"Evidence" collage on media board

This collage was originally based on a photograph of my mother in Tokyo taken in winter by her father. I made the figure larger and the space compressed and the figure became someone else as well. Often the work strays far from the original source. The source is a jumping off point - it is important for me to reference it rather than to be tied to it. Also, I had no idea where it would go and struggled with this piece. For a couple of weeks it sat on my shelf unresolved....it needed something and I didn't have the answer. At one point I decided that it would not be in the show. The next day I put the red scarf in and the birds. That was it! During the show I heard so many narratives regarding what this piece "means". There were some good stories...