Mythical Beasts

Transforming myself into a unicorn is much more time consuming than I had anticipated.

writing

I've recently discovered that writing about humor is not very funny.

More on humor

"Nothing produces laughter more than a disproportion between that which one expects, and that which one sees.” — Blaise Pascal

Business

Working on many projects right now. I'm thinking (and writing) quite a bit about humor as it relates to visual communication. Analyzing humor is not terribly funny. Hmmmm … who would have thought?

Sounds

I need to edit my copy of the experimental sound work that Chris and I were working on. It is nice to get back to recording. It has been a while sice I've done much with sound.

Distractions

I've been reading quite a bit about feminism as well as the psychology of humor as it relates to communication and art. Unfortunately, I'm easily distracted by youtube clips from Flight of the Conchords.

Deep Frying

I wouldn't consider myself much of a cook, but now I know how to deep fry footwear.

Los Angeles

I caught the last day of the Robert Wilson exhibit at ACE gallery on mid-wilshire. It was a great show, though I am still in awe of the number of giant plasma screen televisions he used. The other shows I saw were good, but nothing quite as compelling.

Working

The challenge in creating new work is not ideas, but remembering that small steps begin the process of overcoming inertia.

Dirt

I've spent the day volunteering to help one of my professors create a public art labyrinth behind the library. I think I've discoverd a new appreciation of earth moving equipment. It is nice to spend some time outdoors, in the sun, hands in the soil, near a creek … all in the name of art. Maybe I'll work some of these tools into my next project?

Inspiration

It is difficult to come by. As much as I want to work, right now need to embrace the down time. I'm drawing and designing, but the work seems to be little meaning or depth at the moment. I guess any meaningful work must start as a sketch and every note is defined by the empty space around it. That sounds a bit pretentious doesn't it?

Humor

'the only way I have to change anyone’s
opinion is if I'm making them laugh at something
that they've maybe never laughed about before,'
waters says. 'I use humor to get people to think the
way I do.'
—John Waters

Show at Den Gallery

Another show

I will also have 3 pieces in this gallery for the "Outside > In" show.
http://workingwithartists.com/galleries.html

2 new blogs under construction

Grad Seminar
http://cugradseminar.wordpress.com/

Barchael (a collaboration with Mike Bernhardt)
barchael.wordpress.com

Denver Show

Upcoming show in Los Angeles

Time of the season …

It is coming to the time of year when I need to start thinking about shows, presentations, editing, and more meetings. I've had a number of interesting meetings recently. I work best in conversation and have recently been inspired by a number of comments from these conversations. I've built a committee of artists from differing media that I will present to for my first-year review. I want to have input from as diverse a group as possible. As I want to move beyond the passive image hung on a wall, I have invited a photographer, a painter, a multi-media web and performance artist, and a video artist to be on my committee. I am interested in their ideas on my currently work as well as what influence their experience may have on my future explorations.

For this meeting I am to provide a number of things, including a bibliography of relevant texts. Initially, I thought this may be limited and that I should only include things that relate to my current work. After a bit of reflection, I have come to realize that this will be quite a substatial list of past, current, and soon to be read boooks. I'm doing my best to utilize the library and not add to my amazon wish list (no matter how much I want to).

Here is a passage from one of the books that has been recurring for me this semester:

" Arriving at each new city, the traveler finds again a past of his that he did not know he had: the foreignness of what you no longer are or no longer possess lies in wait for you in foreign, unpossessed places."

"By now, from that real or hypothetical past of his, he is excluded; he cannot stop; he must go on to another city, where another of his pasts awaits him, or something perhaps that had been a possible future of his and is now someone else's present. Futures not achieved are only branches of the past: dead branches."
— from "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino

I am having ideas about a number of directions. Some involve simple grid-based exhibition design, some using packaging, while others involve ziplock bags. All are relevant ideas, but so divergent that I feel like I may be juggling too many thoughts at the moment. Though I may feel like this is a lot, I still haven't had the time to start on the web, interactive, or film ideas I have. There is so much work to be done and so little time. Maybe this summer will give me the opportunity to catch up?

Too Far

Now that I'm back, I've realized that driving from Boulder to LA (in either direction) is not ideal if traveling by myself or without stopping for the night. After each drive I felt like a zombie. Despite that element I enjoyed the trip quite a bit. I was able to see many friends (though not all), discuss potential galleries to connect with, eat good food, and see a couple of exhibitions.

I was impressed by the show at MOCA "WHAK! Art and the Feminist Revolution" as well as the accompanying show "Andrea Zittel: Critical Space". The first show had virtually every important artist associated with the feminist movement from the 60s through the 80s. I was surprised by how many video pieces were there as well. That may be the most I've seen in one show. The second show "Critical Space" was also interesting. I enjoy Zittel's work, but it was more interesting when viewing a large number of pieces together. The earlier work helps to get a better idea of how her ideas have progressed to the current work. Now I feel inspired to build similar pieces to make my living space more dynamic and space efficient.

In the moment

So next week is spring break. I'm getting ready to leave for LA on Saturday morning to delliver some prints for a show, but I still feel like there is so much to be done here at home. It just recently dawned on me that my situation has dramatically changed from life in Los Angeles. While there, my plans always revolved around printing schedules. I was rarely able to afford travel and couldn't plan too far in advance based on project schedules. However, within the past 8 months (since I have moved) I have been to New York, New Mexico, Arkansas, Texas, and now back to California. Assuming all goes well, I will be in Mexico for 5 weeks this summer. I hope this comes through since the trip to Mongolia, which I was approved for, was cancelled due to lack of enrollment. In any case, I know that this summer will be a great time to photograph and print with no one in the art building (currently scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt).

