This holiday break has been a productive one. It feels good to have been so engaged and finding my way with more sure footing these days.
I've read Kurt Varnedoe's "Pictures of Nothing: Abstract Art Since Pollack" which is a Super Knock Out! Highly recommended for anyone interested in getting pumped about abstraction as a valid form of communication. I stayed up until 4 a.m. the first night soaking it all in. One of his main questions at the beginning is one that has stumped me and caused me to stumble for a long, long time now: "How does creating a picture of 'nothing' help the world at all?" His conclusion is a messy one but also heartening. He believes, and I would agree, that the power of abstraction comes from its power of subjectivity. When I look at my circle, my experience is/can be a very different experience than the one you are having. Likewise, artists (obviously viewers of art themselves) create work that may look similar but is actually miles apart conceptually. Another corollary is that artists then create work derived from these experiences, that is very different, even though the original mover (Pollack in Varnedoe's case) is the same. The thing that unifies us is that we are all different. That is what my work has been getting at for so long. It's also the thing that has frustrated me the most. I realise that my work sometimes looks like other artists. Today's installment reminds me less of previous artists but the red dot does resonate with some Kenneth Noland ideas. What I'm embracing from Varnedoe is that idea that the visuals may be similar but the concepts are vastly different and that's validating enough for me.
This first circle has been on our dining room wall for a couple months now. It's difficult to show the scale in these images or capture the resonance the work has. Its emptiness is more than a framing device to heighten the sense of light and shadow throughout the day (but that's nice too). There is a weight to the work that is very delicate/tenuous but is almost tangible at times. I can almost hear it humming. It's heavy with reverb.
(Below) This was an impromptu piece while working on the others shown in this list. The windows were foggy so I whipped out a circle. 15 minutes later, it was all a memory. I'm excited to see what happens the next time the windows get fogged up.
(Below) I always love to see process shots. Sometimes I think these are good enough to stand on their own. They have their own presence which I rather enjoy. I rather like to see the tools and mark making in the work itself so these pictures I consider finished products in their own right. In the near future, I will probably be doing drawings of these images to bring the cycle full circle... Some pun intended.
The opticality on this one is really fun. As you look at it, your eye joins the first few circles together as a moving spiral. Your eyes are constantly shifting between this static image (what you "know" you saw/are supposed to see) and the spiral (the transient, head-shaking aspects). I'd love to do this on a huge wall so the effect gets really visceral.
These paintings below are some works that have been hanging around as simple geometric and figurative studies. They just kept itching me to do something else with them. Pulling out some old vinyl I had laying around, I tried juxtaposing them to create some relational questioning. The 3rd painting's companions are hand-painted color swatches tucked in baggies that once held the tape I use to create the first large wall circle listed above. You can even see the circle imprint highlighted on some of the bags. The circle in the square is kept intentionally visible but subtle.
In case you can't read the fine print, the mural says, "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." ~George Orwell. Click on the image for a larger version. You'll notice that my website's image is a streamlined version of this piece. The mural was recently completed in the Dixie State College Art Department in St. George, Utah. Thanks to Glen Blakely, Dennis Martinez and Del Parsons for making the space available. It measures about 30.5 x 5.5 ft. and was a Beast to paint! Go by and check it out in the old grocery store across the street from regular DSC campus. It'll be waiting for you.
This mural sums up my current opinion about the artist-as-citizen and citizen-as-artist (a la Joseph Beuys' Social Sculpture idea), where we are the world generally and the purpose of art within that framework. In its context in the Art Dept., I hope its message will inspire other artists and citizens to think about what they are saying through their artwork and lives.
It is painted in matte black and high gloss white latex house paint. The barcode is generated from the text itself and is readable by iPods with barcode reading apps.
New Drawings Below: Although not pictured here, a painted all-red version of the flag was recently exhibited in the "35x35 squared" show featuring 35 rising Utah artists, 35 years and younger. Finch Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah.
...In this particular instance, I am drawing with a word processing program. The replacing of image where usually is word is an interesting mis-connection for me. I think of these images as visual haikus. Subtle, (in)direct, graceful in their insinuations. I also appreciate their immediacy, like Dadadist poetry without the absurdity. At the moment, they are owning me. They are a bit like my friend's group of sculptures also derived from Microsoft icons, they are probably the same group of forms only in image form (see DanielReneau.com). In that case, this one's for Dan... God bless him! Thanks for the delayed inspiration, buddy!
For the sake of time and brevity, let me sum it up: Light, color, space: nature/architecture, words, geometry... All things are part of one united whole. I see each aspect for the peculiar applications it brings to the table as well its overlapping properties. They are parts of my voice- a chorus creating a synthesized One.
More soon... Thanks Steph!
The Art Truck of Project 337 is essentially a roving art gallery, going where its beckoned by schools, galleries, museums and just about anyone with an interest in seeing some good art... and having it come to them for a change!
The previous incarnation of the Truck was created by artists Dan Steinhilber (interior) and his wife, Maggie Michael (exterior).
My dream for Art Truck as follows...
Before installation ^...
