Nonsensical Ramblings

New Blog

2008-02-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've decided to change my blog over to wordpress. It gives me a few more design options, so you can find all my future entries here.

Please update any links you may already have.

Tides

2008-02-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I walked along the river at low tide. I have walked along the river a few times since I've been here, but last night was the first time I had done so at low tide. It was fascinating to see boats hovering in the middle of the river above the shallow water beneath. Many boats seemed to balance on their keel and/or rudder. Some smaller boats rested at an angle and were only kept from falling by having been tied to the docks. Once again, this was one of the rare moments that I wish I had my camera with me. Luckily, there should be plenty more opportunities for this experience.

Sketching

2008-02-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

I have recently been thinking about sketching. I rarely draw any more as my sketch books have gradually been taken over by "to do" lists and vague descriptions of projects. In Pont-Aven, I am surrounded by painters and illustrators. This dynamic, along with the painting history of this area, have allowed me to question my relationship to drawing. This was my meditation two days ago as I walked the area looking for the Tremelo chapel. Here are some of the recent images.

Catalog

2008-02-03T06:30:00.001-07:00

River Rocks Moss Rooftops SeaBoats Fishing Language Tongue Conversation Diverse Students Forest Dead Trees Farm History Gaugain Galleries Empty Buildings Chapel Costumes Cobblestones Wind Rain Cold Walking Seclusion Invitation Site Food Bread Market Wine Signs Ingredients Breakfast Pizza Size Light Darkness Flashlight Closing Shutters Windows Wooden Closed Coast Pride Mythology Supplies Resources Coffee Machine Water Kitchen Storage Saw Horses Rural Group Nature Technology Connections

Exploratioin, day 5

2008-02-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

I was able to wake up a bit late today and decided to explore town to stimulate my eyes and be alone with my thoughts. The group here is becoming close very quickly, which is great, but I wanted to have a bit of time to focus and some investigation seemed to make sense. It was a very quiet and pleasant experience. Eventually I found a muddy path that took me into a wooded area with multiple, muddy paths that lead up to an area with horses. I didn't go as far as the horses, since the recent rains have created many, very muddy areas on the trail. While there, the light was soft and beautiful and I could hear a dozen different kind of bird songs, with the sound of water in the distance. I photographed the entire walk and have posted the images on my flickr account.

Tomorrow we travel to Quimper. I'm interested to see what the museum offers about the history and culture of this area. I'm wanting more narrative/myth material to work with. I also need to purchase some of the overpriced digital photo paper here, so I can start making small proof prints of my recent ideas.

Darkness

2008-01-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

I stayed up too late and didn't sleep well last night. However, one interesting thing around here is that all the town's lights go out at 1. I had forgotten this and left the school around 2. I don't have far to travel, but without light I wasn't able to see anything. It was fascinating. I could hear the river and feel the cold, but otherwise, there was nothing to respond to. Since I didn't have a flashlight, I used my cellphone to see if anything would reflect and give me a sense of distance. It worked, but the small amount of light produced created an effect of looking through a very dark lens.

An interesting response to this phenomenon has come out of discussions with some of the other students, one of which is a circus performer/fire dancer. We have discussed creating a circus of light for the town. The head of the department seems to also be interested in this idea, so I will share more as it develops.

Otherwise, here it is raining and I've just woken up from a nap. I've been working on an image/illustration in Photoshop. It is just a sketch, but it just dawned on me that this could be easily adapted into a book format. This is something I can continue to develop and may not go anywhere, but any type of productivity now is good to help create other directions.

I was looking forward to the French thrift store, but was told that is not happening this Saturday, but next weekend. At least I will have some history and art to digest in the mean-time.

Location, community and a lack of heat

2008-01-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly reseting my internal clock. Today I was able to wake at a decent hour without my body deciding it necessary to be awake from 3 to 5am. I'm enjoying the town, but am beginning to miss regular indoor heating and insulation. I find that I am frequently cold, though I'm wearing many layers. I guess it must be the lack of heat breaks I'm used to in the States.

