Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

This colorful layered collage started as a bit of fun, and gradually seemed to take on a life of its own. To be honest, I don't even remember what I glued down first. I think I just started gluing for the pure enjoyment of it. Sometimes it's relaxing to just glue things down without thinking too much.

As the layers built up, a theme began to emerge. Some of the fragments of paper came from Chinese 'hell notes' (symbolic "money" believed to help ancestors in the afterlife). So, I began to think of it as having something to do assets and what we do with them. Saving, collecting, gathering things up for the future. Greed, generosity, thrift, investment. I remembered my mother telling me not to put all my eggs in one basket, which is where the title comes from.

At various points in its evolution, I peeled away some of the layers, allowing parts of previous layers to peek through. Removing papers that have been glued down is a process known as decollage. I also used image transfers to further enhance the translucent quality of the piece. As I added and subtracted layers, the piece developed a greater sense of depth. Some of the transferred images are symbols associated with recording and receipts, such as ancient cuneiform, the earliest known form of writing.

Really, the piece is just a pleasing collection of images with no specific intended meaning. I enjoy the interplay of color and design. If you keep looking, you may find many layers of meaning that speak to you alone. I hope you'll want to add it to your home or office, so you can keep discovering the messages hidden in the layers!