“Deconstructing the TIMES - 398 daily creations from the NYTimes” is a project I began on 11-11-11 as an exercise and challenge. I established certain parameters for each collage, incorporating the date somewhere in each 4” x 4” piece. Everything I used had to come from that day’s paper, and I could use no advertisements. It could be news related, or just graphic images. The decisions made as to what to include or eliminate gave voice to my mood or happenings in my life that day. Sometimes it was an event or story on the front page that inspired me, other times I was moved by a blurb hidden in the folds, or just a color or shape. I became engrossed in the process and committed to the challenge of continuing for 13 months, until

12-12-12. This journey was about much more than the news; it became a ritual that I looked forward to every day, promoting contemplation and introspection. Because of this, the work seems timeless.

Karen V. Neems

Karen V. Neems