Collage Series 2: Love, Gerry

After the first 5 collages, I had run through my stash of canvas board and decided to try a larger format. Found a 9x12 pad of bristol hiding in the paper stack. Always glad to use what I already have! Saves a trip to the store, saves money, and makes more space (in theory) at home. So, 9x12 for Series 2. I also felt more focused, having tried a few things out in Series 1. I had a better idea of what I wanted to do and how I might go about it.

Collage 2.1: Love, Gerry. copyright 2020 Linda Farrelly

I have been thinking about my father a lot lately. My parents divorced when I was 11 and we moved away, from Long Island to south Florida. It was a few years until I saw him again. By then I was a teenager, and he had been through some stuff, so it was difficult to get close again. The last time I saw him I was 16, and the last time I heard from him I was 18. Feels like a million years ago.

What I remember about him: He had a wicked sense of humor, loved jazz, took lots of pictures that he developed and printed in the basement, and sometimes wrote poetry. He liked to work in the yard, and he could eat like nobody's business. Always stayed slim and strong.
I decided to print out some pictures on plain paper and see what happened. Most of the pics are black and white, but I printed them in color because I like the effect that gives, more detail but also kind of watercolor-like in look. I knew I wanted the letter he wrote to his sister (that was actually scanned in color) for at least part of the background. I printed out a bunch of pics of Dad, not knowing really what I would want to use.

The picture of Gerry with the cigar is a favorite of mine, and it is from the same time period as the letter. I wanted to use a picture of him as a child also, so I auditioned a few until one seemed to fit. Young Gerry is in white with one of his sisters. Using backgrounds from these pics and others, I worked out the composition and started taping things down. The colored pencil was used to highlight certain things, blend other things in, unify the piece. The coloring part was a lot of fun to do. This is the first one that felt personal.