Every year I have the opportunity to run away to the middle of no where, take a break from daily life, weekly blogging, and any art making at all. I love making art but I love my sanctioned break from it just as much, there is a relief to being able to put it all aside and not feel it hanging over your head. That time ends up being useful to reflect and consider the previous years efforts and loosely plan what might come next.
This year I had some time to work with JD Hastings, where we thought about ways to team up using my marks and his quilting. One of the things we tried was using some of his pre-painted sheets and layering the same design repeatedly. It’s not something I can do with my usual materials because of the thinness of magazine paper, but the thickness of the painted paper means I can trace and reuse the same squiggle as many times as we like. He took over the color choices in these while I took care of the mark making and cutting. The enduring challenge in working on these came in the form of a very numb index finger, a consequence of the pressure applied to get through the materials. It took 3 days to wear off.
This last week I’ve been collaborating with co-Darteboardist Toni to combine some of my collage methods with her collage forms. Here’s a couple results. These are still very early in the process, but I think they have promise.
A similar, second version of this couldn’t be finished on time. We decided this is good enough, but the color choices obscure the form. Fortunately, you can see the form better in this smaller experiment with collaged fabric:
Here is the initial design (shifted into stark black on white):
digital collage
Because of things and stuff, I spent far too much time this week. I spent it and now it’s gone. If time were money, I’d be broke. I have no idea what it means in this context that I AM broke. Anyway, as you can see,I fucked around with pixels instead of paint.
That’s it.
-Steph
p.s. I love Crooked Fingers. Mine are, too, crooked I mean.
Lately I’ve been trying to do more of the types of quilts I started the year working on, but I’ve been having issues with color schemes. I have Piles of canvases lining my dropcloth divided into rough colors (Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Neutral) that are supposed to help me with this, but this actually just tends to limit me to a single hue. When I try to start combining the colors together, the combinations start getting too complicated to control.
Color schemes like this work well, but are harder to herd than you might expect. Complements make each other brighter, so the pieces you thought was underplayed prior to adding it suddenly become stark when sewn together. At that point the rest of the quilt becomes a series of reactions trying to wrangle the color scheme back from noise. If you become too conservative, though, the colors wash out into uniformity. This can be good at times when you want to emphasize the pattern of a quilt, but in chaotic patchwork of a hundred tiny pieces, you lose your focal point.
My response has been to work in more uniform fields, which I can then combine in larger, easier to control forms later. That’s what these are. I need to finish another color or more and then will make 3-5 pieces out of them, with overall shapes defining them. They will each end up 28″ square, but I need to add 4 inches to the green one.
What I wrote before still applies to these. In fact these were actually assembles prior to the pieces in that post and looking at them now, there’s more that I like in this batch. A few of these have some issues where the bottom layer is wavy, or some of the layers got rubbed raw in the gluing process and that’s made me ambivalent toward them, but this morning I was pleasantly surprised.
I’m also very tired. Last night I had a dream that was such a Matrix rip-off I found myself thinking in-dream “Not another Matrix rip-off!”
During one of the discussions on how best to approach reproducing these for the internet the point was brought up that they look different at their actual size. My thought at the time was to post them larger so they would be more easily seen, but that also magnifies the flaws that aren’t as visible in person. Now I have a 17 inch screen, and I am sure that if yours is bigger, or smaller it might throw this whole idea out of whack, but if that is the case you can just grab your average 2.5 x 3.5 inch baseball trading card and imagine this image over it. They are small.
I like this one by the way, it’s going in the direction I was hoping for more of in my last post. The lines are delicate loops and the gradated pink over the gray adds an uneasiness that reminds me of glare on a photo, but which is really only the color as it is.
These are the remaining Volcanos I made last month. They probably aren’t as good as the originals, and I forgot to scan 2 of them better ones cutting them up again, but such is life.
In this series, like all of my recent collages, I’m experimenting with issues of context and representation. The subject of any art piece brings it’s own context and background to that piece’s interpretation. Andy Warhol’s portrait of Mao Tse Tung is highly informed by the charged identity of it’s subject matter. His Marilyn Monroe portraits are created in a very similar style, yet produce an extremely different effect because of the huge difference between the perception of her and Mao. The viewer can’t help but bring their pre-knowledge of either to their viewing.
At the same time, however, how the works are made is also charged with context. Those same Warhol screen prints were as notable for the quick form of reproduction used, and what that said about modes of production and the consumer object. Taken together these formalist qualities interact with the qualities of the subject matter to create the general identity of the piece. (Over time, the Warhols have also gained context specific to themselves, their own history and existing within the public consciousness in their own right.)
Every aspect of an art piece (or possibly anything) has a level of context that informs it’s interpretation by a viewer.
