The Trip I Didn't Take

My friend Sura Ruth, an artist in NYC, recently sent me a photo of a woman standing "in" a 360 degree work of art comprised of maps. She had seen me do works with a similar "viewer to work of art" relationship.

I have done several  360 degree works, in hopes of capturing the feeling of being "in" a work of art, of being "at one" with it, and making the viewing experience more "experiential". Very large scale can contribute to that feeling, if a viewer isn't able to focus on any one point in the painting. The first image above is a partial view of "Unabridged", a 12 canvas oil painting which is 5.5 feet high by 24 feet long, a 360 degree view of a Japanese garden. The complete painting may be seen by clicking here. At this same link please notice a painting titled, "Darwin and Me", which relates to this post.

But the second image above, a collage titled, "The Trip I Didn't Take", which incorporates the image from Sura, takes a completely unexpected turn. It is only 6" X 10", an intimately scaled collage. The maps reminded me of a trip to the Galapagos which I had been scheduled to take as visual arts director of an art travel company called "Artsafield". Artsafield proved financially unviable in this economic climate.

I have long wanted to visit the site of Darwin's inspiration for  his theories, but that trip will have to wait until other times.