“Mingling in a Room Full of Strangers” has evolved over several years. It’s one of those images that I can’t leave alone – it keeps calling to me – but knowing exactly what it needs has been a challenge.
It’s gone through stages of paint, collaged images, more paint, more paper. Each stage has reached a point where I was stumped. I couldn’t figure out what to do next, so I’d set the whole thing aside.
It even went through a very – let’s be frank – ugly stage where I almost tossed it out. See Throwing My Toys Out of the Pram. Almost. I knew it could come back from the brink of disaster.
But this time, it came together. The image has always needed people. Not specific people, just people in general. They are unknown, hence the “Strangers” in the title. Lots of people – a “Room Full”.
At this point, I’m very happy with the image. It feels complete, it holds together, tells a story. Very satisfying.