Today we took a trip to the art store in Quimper. I purchased some an overpriced sketchbook and pencils. I may do some figure drawing to see if I can get some creativity flowing. I've begun some rough digital outlines and writing, but nothing that seems too interesting at the moment. So far I'm just enjoying the friends I'm making here. We'll see how the art-making goes. I'm looking forward to the Quimper trip this Saturday. The Breton museum will be interesting as well as the Musée des beaux arts, but I am mostly excited about going to the thrift store. I want to see what clothes, materials, and bric-a-brac that lives there. Maybe some good fodder for my upcoming projects? I'm hoping so.

Dîner et conversation

2008-01-28T15:47:00.001-07:00

Tonight I had pleasant conversations with a professor and fellow students over dinner, with topics ranging from Baudrillard, Post-modernism and buddhism, to communism and current U.S. political races.

Studio

2008-01-28T09:34:00.001-07:00

I just got set up with my studio and I have made good friends with the coffee vending machine. It looks like the program will be interesting. There are students here from many different countries (though the majority are Americans) working in a variety of media. The bandwidth here seems to be the only difficult spot at the moment. The wireless internet isn't quite as reliable as I had hoped, but maybe it has jetlag as well. I think I will begin working this evening on some ideas for the mythology of Barchael.

En France

2008-01-28T04:33:00.000-07:00

I'm in Pont-Aven for my first full day. Later, when I have a bit of time, I'll try and upload images to my flickr acount.

Soldier Bear

2008-01-25T19:29:00.001-07:00

I just read this news story about a bear who was a soldier in WWII. This is an interesting approach to anthropomorphism.

Juice bag

2008-01-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

How can you go wrong with food delivery systems that resemble an iv or catheter bag?

Alien Life

2008-01-23T13:51:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy when people start hallucinating mythological creatures into photos. Whether on toast or any shadow on the martian surface, people love imaginary monsters.

Here is a news story about Bigfoot on Mars

and another about Grilled Cheese.

Conversation, Food, and the Internet

2008-01-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I was able to spend the evening with the Semrads, some of my favorite human beings (along with their associated canine and feline friends). Great food, wine, and discussion ranging from arts organizations to bass guitar necks. While we passed around laptops last night, I was reminded of this fine bit of animation that Chris Lavery recently introduced me to. I thought I should share:

I'm looking forward to plans with Sarah Jane this Friday at the DMA. I'm really curious about any exhibition based around karaoke and the Smiths.

Barchael

2008-01-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Barchael blog has been updated.

A long journey

2008-01-21T23:07:00.001-07:00

I just arrived in Dallas after a long drive through unusual weather. I've had a lot of time to listen to music and french language CDs, as well as think about projects. I've been largely considering how to develop a personal history. History is like an accordion. It can adapt to the smallest or largest segment of time. It the fluid in which we all swim and the basis for perception. I'm beginning to consider how to construct a new version of it. After speaking with a friend who is a ballerina and another who is a poet, I have come to the conclusion that my dabbling in history and fiction may need to be expanded exponentially. I enjoy pushing myself into new territory, but I want to make sure I'm not thinking in too linear a fashion. I'm most interested in time that is non-linear. Now, how can that become a place for exploration and possibility? How does time work when its order is confused? How does a story function when there is no anchor or time line? What happens to an audience when all points of reference are removed or confused?

Also, here is an interesting link sent to me by Don Fodness
(thanks Don):
http://content.otis.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/artbook&CISOPTR=60&CISOSHOW=

Technology

2008-01-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

I had to replace my computer today. The bright side of this whole ordeal is that I got an upgrade to my operating system in the process. I hope this one holds up while I'm out of the country.

Work = play = ?

2008-01-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

These two Roman Signer videos are probably closest to the way I like to work. I was watching videos online with Mike this evening while we discussed our upcoming distance collaboration. While watching these, I remembered the importance of enjoying the work you make. In these clips the element of playful curiosity and simplicity are what I think is most effective. I don't know if they say much beyond to question your surroundings, but I don't know if they need to do any more than that. Why make a grand statement when you can keep people asking "what the hell?"

Coffee and Roman Signer

2008-01-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying starting my day slowly by drinking coffee and watching Roman Signer videos on youtube. I just discovered his work and like his sense of playfulness and absurdity. So far I really enjoy the "Sleeping" piece from "Signers Suitcase."

