Imagination is slippery. As soon as we begin to describe a dream or vision in an attempt to interpret it, its meaning eludes us. Words mold the translucent fluidity of a dream into something hard-edged and opaque that is altogether different from what our imagination conjured initially.
My collages attempt to capture more fully the truths of dreams and imaginings. Patterns present themselves and images attract each other, as in a matching game. Photographs call out from the pages of magazines, catalogs, second-hand books—compelling me to weave images together to offer commentary and amusement. These become an ever-expanding palette of partial and whole images with which I try to bring ideas and syncretistic perpectives into view. I offer up some of my favorite collages on Syncretease.
In making collages, I enjoy precision-cutting with Exacto blades (number 11 to be exact) and the very re-stickable Glue Stick which allows me to lift and tuck and knit images together. Each chosen image has its own story and emotional tug. A playful title helps but also can lead interpretation astray. The descriptive text beneath each collage hints at the meaning of my design while leaving open other ways of seeing.
None attains exactness, but such blendings of chosen images serve me better than words in describing my perception of the world and the universe beyond.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am indeed a lucky and happy man, blessed with three graces who appeared at auspicious moments during my life. My sister and first best friend luckily appeared early and later introduced me to the second grace of my life, my spouse. Together, she and I created the third grace, our daughter. Without their gracious encouraging insistence, tech know-how and wise counsel, this website would never have been created and you would be spending your time elsewhere! And without my precocious son’s example, I might have kept my imagination under wraps. When he was about five, he filled the outline of a cloud with multiple circles to express his dream of having 1,000 heads so he could juggle 1,000 thoughts. How I have often wished I had multiple heads to keep track of all the images that beckon me to syncretease.
Dixon Adair, 22 September 2020
adadairiv@gmail.com
Syncretease 