Collages

Food for Thought

Harmony with the Natural World

Artist’s Statement: These two works were birthed out of Februllage 2026, a month-long exercise for collagists, similar to NaPoWriMo for poets. While I did not complete every day of Februllage, these works were in response to the “food” and “plants” themes. The great icon Muhammad Ali was inspirational to me. He always provided iconic statements that felt more like “food for thought” than anything. Harmony With Nature mixes the natural world from my two countries, the U.S. and Canada blending them in a way that expresses one land, unified in homage to nature and the first peoples of the Americas.

CHRIS L. BUTLER is a Black American-Canadian multidisciplinary artist from Philadelphia, PA, living in the Greater Toronto Area. He is the author of 5 chapbooks, most recently Melodies of the Oppressed (Ethel Zine, 2026). Chris’ poems and essays have appeared in literary magazines like Variety Pack, South Florida Poetry Journal, Contemporary Verse 2, Pinch Journal, and more. These are his first visual art works published by a literary magazine.