April 17

I cannot come up with a catchy title today- another week marked in the studio - new things happening -

or as my mentor says, "percolating".  I am immersed in some written work and thought about content and meaning. Pre-thesis work and it is bringing up some new and further thoughts for the work.

The piece above is collaged over that pink construction foam - I've been making these shapes and chunky tablets and using those as the base for the collage work.  It's like a big paper mache' project - brings me back to all the work I've done teaching art to children.  This piece is exploring marks made with sumi ink - and then cut and laid over the newspaper.  The general feel and look is intriguing to me - the ink smears just a bit, everything becomes a little blurry.  I'm moving back towards the long banners today and placing a second layer over those.

Positive-Negative

I'm going after more value range and have reversed out lots of sheets to use - the 3-D dimension is emerging and that is very interesting and very time-consuming.  All of the construction and covering takes hours, but it is a lot of fun.  The up-scaling continues and I'll soon be looking for new places to store and view things (my studio is not large - and the one big wall is a community space - fortunately, my studio mate likes having my stuff up right now -)

Scaling Up

I am making these 6 foot sheets of combined classified ads - it is growing into a large mural sized wall of type -

a much different experience than the smaller pieces - this is pulling me toward some new ideas for image and content -

More Studio Images

I now have all sorts of people saving the classified sections for me - If you can help me out - please save yours too - I can either pick them up from you or I will reimburse you the postage to send them to me.  I am interested in the ENTIRE pages - please do not cut anything - I will take the adjoining page even if it does not have any ads on that side... I am using the automobile, real estate, public notices, want ads, personals, etc, etc. and I am gathering daily papers, weekly community papers, university dailies, little nickel want-ads - anything with the classifieds. 

I am hoping to gather texts from all sorts of states - Do they have this practice of posting classified ads in other countries?

New editions are the text and I am still working this element out - it feels a little vulnerable to be posting these in such an early stage - but this is part of my process too.  I am overwhelmed with all the connections that this project is bringing my way.  It is intersecting with a very personal space - that deals with searching and loss and hope in my own life.  Seattle recently had a daily newspaper fold and die - the Seattle Post Intelligencer published its final issue last Wednesday.  It will be 100% online from here forward.  There is a loss for many of us in that and an eerie wind of change.  I actually like change and I also have some sacred(?) rituals in my life that revolve around holding and touching my reading material.  You may have guessed that I do not own a Kindle. But never say never...

Newsapers

I am limiting myself to using the classified sections of various newspapers.  It seemed like such a prudent decision... to cut down on noise and confusion... to limit my palette ... to focus attention and force the creativity to arise in new ways.  And it is terribly difficult.  There are some days that I just have to leave the studio and walk around the block to reframe my mind - saying, "you can do this - reach past the voice that tells you that it's ridiculous." I laugh a lot and try to honestly dialogue about it with my studio mates.

It is not flashy and it is not gorgeous and it is not easy.  I am just believing that within this process will come some more deep learning and understanding of my own working systems and decision-making.  My mentor Rebecca says that I am making the "rules" and then I can break them, disrupt them, use them to make my points.  It is entirely MY game here.  I don't think I am used to being in this much control and it is both compelling and frightening.  The images above are experimental - I find myself tumbling from one thing into another - process is the only way.

I am mesmerized by the material on a mental level - all that the newspaper represents - Stuart reminds me that

it's an eclectic material if you count the privileged role of say, the NY Times or the Wall St. Journal -- and it is a throw-away material if you gather it in the recycling bin or wash windows with it.  It represents the arrival of breaking information and yet the message is dated within 24 hours.  I am using the classifieds for many reasons.  One, I am drawn to the natural grid and organization of the page - Two, the want ads represent the desire for connection and exchange between people.  Three, we are in a time now when many are forced to find new connections, jobs, help - this inter-dependence makes so much sense.

I welcome any feedback / ideas - I'm looking at enlarging these pieces to huge -- and thinking about new ways to mount them - combine them - 

I wonder if they might be interesting in a video format - stop-action 0r  slide show type - 

this is turning into some rambling - so for now, I sign off.

Just back from Los Angeles

Last week I journeyed down to LA to meet with my mentor Rebecca Morris for the first time. She is an exhibiting abstract painter and an art professor at Pasadena City College. (the work above is HERS)

It was an incredible day and I came home with all sorts of studio ideas and new things to research.  Rebecca is one of those people you wish you could be neighbors with or something... funny, honest, smart and generous in her spirit.  We spent the afternoon together and had an extensive critique/discussion of my work.

With her encouragement and thoughts I am pushing ahead with the newspaper investigation.  

I honestly had to laugh as we looked up at the wall of images and there was a bunch of everyday classified ads collaged onto paper.  How in the world did I get to this place?  We actually had a fascinating discussion about why I might need to be here right now.  This common, low material gives me more space for my meaning and expression than anything I have ever used.  It is remarkably free from gender assumptions and sentimental associations.

My task is to take this to my own place - I am experimenting with different papers, background papers, scale, content and image choices.  Rebecca tells me to pay close attention to my unconscious choices - which will inform my next steps. She explained that this is a grand process - and I am learning to create the system that works for ME... one cannot rush these things.  I'm having a great time in the studio and I'll be posting some new images of the work soon.

New Postings coming

It seemed time to start over - so check back next week for a new start.