I also really like the flying tables in the "Kurhaus Weissbad" section of the same movie.

New Video

2008-01-12T15:14:00.001-07:00

I just posted a new video titled "Survival of the Species." See how I distract myself when I really have better things to do.

Pre-foam Puzzle collaboration

2008-01-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Puzzles and foam

2008-01-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours yesterday with Don working on our puzzle project. After a while of working with the puzzles, we decided it was time to experiment and see what would happen if we took what we had and set it in foam. 3 cans of sealing foam and a lot of gesso later, the experimental piece had elements that looked like a casserole, clouds, a landscape, or a quilt. There is still plenty to be done with it, so we will see how it develops. I have a few photos of the pre-foam piece and will post them once I get my computer back from repair. Oh, the joys of computer repair….

Process....

2008-01-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of packing. It is slow going at the moment, but I can see some progress. This afternoon I'm working on a collaborative puzzle piece with Don Fodness. It is a start to something we may have to pick back up when I return in the summer. We spent some time on it yesterday and it is coming along nicely.

Here is a link to Don's work:
http://donaldfodness.tripod.com/

Tomorrow Barchael is collaborating with Tim Foss on a performance/video/exploration piece. We have mapped out a few ideas of what it is, but it will be unscripted, so there is plenty of room for exploration. All I know is that it will involve shopping carts, video cameras, and possibly some sort of costume. I need to work in some research time for this today.

Here is a link to one of Tim's most recent projects:
http://sorefeet.wordpress.com/

Once I get my computer back from repair (again) I will add their pages to my links.

Reading

2008-01-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading a collection of short storied by Donald Barthelme. His name was suggested to me by one of my professors since I've recently been interested in non-linear narrative structure.

A busy season

2008-01-07T14:51:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know I haven't written much in a while. There is good reason for this. I've spent quite a lot of last semester writing about humor and working on a Barchael video about unicorns. Here is a rough draft of the poster for it:

The video has gotten quite a bit of positive feedback, but I still need to make a few adjustments, so it won't be posted for a bit. I will also post a final version of the poster (eventually).

Since then, I've been working on my upcoming semester in Brittany at the Pont-Aven School for Contemporary Art. I've been enjoying my time with forms, photocopies, FedEx, priority mail, changing addresses, storage, etc…. As you can imagine, this does not leave much room for creativity. I have been photographing as an exercise. These images are on my Flickr account which I need to add to my links page.

Once I return from France, I will be in Mexico for 5 weeks at the beginning of the summer on a Fullbright funded group trip. It starts in the Yucatan and goes all the way up to Monterrey. As in the previous trip, my focus will continue to be on humor, food, and mythologies.

Beyond that, I'm still searching for some valuable theoretical writings to take with me. Any suggestions are appreciated. As if I don't have enough to read right now, I seem to want more. I think a good indication of this would be the grocery bag filled with books I returned to the library yesterday. Luckily I ran into another grad who helped me carry the ones that wouldn't fit in the bag. My brain runneth over.

In conclusion, I would like to offer a photo of me with a cat on my head (taken by my fabulous friend Janice):

Mythical Beasts

2007-12-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

writing

2007-11-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

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

More on humor

2007-11-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

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

Business

2007-11-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-20T23:28:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-20T23:26:00.000-06:00

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

2007-09-30T00:20:00.000-06:00

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

Los Angeles

2007-08-04T08:41:00.000-06:00

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

2007-06-22T00:10:00.001-06:00

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

Dirt

2007-06-14T15:29:00.000-06:00

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

2007-06-13T00:09:00.000-06:00

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

2007-05-22T22:53:00.000-06:00

'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

2007-05-06T13:25:00.000-06:00

Another show

2007-04-27T12:23:00.000-06:00

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

2 new blogs under construction

2007-04-27T12:21:00.000-06:00

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

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

Denver Show

2007-04-27T00:00:00.002-06:00

Upcoming show in Los Angeles

2007-04-12T22:52:00.000-06:00

Time of the season …

2007-04-08T23:25:00.000-06:00

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

2007-03-31T17:49:00.000-06:00

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

2007-03-22T21:55:00.000-06:00

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

2007-03-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-03T00:19:00.001-07:00

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

2007-02-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

It all begins again

2007-01-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

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"

Getting close ...

