cropped words

I spent some quality time in the studio last night. I finished a piece that has been "laying around" for a while from a previous night's sketches (in the spring). This piece is what one might call a "minimalist collage" -- it has only two elements. I know it was partially inspired by one of my favorite collage artists -- John Stezaker. Some of the portions of the train seem to fuse with some of the portions of the woman's body... but, the integration is disrupted in a way, by the stark border created by the straight cut. This is a second piece in which I have included text, but have not added the text myself (i.e., from another source). When I was doing sketches with these elements and experimenting with the cropping, I found that the already-existing text shown here seemed to "work" with the piece. Firstly, it helps to balance the overall composition. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it provides a "fractured" context for the piece (in a way that mirrors the somewhat fractured partial integration of the two images). A viewer might look to the text for meaning, only to find that the meaning it provides is somewhat ambiguous (perhaps in a number of ways). The piece is entitled "with Alice" (6.5" x 4.5").

multi-media?

Okay, well I guess this piece is technically a multi-media piece because I included a wooden triangle as an element in the right-hand corner. This is atypical of my style; but I thought I'd try something different. I've yet to entitle the piece, but it is intended as a gift for my brother who is an engineer and contractor...

finished portrait by Tom Nettle

I received one of the best gifts I have ever gotten yesterday! This is the finished portrait that my friend and "brother" Tome Nettle painted. It's modeled after Van Gogh's "The Poet". I LOVE it!

"Emma dreamt of a different life"

Here it is finished and framed (and already sold!)...

"The Return"

Here's a sketch from tonight in the studio. It's a little creepy, I suppose. But I expect that it is evocative (i.e., it elicits a response). From what is the child returning? Was the experience "enlightening" or "frightening" for the child? Is the child scared or contemplative as he (she?) walks up the stairs (and back into "reality")? The blurry nature of the human figure only contributes to the ambiguity methinks.  The technical question is whether to cut-out the area to the left of the banister in order to continue the blackness of space. I think it might be good "as is" though. Feel free to comment on whether I should alter it in that way or not.

"Faces and Flowers"

Over the last couple months, I guess I have been drawn to using floral elements in my sketches (and finished pieces). I have not "acknowledged" it "officially", but I suppose I am working on some pieces that could be considered part of a "Faces and Flowers" series. Here's a piece that started when I came across a vintage photo I recently acquired as part of a box lot at an auction in Pennsylvania this afternoon (I didn't even bid on the box for this framed photo). I haven't quite finished it yet; but I thought I would post the almost-finished piece.

Back from Germany

I returned from a weeklong trip to Germany late last Friday. On the top of my priority list this week was getting an article written for Kolaj magazine by this Friday. Good news is that I finished a first draft of the article yesterday. So I got back into my studio last night for the first time in about two weeks (!). As I was getting back "into the zone" by doing some cutting and arranging, I created this piece. I really love the color and the depth. I would normally have cut the blue from between the fingers; but I like the way that hue contrasts with the vintage blue of the blood vessels. I will leave it the way it is. This will be one of the pieces for my September show. It's entitled "Naguer" (5.5" x 7.5").