On a whim I decided to use a page or two from an old book of prestigious but unengaging short stories to make up the skin of a gnarly old birch tree. This page is from a story by Faulkner. I’m a reader and the story couldn’t capture my attention, but this particular tree always captures my attention. It’s on a hiking trail by the Gooseberry River, between the falls and Lake Superior. It’s one of those trees that I photograph almost every time I pass it. On this particular late fall day, the light was dramatic and varied.
I hiked on both sides of the river on this day, and the trail on the opposite side of the river is much higher in elevation. There really isn’t anything more exhilarating than a long hike on a beautiful day.
I’m new to collage and have been experimenting with ways to incorporate paper attached to canvas. On a previous attempt I let the acrylic paint act as its own adhesive, but on this one I used good old fashioned Mod Podge to attach the paper tree–I tore the image rather than use scissors–and then painted right on top and over the edges.