Montage- Compressing Time

Concert After the Rain


This piece was completed this year and won
first prize in Photography in the Greeley Art Association Show, "Art from the Heart."

The old man in the background was my great grandfather Alfred, who made violins. My mother, was raised in his home, and he gave her one of his violins for graduation in 1920.
She is shown at right. I inherited the violin from her, but to my dismay, it fell apart, but unable to part with it, I kept it in its case.

My daughter did not play it, either, but my grandson Josh does play violin, and just joined a High School concert group in Grand Rapids, MI. His teacher restores violins,
and was able to put Alfred's old creation into operating condition, and I gave it to Josh.

I used Photoshop to bring three eras together in one frame. I used old family photos and the one of Josh and the background is mine. I found a puddle image to create the reflections, to
further express the idea of reflecting upon the passage of time.


Permission required to reproduce images and writing, which are the sole property of Ruth Zachary .

MONTAGE IMAGERY

Arachne's Web. Photograph, Slide Overlay.

Both of these images use a montage approach,
with combined imagery.








These compositions present different aspects
to express a single idea, and generally, a single
moment in time.

This image was created around 1985.
Arachne was a Greek Goddess.

Wolf Totem
Mixed Media Painting,
Collage, Drawing, and Painting.

This piece was created in the early 1990s.

This illustrates the idea
of a woman who identifies
with the character of wolves,
and relates to the persona
of the wolf as a helpful
symbol for her life.

Both are works from
the Women's Heritage Series.

THE METAPHORIC EYE

"My Muse Takes Me Out to a Sidewalk Cafe"

The process of creating art, for me, whether expressed in visual forms or in words, is an intuitive process, in which
connections between different images are noticed, and
demand to be recorded. The connections between diverse images seemed to convey meanings beyond those of single
images.

This first happened many years ago while working in the darkroom in a photography class. Soon this way of seeing
spilled over into other art forms, such as etching and painting. Eventually drawn to Photoshop as a tool for
creating art, I began to mix the effects possible by using
many media in combination.

I have been a closet writer as well, and often have been attracted to poetry. There is an obvious link between the two forms. Metaphors are not limited to words. Perhaps images are the most primeval metaphors of all.

I invite others to share their thoughts about their
unique creative process. Or if anyone has questions
about these comments, I'd love to answer them!