I feel like it’s time to push this series a little further beyond just racial and gender identities, which is where we get Mixed Breed 6 with its wet dog head.
That’s one of the valuable things - for me at least - about working through a series. It allows me to start with an idea and push it to see where it will go.
The figure is less human in this one, and the accompanying animal form is partially made from a marshmallow Peep chick. This piece also features several linocut prints like the previous mixed breed.
Let’s break down the parts. The head started with a linocut of Frida Kahlo’s head, over which I put a photo of a wet dog’s head from a book that is all photos of wet dogs. I can’t quite imagine pitching that to a publisher, but OK.
The sunglasses came from a hip hop magazine, and the slacks along with the eye and mouth of the pet are from an early 1970s Playboy. The only time I’ve ever used a Xerox in a collage is here with the marshmallow Peep. There is typography from many sources along with colored pencil and acrylic dots.
And yellow. A challenging color bridge between the scary reds and the calming greens. Go figure.