Any collassemblage artist is essentially a trash collector. Collecting modern-day trash means collecting a lot of plastic and plastic has three great drawbacks as objet d'art: it is not intrinsically beautiful as paper and wood, it has no grain, no organic fibres; nor does it weather in interesting ways as wood or metal, it doesn't acquire patina only a bunch of scratches. Plastics also come in a fairly limited range of garish colours.

These characteristics can be used to advantage in certain kinds of assemblages, but I enjoy texture and fading and weathering so I decided to give myself a rest from the harsh world of the plastic cast-offs of civilization. First I eliminated the uncompromising colours and began a restful series of black and white collages, gradually added colour and some 3D bits ( some are even plastic bits). This show is my vacation - the single conscious decisionto avoid bright colours led unpredictably to a greater simplicity of form while at the same time I could take time to shuffle around the cobwebs inmy brain. It was a great vacation. Next year I may have some commentary on modern life to make with plastic and red and yellow, but this year I am making a little distance from the immediate tragedies and wafting one tiny tendril of my mind out to make contact with something nearer to artistic detachment.