Beyond the stories of travels, I have had a few very productive critiques in the past few weeks. First, I met with performance and installation artist Tania Bruguera. She had a lot of interesting feedback. She pointed out the strength of a number of images and the challenges in viewing the massive wall of images I had construced (primarily due to lack of space). Next, I have been meeting with or scheduling critiques with many of the CU faculty. As we become more familiar with artistic and personal communication styles the conversations become more interesting. Finally, I met yesterday with Josiah McElheney and had a very inspiring meeting. So far, he has been the most analytical and direct critique I have had. He challenged me on my main body of work. He appropriately pointed out how I was stradeling a line between two differing philosophies and should be more commanding of one or the other. I was appreciative of his directness and agreed with his assessment. In addition, he suprised me by being attracted to two other bodies of work I was not considering. He was strongly attracted to two images I which had only been sculptural sketches to explore my fascination with absurdity. He felt they were very successful and best illustrated the concepts I was exploring. Also, he was drawn to the series from the museum. He felt that a merging of the two may be an ideal to explore. What I found most interesting about this is that I agreed with virtually everything he said. Later I realized his ability to listen and analyze was equally inspiring among every other member of the class. Once I return from LA, I have quite a number of photographic ideas to explore.

Now the challenge is to feel rested after having vacation time. Somehow I'm not convinced that will happen. Either way, at least I will be able to connect with my friends on the West Coast.

Significance

I'm thinking quite a bit about the power of signifiers (i.e. labels, price tags, listings). Ultimately anything that quantifies your experience with an object has the power to determine your interaction with it. Maybe I need to read more about the Structuralists, but I think my brain is getting in the way of my art-making. Analysis and interpretation have taken over intuition and the tactile aspects of image making. Maybe instead of reading I should only make mud art for the next two months. Not only does it have cultural, political, and nutritional references built in, but it is also a cost-effective way to create … and fun for the whole family (i.e. me and my dog).

New things/ideas/stuff

It has been a while since I have written anything. It's not that I don't have anything to say, but more that I have too many things to process at the moment. First, I would like to acknowledge my meeting with Karyn Olivier. Through the Visiting Artist program, I was able to meet, introduce, and have lunch with her. Karyn recommended some readings that I found very inspiring (specifically "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino and "Poetry, Essays, Opera" by Anne Carson). Unvortunately, I had to leave for New York the same day she arrived, but I hope to continue our discussions some time in the near future.

Next, my trip to New York was interesting and enjoyable. I have traveled quite a bit, but somehow never visited New York until a couple of weeks ago. My impression was that it has the energy of Paris with the cleanliness of Rome or parts of Los Angeles. The view from the hotel was the stereotype of a scenic view of a brick wall.



I went for a conference, but due to my inability to preregister (i.e. discount) and the boredom factor involved in the few lectures I attended, I decided my time was best spent in the museums and galleries. During my 5 days there, I saw MoMA (twice), the Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt, Museum of Folk Art, the Museum of Art and Design, and the Whitney, as well as way too many galleries in SoHo to count. From this art overload, I left with an awareness of a couple of good photo galleries, the memory of a small number of interesting work in museums, and a sense that painting is far from dead in the Art Metropolis of the US.

Now that I am back (and appreciating the mountains and clean air so much more), I am back to a lot of work, presentations (mine and prospective applicants), critiques, and reading. Right now, I am thinking quite a bit about drawing. I'm struggling with other ways to activate still photography and interject a sense of immediacy. I feel the most effective way to do this is through humor, but I am also inspired by an urge to reintroduce process and marks of the hand into the work. With this in mind, I have just learned the simple act of sewing. Two days ago, I sewed my first pieces onto a collaborative painting I am working on with one of my professors. This idea of collaboration was initially inspired by this new painting faculty and has now expanded to a conversation within the graduate student population. I have begun a number of collaborative projects with my studio-mate, as well as with a fellow grad student in sculpture and discussions about similar projects with others in painting and photography. In the longer-term, a few of us have discussed the possibility of a large-scale collaboration in transforming the current art building just before it is demolished at the end of the summer. This seems a logical direction based on the dynamics of the current graduate students as well as the impending relocation that will last the duration of our education. This is an interesting challenge for the group and an interjection of uncertainty into our scholastic future. I guess I will have to wait and see.

website and recent critique

I'm currently attempting to update my website. Somehow the main page doesn't seem to be loading correctly, so I'll keep trying until it works. I also need to post a new selection of work. I have a few images ready, but will wait until I have a more finalized group. Beyond that, I'm working toward an April show in Los Angeles and am back to my mountain of reading. I've noticed that every time I think I have purchased all the books I need (or want) there seems to be another dozen or so that make themselves known once I have already placed another order through amazon.

On another note, I recently had a very productive meeting/critique with Shahzia Sikander. She was at CU as part of the Visiting Artist Seminar I'm in this semester. We met and discussed the direction of my images, installation ideas and possible new directions. Her insight was valuable as she made suggestions that have given me ideas on the next stage in the work. If you are not familiar with her work please take a look at her site:

http://www.shahziasikander.com/

This weekend

It all begins again

I just recieved a number of new books in the mail. There are more on the way and I probably won't have enough time to enjoy all I want to read at the moment, but here is a favorite moment I came across in one last night:

"…'birth trauma' has remained such an obvious truism that it can no longer explain anything, any more than can the hypothesis that life is a disease with a bad prognosis because its outcome is always fatal."

–C.J. Jung,
"Psycholocial Commentary" from "The Tibetan Book of the Dead"