far:

The Neighbor

Black And White

A Cry For Help

Today's theme is BIRDS. 

I had begun a side project at the beginning of 2017 for a solo installation. The installation was inspired by this collage and a found Audubon magazine.

I made this piece around the beginning of the new year. I loved the direction and focus it offered me. So determined!

"Give what you dream direction and watch yourself become"

I decided for the show to collage with images from Audubon magazines exclusively. Turns out finding that magazine was more challenging than I expected. I did source quite a few, and completely tore them all apart! In the end, I framed and matted 22 collages for my exhibit, which showed in the fall of 2017.  

Outside of the installation that I was preparing for, birds found their way into my daily collage journaling. 

I noticed that the bird is often solo, alone, single ...much like I am. When there are two birds, it's because of a specific reason. like a work project or moving help. 

To see this theme in an album go here  #74-#116

Below are some stories around this theme:

my search for a new home was ever present and very challenging. 

a few solstice's and equinox's occurred 

My solo installation launched this day. I felt so affirmed. The location of it was wooded. 

By this time installation creations had become very BIRD, and had morphed into something more.  A curator took interest and offered to author the narrative. The collaboration of which was really cool.

This was a piece that looks a bit like some of what was in the installation. (but wasn't included)

This collage solidified the nucleus known as my family. My nest (thus the mama bird) was empty, but we were unified. cohesive. I made this collage after visiting my two kids. I had not seen them for almost 2 years. In processing some of the trips not so great moments - I felt the authenticity of an apology from my daughter, which I feel spired the making of this collage.   The second piece, was the day they told me that they were funding my visit! 

Other collages were made simply for the beauty or mystery of what they offered.

Here is one that shows more than one bird or the help I had when I moved

(I moved two times in 2017) 

As I tear these journals apart, birds seem to find their way into certain stories, so not all the birds are highlighted in this sharing, but I think you get the idea of the theme!

#4 #2 #1 #3 #5 #7 #8 #9 #6 #13 #11 #10 #15 #14 #18 #12 #16 #20 #19 #21   #25 #24 #21 #23   #26 #29  #30   #27 #28   #34 #31  #32  #33  #35 #36  #38  #39 #37   #40 #41  #42 #43

below notes from the backs of some of the collages:  

1

2 boots, wool,wintery, poised, last bit of color. 

3 working with sara collage

4 divided flight, unintended nature

5 made in collage circle

6 the direction you need to take is right in front of you, all you need to do is look. earth, fire, grounded, passion. give what you dream direction and watch yourself become

7 change of scape, flight, altered, current water and air

8 "toile" in flight. fascination with beautiful rest/fine linen

9 minds eye, little bird told me, combining nature with fashion, surprising, perched, searching

10 

11 elegant, the neck and the bill doors of faraway places, medicinal woman, tradition, lack of

12 up the coast ( kate ) heard from matthew. trip.

13 stonehenge single, the other side of manifestion, monday, attracting homelessness

14

15 summer solstice, personal blooming, blossoming, vibration, imagine, let the sun shine

16 when folks do not get along

17

18 spread my wings, trees have paths, all in a row, gazing forward, exhibit launch ( uncanny ) 

19 got my whale tail 

20 morphed, nature, one eye series, murky, looks better this way

21 installation occurred today. poland highway and waterway, wild turkey

22 family, mother, daughter, son, the authenticity of an apology felt by daughter, family unit, mama/baby bird

23 equinox, golden time of the year, wisdom, rooted, trees, the tree does not stand alone

24 what you discover on the internet, what there is to be told. gail - interview/already you are underpaid.

25 a little bird told me slice of moon

26 unexpected back side of a magazine page

27 full moon preparation/ watching over , wise, divided house

28 post las vegas shootings. horrified. the world is my ice cream cone

29 lady gaga morphed with a owl. wise. didn't work with the eagle feather

30

31 bizarre bird/bride morph fantasy, garden, fairy, bright

32 hard day, feeling stopped, day got away from me, not sure what i accomplished

33 watching. wise woman watching wise owl watching silly toy hat , cars in har

34 time capsule, lonely, bird morph, timelessness, weekend, nothing, cowboy, solo

35 EYE see autumn

36 lazy, sunday, dreary, rainy. color, rich, color rich, beautiful, hummingbird, fascinating

37

38 new lease signed today, city studio, fiscal relief is indescribable

39 moving help, duo, i had help

40 beauty and the lettuce leaf

41

42 soaring. new home very bellingham

43 not morphed, seeking their own direction weddel seal/hummingbird