New Work

Until I revisited this blog, I had every intention of starting a fresh one to document new work and ideas.  I started this blog almost two years ago and abandoned it feeling a little overexposed and embarrassed writing about my life.  I opted to hide rather than delete it and I'm glad I did.  Coming back to what I wrote, I find it relevant.  I'm still dwelling on the same thoughts and ideas about art, writing, technology, connections...  And it's time I do something about it.

I intend for this blog to be a way for me to write down what I'm thinking when I'm making my artwork.  It forces me to consider the viewer and to write about the work in a way that I'd otherwise put off until the last minute before a show.

I almost never have a picture in my head of how I want a work of art to turn out. For me, it's about the process; allowing the material to dictate to some extent while learning to control certain aspects of the material.  I certainly consider the significance of the material and what it might reference or symbolize, but often I chose it initially because I find it's tactile quality appealing (nylon or denim for instance).  I see no problem with that and I don't think I need to change the way I work.  I just need to improve the way I present and talk about the work. So here I am.

Now where to begin?  Well, I'm starting with what I know and what I like.  I know I want to paint. I don't know why exactly, which is more reason to do it. Most of my recent work has been performance/garment based and maybe I just need some time making things that don't require me to be physically present in the end product. I like artwork that has texture, that I want to touch, that could stare at for hours and get lost in purely because it's visually appealing. I'm going back to the reason why I started making art in the first place: I saw work that I loved and wished I had made it myself and I saw work that I hated and knew I could do better. 

Instead of flying off the hook and trying the craziest idea jotted down somewhere in one of my sketchbooks.  I'm starting with a few paintings similar to ones I've made in the past. It's something I can take further, build upon, and figure out in the process. (I promise I will still find a use for that helium tank and eventually make something out of that broken $2 chair I got at Village Thrift four years ago).

Some details of what I just started. So far canvas, acrylic, and stitching.

I just wanted to note in regards to the previous posts:
I had no idea those mandrakes would lead to this at the time I made them.
I didn't make it to the Baldassari show but thanks to my reminder I just watched This Not That.
The guy with the cranberry morpheme blog did indeed keep posting.
I never bound that journal from the first post or wrote in it again.  I think it served it's purpose nonetheless.

And links to two interesting articles I recently read.
Can you destroy a Rothko painting that is available everywhere? 
Why young people are setting time aside for faith.