It is hard to believe that another semester has come and gone on Zoom. I adore my fellow artists and looking closely at their work each week has been a highlight of this whole Pandemic. The critique group format has been wonderful for me. Hearing Joel and my fellow artists talk about work has helped me evaluate my own work as I am creating it and has made me a better artist. The weekly online gatherings have motivated me to produce work consistently and helped me find my voice. Looking at my art over the years I see themes and it is interesting to see how things like Tangles are being wrangled and controlled so I can use them to express my ideas and emotions. It can feel like a super power.
When we started critique group I had just rescued the Kodak Stereoscopic viewer and the slides of my parents wedding from their basement. I used it to make images I was happy with. Although I moved away from using the slides for my drawings, I knew that I wanted to end this critique session by returning to them. The batteries and bulb needed to be replaced and so I had to take it apart. When it was apart I wondered what would happen if I managed to squeeze two slides in so they overlapped.
The result was something totally unexpected. Relatives appeared who were not even born yet in the images. Most notably our daughter showed up! There was no doubt it was her. I showed it to my husband and he agreed. I suppose it is just genetics. Features of various relatives combining. But it is eerie. In another combination I see my brother and my cousin’s daughter.
