I Am a Driftwood Collage
On Sale | Charles Van De Moortel | Photography
I Am a Driftwood Collage by Kingsley Deerin
As a six-year-old, my grandmother called me to her front porch, which overlooked the Chesapeake Bay area, a place whose beauty I never took for granted. When I walked outside, she was standing in front of me, holding pieces of driftwood glued together. An artist, she told me she'd been collecting the unique pieces of wood throughout that summer and wanted to create a collage with me. At the time, I didn't know what a collage was, but I couldn’t wait to work on a piece of art with her. We spent that day painting, gluing glitter, pasting magazine scraps, and attaching rope to the gnarled wood, carefully analyzing the perfect placement for each addition, resulting in a sculpture that became uniquely me.
I still think about that special day with my grandmother and that collage we created together. When she passed, my family sold her house along with many of her possessions. I have often wondered what became of our driftwood masterpiece, hoping that one day it may resurface. Each piece of wood and every artistic detail we added is forever imprinted on my mind.
My grandmother, whose works of art always held great meaning, told me the pieces of driftwood would represent my life, and the embellishments we added would tell the story of who I am as a person. In a way, it foreshadowed the journey of my life and who I was to become. Some of the driftwood was very smooth and almost soft, while others were rough and filled with twists and crevices. Like most, my life thus far has been a combination of bliss, tragedy, and peace.
One piece of particularly weathered driftwood looked like it had traveled a long way, perhaps from the place where my life began, in Los Angeles, California. Here, my first steps were taken, my first words spoken, and my first birthday celebrated. My early childhood memories took place here, including the preschool I attended, inside of which my teachers encouraged me to create with Play Dough, draw pictures, and stay in the lines of my coloring book. Here is where I discovered my love for hands-on projects, color, and creativity.
Another piece of thoughtfully entwined driftwood personifies my family and the joy and comfort they have always brought me. My mother showers me with constant love and affection, even after an argument, showing me how to be compassionate, even when it's hard. I'm proud to have inherited my father’s creative eye and appreciation for art and those who create it. Whenever he plays his guitar, I witness the joy he evokes, bringing people together. He exemplifies the importance of staying true to myself and doing what I love. My younger brother lovingly shows his support for anything I achieve, whether it’s a major sports award or an A on my math test. His kindness toward everyone is a constant inspiration and a quality I try to emulate.
One of my favorite parts of making this collage was deciding what color to paint the pieces of wood and how to embellish them to reflect me. I remember selecting different shades of blues and greens. Little did I know the color blue symbolizes imagination, inspiration, and freedom and the color green represents nature, growth, and hope, words that are the essence of how I now perceive myself. The artist in me is inspired by my imagination and the nature surrounding me, giving me the freedom to freely stroke my paint brush to express on canvas what my mind sees and sprinkle glitter to embody the hope my heart feels.
I can’t help but think that the rope we carefully wound around our driftwood masterpiece tied my life together, and I love to imagine that it is still out there, floating in the bay, collecting pieces to add to the life that lies ahead of me.
