Summer time

I separated the words in the title, because I am alluding to the way I spend my time in the summer. I am an avid golfer (even though I'm not a very good player) and spend LOTS of time on the golf course. Maybe too much time, given everything else that I would like to do. Anyway, today was a washout day for golf (rain and thunderstorms), so of course, I spent the day in my studio. Here are a couple "teaser" photos of the project I'm enjoying working on lately. I haven't done a 3D assemblage in a while. I really like the way things are going thus far.

follow-up

As a follow-up to the last post, I thought I'd share something that I think definitely did NOT work. I made a cut along the boundaries of what seemed like a reasonable spot to insert another element into the two-element piece. I also thought that perhaps this image of a "bleeding heart" plant might work. Upon placing the element, it became clear that it wouldn't work... for three reasons. First of all, the color does not work, with the dark blue and red of the blood vessels in the substrate element. Secondly, the flower doesn't seem to be integrated at all with the rest of the image, and seems "disproportionate" in its position, relative to the eyes. Thirdly, the flower element also is too "forward". SO... it's back to the drawing board of experimentation (with the idea in the back of my mind that perhaps I should've let it be a "simple" two-element collage).

Once again... the question of two elements

 Whilst experimenting in my studio the other night, I put together two elements that created, what I think, is a compelling composition with only two elements. Even though I am generally pretty liberal, in terms of not judging my work too harshly (other than when it comes to design detail and execution), I found myself considering a nagging question... "is this 'enough'"? I could certainly argue that two elements are enough for a collage, especially when the resulting image is striking. And I could also argue that 'chance favors a prepared mind' (Pasteur), and that I had just the right elements, at just the right time, to make such a two-element collage "work". The eyes of the underlying element shown below "happen" to fit perfectly into the negative space (i.e., the holes created by the overlying element). And the 'emotion' in the eyes seem perfectly suited for this piece. But then again, how would a viewer respond? How would a fellow artist (collage artist or other) respond to the work? I suppose I could say, "who cares?". But I think, as artists, we all care, at some level (perhaps some more than others). The 'jury is still out' with this piece. I happen to love it just like this; although I could see me doing a bit more exploring, and being open to additional elements. There certainly is another dominant part of the piece ripe for negative space exploitation. But maybe it's 'good to go'. I will have to see what emerges. Stay tuned ;-)

Vartan Poghosian - Outre exhibit

Yesterday evening, I had the distinct pleasure to attend the opening reception for Vartan Poghosian's exhibit at The Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (in Little Falls, NY). The exhibit is simply phenomenal! Such beautiful and intricate pottery works. If any of the readers of this blog are within an hour (or two) of the venue, it is definitely worth the trip to see this body of works. Although not collage-related per se, I hope you enjoy these images. And as most of you know, this blog is also about the complexities of creative experiences. When Vartan gave a short artist's talk about his exhibit, it was very interesting to hear about some of the inspiration for these pieces. Vartan had traveled to Europe and had rented studio space outside of Brussels for a couple weeks to get some work done. He had expressed some disappointment about not getting ANY work done in that studio space, and instead enjoying the local cheese and beer, and using that space as a hub to travel to other parts of Europe to enjoy the broad cultural and visual experiences. I couldn't help think to myself, "but in a way, he WAS working on his art". I thought that because our creative output emerges out of our experiences in life. I don't believe that we could create like we do, without our experiences in the world. Vartan continued to say that, upon his return from Europe, he felt motivated -- in fact, compelled -- to create a body of work inspired by his travels. Sometimes as artists, we fall into the trap of thinking that only pieces of art represent "productivity". But I would contend that "productivity" is reliant on continued experiences in the world that serve to inspire us in our creative journeys. Was Vartan's studio space in Brussels a waste of money? Perhaps in retrospect (the road to hell is paved with good intention). But he shouldn't feel badly about it, at all. The experiences he had on his trip still resulted in artistic "production"... and that was the goal. Bravo Vartan!

"Ethanol Machinations"

 I collaged this check presenter for The Green Onion Pub (in Utica, NY); my local watering hole ;-)

This was the initial composition; but I felt I needed to add the element at the upper left to create better balance:

evening sketch

 I'm liking this little sketch...

Ray Johnson exhibit at Craig F. Starr Gallery

 On Thursday of this week, I made the trek to New York City for the day to see the exhibit of early works by Ray Johnson (I live 5 hours from NYC). The exhibit was comprised of 13 pieces, including several early paintings, several "paper strip" collages (which could be characterized as transitions between his painting and collage work), and several collages which foreshadow his later work. Although I did not ask when I was at the gallery (because I didn't count the pieces), I can't help but think that the inclusion of 13 pieces was an acknowledgement of the mythology of the significance of the number 13 surrounding his suicide (alluded to in the documentary "How to Draw a Bunny"). As an aspiring Ray Johnson "scholar", I felt compelled to see this exhibit. And I am surely glad I did! For anyone not aware of this, Johnson destroyed most of his paintings (in Cy Twombly's fireplace) from the early years of his art career. I had previously seen reproductions of some of these paintings in books; but as most people are well-aware, publication reproductions rarely do the original work justice. This was certainly true for the paintings I was able to see (experience) on Thursday. For example, when I had seen "Ladder Whirled" in publications, I got the impression that it was somewhat muddled. In contrast, viewing it in-person kind of blew me away. The detail was technically very obsessive, and aesthetically very impressive.

Likewise, I had seen the piece, "Calm Center" in a number of publications (and on-line), but I was never aware of the heart in the center black square (made by what might have been the butt end of the paint brush).

As if I didn't already appreciate the entire oeuvre of Johnson's creative works, this exhibit reinforced my feelings and provided me with more grist for understanding the complexity and creativity of Ray Johnson. Thank you Frances Beatty for putting this exhibit together at a lovely small gallery (with great lighting, btw!).

Here are some other pieces from the exhibit...

By the way, the piece below is entitled "Ladder World", as opposed to the previous piece (shown above), entitled "Ladder Whirled". Johnson's propensity for puns was evident early in his career (because it was integral to who Johnson was, of course).