I had two whole studio days in a row to myself! One was even in my actual studio space! I made the most of it.

I'm going to submit this piece for an upcoming group show that speaks to the theme of "unity." But I have to say the unity I see in the world right now is more the (en)forced variety.

At best I see a clenched, we're-all-just-FINE kind of unity that seems to hold together by sheer force of will, or maybe just habit. So I've titled this collage "Reconstruction," after another (more visibly) chaotic time in United States history.

From what I've read, historians think people were desperate to forget the horrors they endured during the American Civil War. That war is still the deadliest in American history. Not surprisingly, the South's version of what happened (and why) didn't line up with the North's narrative.

That divide continues here and now. Why else is there a Confederate soldiers' memorial in a place that wasn't even a state at the time?

No idea if this piece will be accepted or rejected. But it's worth the effort if the collage makes people think about the long-term, widespread unity requires.