“Midlife is when you reach the top of the ladder and find that it is against the wrong wall.” ~ Joseph Campbell
This is an image called “Tele Time” that is included in 40×41: Midlife Crisis Postponed. It’s one of a series of telemark skiing collages I’ve created over the last few years. It’s a mobile (originating photograph and doodle were created via mobile phone and tablet) mashup (digital mixing, layering, filtering, etc. used to combine multiple elements into a visual remix). Think, digital descendant of paper and glue collage.
Telemark skiing has been one of my outdoor recreation / wellness / solitude / mindfulness pursuits since rounding the 39-40 mile marker. I never planned to swap alpine skiing for telemark. Instead I wanted to experiment and stretch my downhill skiing experience. But as it turns out, I haven’t been back in my alpine boots in years. I’m pretty hooked on heel free skiing.
I think of these little collages as visual poems or lyric vignettes. It’s a idea I’ve been playing with for quite a few years now, but so far I’ve done an inadequate job of articulating what I’m trying to do. Need to keep working toward a clearer explanation. Stay tuned.
[Quirky tidbit of information: that background image is a closeup of funky orange-yellow mushrooms I photographed growing on a tree in New Jersey.]