Collage 82

Lucy Arrington
page 171-172 of original text
made 4/18/10
collage, acrylic paint

In this image I was trying to get loose and just make an image without feeling compelled to make any reference to the text. I kept trying to forget that the scene is of Rostov confronting Telyanin about a stolen purse. I was taken with Tolstoy's simple yet compelling description of the thief's realization that he was caught.

"Yes, it's a nice purse. Yes, yes," he said, growing suddenly pale, and added, "Look at it, young man."

He knows he's caught, but he's still bluffing, or trying to...

I still have the uneasy feeling we're somehow bluffing, but haven't yet been caught out. What are we stealing from Tolstoy?

We're saying, "Yes, it's a nice project. Yes, yes, "we say...

And I honestly believe it is a nice project, but it isn't a simple project, and it isn't without its questionable aspects.