I broke away from the Knobs so as not to miss a meeting at Kathleen‘s about the Society of Layerists in Multi–Media (SLMM). I recently joined as an associate member and hope to boost my involvement with the organization as they gear up for a major gathering in Lexington during the autumn of 2006. My goal is to complete enough larger collage pieces by next summer to submit an application for full membership to the Society’s jury. It’s my hope to qualify to participate in the exhibitions connected with the month-long series of art events.
It was a very pleasant, interesting gathering of artists who share a similar orientation to their work, including a few friends from Danville, but mostly a group of people I’d never met. We each had an opportunity to introduce ourselves, show some examples of our work, and talk about our approach. I got to explain how the hundreds of greeting cards I’ve made over the years as a creative contrast to the needs of my commercial practice has enabled me to develop a miniaturist style that I yearn to apply to larger concepts. I told them that, although the aesthetics of my spontaneous compositions are rooted in early 20th-century design and modern art (like the masterful Merz experiments of Kurt Schwitters), I reject the nihilism and pessimism of Dada, and that my process and intent is more in keeping with the uplifting, holistic principles of Layerism.
