“Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?” – Ebenezer Scrooge on the 2016 election.
It has been noted that “Trump sucks all the oxygen out of a room”. Poul Lange says he can attest that “this fact is very true when it comes to my studio.” Early in the morning of after Congress voted on the impeachment Lange sent me the images and his thoughts below.
“I consider myself a calm and mostly positive minded person. But since Trump became president I have been obsessed with politics, and negative thoughts have invaded my brain. Trump’s obnoxious behavior and deplorable politics won’t leave me alone, and where I would usually find inspiration for an uplifting collage or a useful graphic, my hand is now forced to make a comment about the monster in the White House.
“When I find a yellow gingko leaf, I now see Trump’s bizarre pompadour, where I would usually see a beautiful collage element.
““When I consider the genius of (my old boss) Milton Glaser’s I heart NY logo, I just want to make a cheap knock-off expressing the need of political cleansing. (Sorry Milton, hope you don’t mind.)
“And when I think back on the “Jesus Saves” cross-shaped neon sign on the facade of a storefront church in my old Bed-Stuy neighborhood, I get inspired to make a vulgar Christmas ornament” The one above he is planning to turn into an air-freshener for your car (by adding a drop of Peach oil) once the holiday is over.
Lange further wrote: “I can’t wait for this to be over, so I can get back to making my pretty botanical collages and Edel Rodriguez can revisit Cuba to make more beautiful portraits of his family and friends.” But in the meantime, he admits he will probably continue to obsess about Trump and “get it out of my system by cutting and pasting nasty little memes.” Amen!