The STORY of MY STRIPES

This is the story about how my trip to China in 2011 led to my fascination with stripes and to the creation of my STRIPE COLLAGES.

THE STORY OF MY STRIPES

I sailed on the Yangtze River, I climbed on the Great Wall of China, saw the Terra-cotta Warriors in Xi'an, and other fabulous sights, -- BUT the inspiration for my collages came from a different and very simple and unexpected visual experience.

It all started when I visited a rural elementary school. I met a little girl in her classroom.

Then I visited a farm house and met a grey haired farmer lady.

I took a photo of our Chinese guide in conversation with the farmer lady AND I NOTICED

THEY WERE BOTH WEARING STRIPES!!

I soon noticed other Chinese wearing clothing with striped patterns. I saw those stripes everywhere in China: in the countryside and in large cities like Beijing and Chengdu. I was absolutely sure that I had identified a new fashion trend, starting now in China, but soon to go global.

When I got back home to the States to my great surprise, everywhere I looked I saw Americans in stripes too! I knew that the style hadn't gone around the world during the three weeks I was away. I realized that folks had been wearing those very popular, striped garments all along… but somehow I had NOT NOTICED!!

My heightened awareness while traveling to new and exotic places may have triggered something in me, (maybe it was the jetlag) but now I was obsessed and I found stripes endlessly fascinating

-- so fascinating that I just HAD to make art with stripes.

The image of the little girl I met became the source of one of my first Stripes collages.

I cropped a striped section of the little girl’s photo, rotated it and collaged it onto a background from my alcohol ink pourings.

When I became aware that stripes were

actually a fashion thing, I named my first

four small compositions “Stripes Are In.”

StripesAreIn 4

collage: striped photo on print

enlargement of alcohol ink pouring,

with cut tape dashes

15” x 15” 2013

The first group show that included my "Stripes Are In" collages was at SMI Academy Square Galleries in Montclair NJ.

I began to photograph any one I saw wearing stripes. I would ask permission first, of

course, but then to take detail shots, I would use my camera as close to them as they

would allow.

I love how the rigid parallel lines of striped fabrics can appear organic and undulating when people wear them.

Since 2013 I have been busy in my studio creating a series of abstract collages that include images cropped from my photographs of individuals wearing striped clothing.

My work has evolved over the last ten years:

from 2-D framed collages, to 3-D sculptural collages, to room-sized immersive collage installations, ALL ABOUT STRIPES.

Striped Diptych collage: alcohol ink, photos on panels 36” x 48” x 2” 2014

My summer travel consisted of a drive in August 2024 to Harrisburg, the exotic capital of Pennsylvania, to install my 3 panel, 3-D collage at the State Museum.

This year for the Art of the State exhibition, 600 Pennsylvania artists submitted 2200 artworks. Only 96 artists were accepted. I am honored to be one of them!