Odd Onion

Odd Onion, a photo by DeForestRanger on Flickr.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that my favorite artist is Salvador Dali (an odd onion if ever there was one) and of course this shot was inspired by his unique vision. It also has its roots in the amazing photographic collage work of Ted Joans, colleague and friend of Jack Kerouac, and creator of "The Hipsters," published in 1961 as the Beat Era was reaching its end. Sadly, Joans' work is now out of print and I was unable to locate any examples of it on line.

Surrealism according to Webster is "the principles, ideals or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery in art of literature by means of unnatural juxtapositions and combinations." That definition barely scratches the surface. I would add to it a large helping of metaphor and layered meaning, and a fair sprinkling of simply wanting to confuse the hell out of your viewers. Lemme know when you figure out why I'm wearing a silk jabot with hiking pants, will ya? I really need to know.