When the stay at home orders went into effect, Linda Greenwood decided to use the extra time to dive deeper into a new way of creating art.
Greenwood, a Peterborough resident, has been fine tuning her photography skills for many years, but outside of doing her own printing, matting and framing, for the most part she has let the photos be the focus of her artistic skills.
But this spring, Greenwood figured it would be a good time to expand on a new art form she started last year for a show at Twiggs Gallery in Boscawen. So using her photos, Greenwood began creating assemblage art (also known as mixed media) and the results have left her wanting to create more.
“The COVID-19 stay at home orders has presented me the opportunity to really focus on this new passion of mine,” Greenwood said.
With a multitude of images to choose from, Greenwood will first start with a photo she has taken and surround it with any number of objects and materials from every day life. Many of those materials she has around the house, but has taken to going through the bin at the Peterborough Recycling Center “where people can dump things they don’t want,” Greenwood said.
She has found things like model train tracks, snow tire chains and chicken wire, and the possibilities of new objects is pretty much endless, Greenwood said.
“You really increase your perspective and observing capabilities,” she said.
For her piece “Let It Go”, which is part of the Women’s Caucus For Art, NH Chapter show “Narratives: A Woman’s Point of View” now showing at the VynnArt Gallery in Meredith through Aug. 29, Greenwood first started with a close up photo of a statue at the Andres Institute of Art in Brookline. She chose a plywood background, she painted a soft color, incorporated burlap, corkboard, some metal pieces and train track she found at the recycling center.
“It’s supposed to be this path to happiness and living a better life,” Greenwood said.
The list of potential objects and materials have expanded, as now Greenwood will go to yard sales “and buy things that people don’t want anymore.” For one piece, she took apart an old pocketbook to use all the fixtures and a friend has old skeleton keys she plans to use as well.
“Earth ‘88” consists of a flower photo, rope, reclaimed wood and the spine of the National Geographic Society publication “Earth 88: Changing Geographic Perspectives”. There’s also “River of Glass”, which includes a very colorful abstract photo with blue paper, bubble wrap and mesh utility fabric. She’s also used old clothes pins, zippers and various kinds of wire.
“It’s allowed me to use my photos to create different kinds of art pieces,” she said.
The possibilities are immense for Greenwood and that’s what she enjoys most about her exploration into the art form. And being forced to stay home has sped up the process.
“It’s just allowed me to focus on the creativity,” she said. “I’ve had so much fun with it.”
At some point, Greenwood might even change the way her pieces start, instead putting together a collection of objects and materials and then taking a photo to match. Because now anything can be part of her art, and only time will tell where her new creative passion will go.