Map, clock, puzzle

March 2008
9x12
Mixed Media Collage


"Out of place, weird sense of time, everything was always a puzzle"

One of two items I still have from my childhood is a large 10" x 7" x 3" musical tick-tock clock. It's a toy wind up clock and the music still works as do the hands. I remember it vividly from my childhood.

I wanted to make a collage that summed up my childhood for this show. I had a strange sense of time as a child. Either time stood still or raced by. I didn't feel as though I fit anywhere or with anyone, including my family. I was often confused by the actions of people around me. I had a clear sense at an early age that most people say one thing and do quite another. I'm glad it's over, however, I'm not sure I feel any better in the world now than I did then.

I took a photo of that clock and had it printed on cotton resume stationary. I took a map of Illinois (where I grew up) and coated a 9x12 canvas board with pieces of the map with matte medium. I put the photo over that and added the puzzle pieces.