Old School (Part 5)

For this installment of Old School, I'm going to kick it like Tribe Called Quest: "Back in the days when I was a teenager, before I had status, before I had a pager..." All the way back from the days of high school freshman year comes this piece: "Just Another Day." (At least that's what I remember having titled it back then.)

Here, I combined the general frustration of being a freshman (or in my case, a total dweeb) with the general malaise that came with constant confrontation for being a freshman (or total dweeb as previously mentioned). The actual piece is collage made up of oil pastel drawings (apple, banana, hand and sandwich) with actual items like a crumpled lunch bag and Kudos wrapper. Although this work of art hangs on the wall, it is actually an arial view depicted by large expanse of black floor tracked upon by chalk-dusty sneaker prints.

I entered this collage for a high school art competition in a gallery that opened up in Haddon Heights. All the upper classmen entered, too. To my surprise, and the dismay of the upper classmen, I took first place and a $20 prize. (Oh, the looks I got.) I was empowered. The prize may not have helped with my standing as a freshman, but at least I was no longer a dweeb.