Bearden began working in collage, his signature technique, in the mid-1960s using paint, cloth scraps, colored paper, and magazine photographs. His principal subject matter was the everyday life of people of color, creating a vibrant affirmation of the black experience—his experience—growing up in the South, in Pittsburgh, and in Harlem. Bearden painted the background of this image gray, creating a harmony between the black and white tonalities of the photographs and the painted portions of the image.