It was a hot Saturday afternoon and my husband and I had just put the baby down for her nap. He settled into a comfortable chair and I spread out my collage materials on the dining room table. He was reading aloud a novel by one of my favorite authors: Haruki Murakami. The A/C made the room cool and our dog curled up peacefully under the table for a nap.

I could feel the lonely mood of the “Norwegian Wood” novel relaxing the analytical voices in my head. There’s something comforting about having another artist in the room- whether it’s recorded music, or a book read aloud, or a painting on the wall.

Caught up in the rhythm of the story, I found myself arranging and rearranging the picture plane.

I’m now reminded of when I was growing up and my Mom liked to move furniture around. She would have a vision for the living room and my brothers and I would join her in pushing tables and chairs and rugs around until the space felt new and right.

Making collages feels a little like rearranging a room. The pieces of painted paper become building blocks for two dimensional rooms. When the composition feels good it’s like being in a room with good feng shui.

For this particular picture I was looking at the back door of our house leading out to the back porch. The hot summer sun pierced through the window panes making the inside of the house appear very cool in comparison. Looking at the picture now I imagine the window muntins are strings on a guitar singing the melancholy of the afternoon and the red, blue and turquoise color blocks are stomping out a beat on the bass guitar and the drums.