What do you call these things?

That is a question I've often asked myself over the last two years of developing these large-scale works because I'm not sure if they fit a particular category.

Are they collages? Artistic compositions of diverse elements pasted together? Not quite; collages often mix different media, like pictures, newspapers, colored paper, and small objects. Are they montages? A pictorial composition made by the placement of contrasting pictures or designs? A little closer, but the photos that make up the whole are not meant to contrast one another. Panoramas? Well, yes, for they often take 90° to 180° of field-of-view, and are travelogues of places I've visited. That definition misses, though, the use of many small photos which are taken over a noticeable period of time.

How about Mosaics? Very close- a mosaic is a composite picture made of overlapping photographs. Commonly used, though, for aerial and astronomic maps. Joiners? Certainly- that's what the British call this type of work, made famous by David Hockney in the 1980s. Hockney took many Poloroids of a single scene, often from different perspectives, and joined them in one large work. Here in the States the word "joiner" as an artistic term is not in common usage, and is better recognized as someone who builds furniture! I would call them "Hockney's" if I could, but the consummate artist is known just as well for his paintings, prints and stage designs.

So, I suppose my works are Panoramic Mosaics, or... Panoramosaics! - October 2004