I've always loved Joseph Cornell's work ever since I learned about him in college. A shy man, he wandered the streets of New York City picking up detritus off the sidewalks, going through alleys finding old bits of wood and other ephemera, making them in to beautiful boxes and collages decades and decades before it was fashionable.

There's something in his work that touches me deeply. I was quite shy when I was young too, lonely from lots of moves and school changes. I relate to the sadness in his work, a poignancy that works on you when you spend time with it.

One of the images that reoccurs in his boxes are birds, parrots and cockatoos are the ones I remember. So when I saw this one in my suitcase of collage clippings I immediately thought of him and pasted it down. Later I thought I'd just work in a similar compositional style too and added the string with the hoops just like he did in several of his shadow boxes.

So this one's for Joseph, who's inspired me all these years. One of the artists who really gave me permission to be myself.

Namaste : )