As in Circus, I used a fine nib to draw on the paper and then collaged to the lines, giving emphasis to the lines and respecting the lines by staying out of their way. The collage elements compliment the lines and give them definition.
The juxtaposition of Circus and Totem, which are identical in size, is to show the use of the same mediums, implements and products to different effect.
It occurred to me much later, and this is simply a passing comment as it was not at all my original intent (and indeed it is simply commentary as in conversation), that Alexander Calder and Joan Miro were both very interested in circuses (and lines) and now when I see Circus I think of them (in the abstract). With Totem I am definitely reminded of its namesake and then also somehow reminded of Willem de Kooning's Woman series....and as a result (and again in the abstract as in how what we do has echo of what we know or have experience of) I now look at his Woman paintings with different thoughts as in fact they could be viewed in the light of totems.
Wiki says:
A totem is a being, object, or symbol representing an animal or plant that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, group, lineage, or tribe, reminding them of their ancestry (or mythic past).[1] In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem. Normally this belief is accompanied by a totemic myth. They have been around for many years. They are usually in the shape of an animal, and every animal has a certain personality, e.g Owl:
The Owl - Wisdom, silent and swift and wise.
Although the term is of Ojibwe origin in North America, totemistic beliefs are not limited to Native Americans and Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Similar totem-like beliefs have been historically present in societies throughout much of the world, including Africa, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the Arctic polar region.
This piece won an Honourable Mention at the Sidney Fine Art Show 2013 and was purchased. I have not been given the details of who purchased this piece and so firstly I would like to say thank you, as it is an acknowledgement of the beauty of the line and the idea that follows it. I believe there is some privacy code (it was my first time at the Sidney Show) which is fair enough - although from the artist's side of things it would be lovely to have a connection with the person/s who now have possession - and I think it would be an open and fair practice for the seller to ask the purchaser for permission to divulge who they are to the artist. Whaddayathink?