Monday, September 29, 2008

Wish You Were Here


"Beach Glass"
Tissue Paper and Photograph Collage
Kent Island, Maryland
When I cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that connects to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the place where I accumulated the most memories in my life, I always experience an overwhelming sense of happiness. The images of home that cloud my mind are happy and bright, and reflect carefree times spent with people that I love. I wanted my collage to reflect these sensations. I used the tissue paper in a way that represents the beach glass that I've collected from the Island's beaches since childhood.

Image Credits:
Harbor View Improvement Association, http://harborviewki.com/
Maryland-Waterfront-RealEstate.com, http://www.maryland-waterfront-realestate.com/Kent-Island-Waterfront-Real-Estate.html

20 comments:

aRae said...

Hi..nice collage...and its easy to connect to your thoughts...good capture of memories and sence of place..i too collect any glass on the beach here ? is it because it dosent belong there i wander ?..or am i just attracted to the idea of its survival ?
amanda

norcrossl said...

This image is very calming. You have done a great job of getting you message across to your viewers.

lebuck8 said...

I love the texture and color created by the tissue paper. Your image definitely makes me miss the beach!
Lauren B.

Sam said...

The images you chose are beautiful. The tissue paper conveys a magical essence to the piece. I want to go there.

gracki said...

Cyd!
When I look at your piece, I am overcome with a sense of warmth. I almost feel as though I am there, looking at a sunset by the beach. I love how you used colorful tissue paper contrasted with the subtle black and white images. The texture is really captivating as well.

Unknown said...

There's a heartbreaking purity to your piece. More than most, it captures the essence of "Wish you were here," in that there is an idealized feeling to it. At the same time, I get the sense that I am a voyeur to more personal memories, though.

Christy Hahn said...

Cyd,

Your collage reminds me of childhood because, although it would seem chaotic at first, it's also playful and calming at the same time. I really like your use of tissue paper and I like that it's decoupaged in a way. It reminds me of Eric Carle. There's an innocence about your image that makes me feel like it's summer and I've been swimming all day long without a care in the world!

Bryan said...

I am particularly interested in the relationship between the collaged tissue paper and the beach glass you used to find. Quite the dimensional expression. It is also nice to see such fondness for any particular time or place; it accesses a certain naive but completely wonderful ideal in all of us (us being the viewers). 'Felt.'

~ Bryan

favorite things said...

I really do get a dreamy sense of calm and peacefulness with this piece. It really feels like a good memory and I get a deep sense of nostalgia. I like how you interpreted this project.

jmkilburn said...

This is very warm and open collage. The photo usage is almost subliminal when in contrast with the colors, and particularly the very active shapes used to hold that color... lots of exciting diagonals. I am unfamiliar with 'beach glass.' It has been ground down by the sea and sand, yes? With all the broken glass on the streets of Philly (like many American cities), my reaction to angular shapes of glass is not a positive one. But you do capture a more carefree time, that's for sure. Sunset on the beach... who doesn't love that?

anne corrance monk said...

Hi there
Your use of tissue while being about beach glass,for me connotes stained glass,and evocatve of that gorgeous,warm,dusty,drenched in coloured light feel you get in an old church on a sunny afternoon.Dreamy.....
For me,this image is very successful at taking one to the place,a new place,a place created by the art,the artist and the viewer.anne

Amy said...

I love the image it really reminds me of the beach and collecting shells. It reminds me of all the great times spent on a beach.

Jennifer Welsh said...

I liked that you did your image hands-on and not digitally. It inspires me to do my next images using hands on collage instead of digital. My image is very graphic and yours has a lot of character and movement. I really enjoy that.

June Julian said...

Your lovely collage captures the spirit of Edward Hopper's powerful lighthouse paintings.

Art Ed Guy said...

Hello Cyd, Tissue paper and watercolor have a lot in common, and how appropriate that you used them in a collage that represents memories of life and times along the shore - where obviously there is quite a lot of water and transparency. The reflections of light upon the water - the brillant sunsets and feeling of weather, mist, fog, wind, rain and sun - all brought together quite nicely in this piece. The photographs add a much needed structure to the layered and more fluid feelings of the collaged tissue paper - the fluid and the photoraphs each doing their separate parts to contain and complete the composition. Cheers, Michael

Unknown said...

Hi, I love your interpretation of the beach glass. I really feel as if I am there. It is warming and calm despite the jagged shapes representing the glass. I also like the fact that it is ands on and mixed media. You really get a sense of place while viewing it. It might sound weird but I could almost "feel" the texture of the glass and the sand. Good Job

jmkilburn said...

Thank you for your comment on my WYWH. I wasn't really going for earthy or energetic, but bright colors do create an energy and electricity on their own.

Margaret Joan MacIsaac said...

The tranquillity of your piece is lovely it reminds me of happy times.
Thanks for your comments on my piece, if you go to my profile page and click on my webpage, you can get through to my flicker page, be kind to my image it means a lot to me :-)

Anonymous said...

Hey Cyd!
Your collage and description of your time there is beautiful.

Jess said...

wow - beautiful. no words. Maybe it affected me so much because I've been trying to find you and the dreadful internet(how else) and upon finally succeeding, I got to see your amazing art. I miss you. There is a picture of you wearing my favorite bandana in the heart of the smoky mountains. Please get in touch. I hate to say facebook but better than posting my e-mail address (you never know who the crazies are looking for). Jess Greenberg - you couldn't have forgotten our April Trip way back when we had very few worries and sarah let me pilot her pathfinder. so, way to go Tovi!