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I am a collector. I peruse through piles of books at thrift stores. I wander down the isles of flea markets. I scavenge the streets on big trash day. My quest is simple. It involves finding something unique, usually old and of little or no value to the person discarding it. Aside from collecting books, I also collect observed images. These images are not tangible. They are observations from my surroundings. They are often of people whom, just like the interesting old books, appeal to me for their unique appearance or disposition. These mental collections are compiled, most often while I am driving my car. As I go to and from school everyday, I take note of certain roadside peculiarities and often quickly jot down an idea on a notepad. An example of these are what I
like to call “roadside regulars.” These are strangers that I see frequently. Often it is someone at a bus stop the same time everyday, a man who rides his bicycle on the same route I drive, or loitering youths in my neighborhood. I do not carry interactions with these individuals but often make up a story for them in my head. It is my aim to display disparate elements of my everyday observations and findings in a modern day contextual archeology. I often create mixed media paintings to achieve this. Through multiple layers of imagery, text, pattern, texture and illustrations, my ideas are molded into a surface. It is my goal to reveal a correlation between seemingly dissimilar people and objects. My references of observation, various texts and piles of images support in guiding me through what may at first seem to be a complicated task. It is a sweet reward to find the perfect combination of elements that appropriately display my intentions. -Mary Balda |