2006-12-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have so many new images that need to be posted on the website, but no time to do it. I'm really looking forward to finishing this paper and all the grading I need to do. Even then, I still won't necessarily be able to work with the images, but at least I will have a chance to move on to other things (i.e. the holidays, travel, gifts and all the stress that goes along with these things).

Thoughts on food and waiting

2006-12-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm currently waiting for Photoshop to batch resize images for me. I'm on the second of my presentations for tomorrow, so I thought I should share a bit. I'm probably only writing for myself at this point, but I'm ok with that. I have spent so much time writing a paper recently that I am excited even to be working on the boring process of editing right now. Also, I just pulled out the Flaming Lips "Soft Bulletin" album that I haven't listened to in quite a while. This is one of my favorite albums ever. If you don't agree that is fine, but I question your sanity, and if you haven't heard it, you need to as soon as possible. Beyond that, I've been thinking quite a bit about food recently. I've been thinking about a self-portrait series about identity politics. Frequently I've noticed that people have very strong reactions to me based on my diet. I've never tried to be judgemental or force my beliefs on anyone, but when people hear I'm vegan they have any one of a number of responses:

• get defensive and project their insecurities
• become very judgemental and show how little they know about nutrition
• try too hard to worry about what I "can" eat (i.e. at a restaurant)
• act very uncomfortable
• act overly interested and share anecdotes about someone they once knew who was once a ...
• start inspecting everything I have on my plate
• try to find out what everything I'm wearing is made of, in order to see if they can catch me being a hypocrite
• act like I'm an inconvenience
• try too hard to fine something for me to eat
• tell me they want to make me eat some meat or cheese

As I'm sure you can tell, this all gets quite old. I'm fascinated at how strongly people can react to what I choose to, or not to eat. I'm sure there is a great deal of material here to work with, I haven't quite figured out where I want to go with it. I guess that's all I really wanted to share. Now, back to editing.

Books, papers, and a lot of writing

2006-12-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm spending far too much time reading and writing about art and theories and not enough time creating. At least I occassionally take breaks with my studiomate and make unnecessary drawings. Here is a detail of a paper plate that Mike and I destroyed about a month and a half ago. He was using pens, I was using tape, then he was using tape and I was using pens. Since then, we have created a few collaberative pieces. From the plate we drew, painted, and taped out door, then some smaller drawings, and now one of my photos. It is a good way to counteract all the theories that are currently afflicting our brains.

Epiphany

2006-11-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

My Power Animal is a Paramecium.

Howard Zinn

2006-11-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

I just got back from his lecture. It was a nice, informative way to avoid writing about art historiography while re-energizing my liberal views of political history. Now I need to add his books to my "to read" list.

Sketching ...

2006-11-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

Snow

2006-11-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Snow is an amazing substance. I've not yet grown tired of it and the change of lifestyle that follows. I'm currently admiring the large flakes that are falling outside my window. I enjoy how it visually transforms the landscape and leaves virtually no trace of its presence when melted. Now is there a way to use that in my work? I don't know, but it is an interesting thought.

Accidents and New Possibilities

2006-11-29T00:32:00.000-07:00

I accidentally deleted about 130 images I shot over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a stupid oversight on my part while I was trying to copy them to my computer. I attempted to retrieve them earlier today with strange results. When I looked at the recovered thumbnails, I felt far less excited about them than I had at the time. I was resigned to give up on them, but once I looked closer there was something a bit more interesting about them. I realized that most were corrupted, but somehow a few became more beautiful as corrupt files. I don't know if this accident will lead to anything, but it does make me consider how attached I should be to any group of images. Luckily, I shot quite a bit and there are plenty more in the series that I am excited about.

New Idea

2006-11-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

The idea of a blog is something new for me. I'm not one for diaries or journals, so this will hopefully be something more interesting and directed than those. I hope to focus on what I am doing and thinking, as well as work that inspires me. I will also be updating my website with new images (and possibly a modified layout) very soon.