The barcodes on the side panels will be made of mirrored acrylic, shown here as light gray, and colored, translucent acrylic, either white or black. Both barcodes are created from the word "Equality" and are mirror images of each other, reflecting the notion of Opposition within the system (puns intended). It is important for me to show how looking at our opposition teaches us about them, ourselves and that each side reflects the other infinitely. This is especially true when the viewer in confronted with infinite images of himself with black and white stripes breaking up the plane. The idea is that each of us has internal oppositions that try to take us in different directions and fracture out unity. The questions must be asked, "What are some definitions of Equality? Are all things truly Equal? What does Equal mean in an ideological a practical sense? Sameness? Equivalent value? What is the world telling me about Equality right now? Is it good for all things to be the same?"
The back wall design will be rendered in colored, mirrored acrylic. The white letters will be (as of now) made from opaque vinyl but it would be nice to make it out of custom-cut mirrored acrylic. I like the idea of viewers being reflected in words.
As shown in the illustration above, this wall will be curved into a convex half circle. Its barcode is from "Unity" which brings together visually and ideologically, both sides of the equation. This country is founded and has flourished on the principal of united diversity. As shown in the exterior's famous opening lines, we are different in so many way yet united in our hope and dreams for a brighter future for all people. The poem begins and ends with the phrases from the outside of the Truck, linking interior with exterior, personal space with society at-large.
Because the Art Truck is an educational tool, I have written a brief children’s story addressing the idea of Equality, to expand the conversation begun in the artworks. Hard copies could travel with the truck as well as being sent out digitally with the other teaching materials. Students would illustrate the story in their classrooms as assignments before or after the Art Truck arrives. We could document their images, choose the best and publish the first 337 book as an art contest. It would be a great way to support a younger generation of Utah artists.
The following is a brief summary - not a finished product:
“A Lesson from U”
Each letter in the alphabet is alive with its own thoughts, feelings and abilities. This is the story of how the letter U changed the world forever for the better…
One day, U was feeling sad. She noticed how so many other letters got more attention than she did. It seemed that wherever she looked, there was another O or an E or an A. “They are in every single word!,” she thought to herself. Especially that E - she was all over the place, bouncing around between different words and picking up various intonations, being soft or hard or sometimes totally silent. E seemed to have so many uses that everyone wanted her to be part of their group. U felt, on the other hand, that she hardly ever got picked to play with the other letters.
As she sat there stewing to herself, her good friend Y came to sit beside her. (As they discuss U’s feelings, Y teaches her to ask questions about her situation to find possible solutions. Through imagination, logic and most importantly- questioning- U strikes on a very exciting idea: Equality isn’t about every letter being the same. It’s the differences that make each letter special in its own way.)
“If we were all E’s, we wouldn’t be able to communicate as well as we can now. Everything would be “Eee” this or “Eeeeeee” that and that’s tough to imagine,” U said with a chuckle.
“That’s true, U,” said Y proudly with a smile of her own.
“So it’s actually a good thing that we’re all different?” U was starting to feel empowered. She felt happy because she was finding her purpose in life. She was beginning to see that her voice was important to the world.
“You’re absolutely right and I’m so happy for you. This is a very important discovery you’re making! Imagine if every letter could be as excited for their special place in the world as you are right now. It wouldn’t matter what other letters thought of them, they could be happy no matter what.”
After thanking Y for all her help, U immediately began talking to the other letters around her and do you know what happened? The other letters got so excited that they told all their friends and before long every letter knew that they were special in many, many ways. They were all so excited that they started to make new and better words. These new words were able to communicate even better these wonderful ideas that were sprouting up like flowers.
Then something amazing happened. Something that none of the letters could have predicted: these new words started opening up new ideas and frontiers of knowledge that weren’t even thought of before. And these thoughts created new words and new words made new thoughts and so on and so on and so on into infinity…
…So always remember that no matter your shape or sound or popularity, you are beautiful and have a great work to do.
(Below) This was an impromptu piece while working on the others shown in this list. The windows were foggy so I whipped out a circle. 15 minutes later, it was all a memory. I'm excited to see what happens the next time the windows get fogged up.
(Below) I always love to see process shots. Sometimes I think these are good enough to stand on their own. They have their own presence which I rather enjoy. I rather like to see the tools and mark making in the work itself so these pictures I consider finished products in their own right. In the near future, I will probably be doing drawings of these images to bring the cycle full circle... Some pun intended.
The opticality on this one is really fun. As you look at it, your eye joins the first few circles together as a moving spiral. Your eyes are constantly shifting between this static image (what you "know" you saw/are supposed to see) and the spiral (the transient, head-shaking aspects). I'd love to do this on a huge wall so the effect gets really visceral.
These paintings below are some works that have been hanging around as simple geometric and figurative studies. They just kept itching me to do something else with them. Pulling out some old vinyl I had laying around, I tried juxtaposing them to create some relational questioning. The 3rd painting's companions are hand-painted color swatches tucked in baggies that once held the tape I use to create the first large wall circle listed above. You can even see the circle imprint highlighted on some of the bags. The circle in the square is kept intentionally visible but subtle.
The previous incarnation of the Truck was created by artists Dan Steinhilber (interior) and his wife, Maggie Michael (exterior).
