Collage Confusion

Good grief. I think Southern California forgot Spring.

It's been 96-100 degrees the last two days!!

I truly haven't gotten much done in the way of art. I started an online collage class through Julie Prichard.  We have backgrounds for 3 collages and I have just finished one. It began like this:

Which I liked. Old sheet music, pages from old books, Ration Stamps that my Mom gave me. (I made copies of those.)

Step two:

Not liking the color so much, but there are to be a couple of more steps and it will change.

Next stage is to add another layer of ephemera. This is where I really got stumped. I have never started a collage without a plan in my mind. But in this class, you make several backgrounds and add as the class goes along. Nothing particularly planned. No quote to work around, no photo to inspire me, just layers.

Why did I pick these images? Well...to be honest, I brought the project along on our weekend in Laguna and I just used what I had. I do love birds and these came from a children's book.

It was a very different experience not being so connected to a piece or not having a need to pour something out  from within onto paper.

Last step:

So, while I'm not thrilled with this piece (the colors, the confusion of the process), I do like the word Freedom across the birdcage and the quote from the book that says, "But I can tell you that the next morning, the whole town was different." It gives it a quirkiness to it and leaves your imagination free to think what it wants. 

Thanks for taking a look!