My character collage pertained to a young woman's transition from a broken-hearted child to an independent adult. At first, she's all alone and feels betrayed by any and everyone. Hiding behind the mask is the only way that she can cope with all the disappointments of her life (my face is actually behind the mask!). She feels trapped by her own life and uncertain as to how she should handle her past and future. She considers suicide and that's the significance of the fire. The wall behind which the man is trapped provides protection from the fire, but a closer look makes one think he is trying to escape. The overall collage is darkened to signify the uncertainty throughout one's life; however, the light areas on the door's stone alludes to the self-discovery theme. Kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's more so the light of truth and reason dancing upon the stones of the uncertain. The open door itself signifies opportunity and the possibilities that lie ahead.
My pictures were taken from:
1) http://www.pittsburghcamerata.org/mask%202006.gif
2) http://www.bprogers.com/pictlibrary/f/Fire/Fire%2009.JPG
3) http://www.flickr.com/photos/haeretik/2092289953/
I like the darkness of this
I like the darkness of this collage. It's almost like a chronicling of the character's escape from darkness. From young, hiding behind a mask, consumed by darkness with the flames of death lapping at her toes to finally seeing the exit, the light and being free from everything that torments her.
Comment
I took me a while to try to figure out what was going on, maybe lighting the wall so as to make a more defined contrast between the hands and the wall. I really like how you put your actually face behind the mask, it also goes well with the title of your collage. I got confused because I thought this was about a woman, but then in your explanation you mention a man who is trapped by the walls. What does he signifie? I also like the words "self-discovery" that you put on the bottom corner, it pulls your collage together.
Collage Feedback
I like to dark tones that come through in the collage. I also like the main elements you have put together. I think it is all working well. You might experiment with the angle/perspective on the face and perhaps the distance effect of the opening--see if you can get more of a looking through feel. You might also work at some of the edges--blurring the lines between the center and right panels, for instance.