My recent series of collages (and works based upon them) is an attempt to exaggerate that relationship to the breaking point. Each piece is representational, yet represents their subjects with other materials loaded contexts that compete with the represented. Whether appropriated printed materials or other artworks that I’ve made, each layer of each stencil can be isolated and interpreted in it’s own right. The overall effect of the added noise of the competing materials is to drown out much of the effect of the represented subject.
In the case of J Dilla and now this series that transforms this piece by Roy Lichtenstein, the subject matter is self-reflective: Lichtenstein and Dilla both specialized in the re-contextualization of prior works of art. The context they bring to these pieces is intended to reflect on these pieces themselves. How I reference the subjects with the source material is meant to be fluid, ranging from complementary to a feedback loop of pure noise (a plane wreck, if you will?..).
The source material in these varies from completely arbitrary (Sample voting ballot in the second piece down), to referencing the subject matter itself (the purple and blue dots in the 8th piece down), to ironic absurdity (the childrens’ illustration of the 7th down), to imposed relationships between different abstract patterns (patterns themselves being an intricate series of relationships between parts- 4th and 5th piece down). I’ve appropriated art publications, other artforms (music, quilting, literature), or non-art-forms (science publications) and even art making materials (used masking tape, cover of a watercolor pad in the 2nd down). I even appropriate the drawings of my own computer.
The point of this is that every component of each version of each image can be related back to the facts of the creation of the piece itself, to it’s subject matter, or to the intellectual history of that subject matter, or even to me, my personal history and the constant influx of information flung at me by society (the paper Trader Joe’s bag in the 3rd down didn’t need to be branded and populated with folksy ephemera, yet they felt obligated to impose themselves into my mental space, which ultimately can’t help but influence my interaction with the rest of the world in whatever minor way). The inclusion of each component is intended to make this web of relationships explicit- to force it to the surface as much as possible instead of allowing our brains to simplify it into a sensible silence, as they usually do.
Finally, all this explanation is meant to explain the pieces I posted a few weeks back, the “Irony” series.
“A does not equal A” is the literal definition of a logical contradiction. It is also arguably the modern definition of irony. When something is used figuratively to represent something other than itself, that contradiction is a form of irony. These series of collages, by focusing on the web of context everything in the universe exists within implicitly challenge the ability of anything to existence outside of context, which is usually how things are defined. Change the context in which something is presented and you change that thing itself. These images are not “about” a plane exploding. They are about being images, and specifically to the difficulties of images fulfilling the roles they are meant to fulfill.
The difficulty of understanding “things,” defined outside of context, can lead to intrinsic logical fallacies, yet our minds aren’t equipped to cope with the concept of A not equaling A. I definitely don’t want a structural engineer to start deconstructing his own work product to better examine the historical context in which he works. But in my recent work I am trying to find a new form of logic- or illogic- that can analyze the world with less focus on cleanly defined “things” to focus more on the relationships between those things.
The reason I want to do THAT, however, is a whole ‘nother story.
I’m sticking with the minis for a little while because they are giving me a platform to figure out how to eventually work with these on a larger scale, potentially by combining multiple small pieces, or finding bigger paper (posters perhaps?) and cutting that.
These are two experiments from this week where I wanted to use more limited colors, and bolder, thicker patterns. There were as always mixed results, this one below is not working.
It’s too blocky, lacks elegance, the cuts aren’t that great and the top of the perimeter is askew. It’s a big fat NO.
This was more successful, the shapes were more graceful, the pop of color behind the gray pushes it forward, and keeping the thickness of lines similar kept them from competing.
I learned something here, I am not exactly sure how to articulate it but it will come back to me in peripheral awareness as new ones are made.
In the past weeks when I mentioned I was making collages as materials to use in other collages, these are those other collages. Ironically, of the 5 collages used in these, only 2 have been shown on d’Arteboard. All of these are 8.5″ x 11″, mixed media.
Along with the collages, there are also quilts and sewn paintings among the materials that went into these. Those that contain no representation but the formula “A ≠ A” are presented in landscape, while any piece set into a collage with portrait alignment was kept that way so that the intrusion would be more apparent. If it’s still not apparent, though, I’m fine with that.
Now would be a good time to post an artist’s statement for these, but I’m afraid I haven’t written it yet. I may try to write it once I’m better caffeinated, though. I’ll post an update at the top if I do. After the jump, 7 more.
I still plan to crank out more editions of different prints but fell behind this week even as I make it harder for myself by making more complicated source materials to go into these… which are still intended to be source material for another project I should be working on. Anyways, I’m wearing down a bit. Fortunately I had these ready to go.
All are mixed media, 11″ x 8.5″
These are basically made with leftover parts from the last batch. In those, I cut out the shape of each layer below it. These are the shapes that were cut out. The only added element in these is the background I mounted them on. As with any batch made in volume some of these are much better than others.
I spent the weekend making 18 new Volcano collages as source material for the same project I made last week’s J Dilla collages (in addition to the 9 in this post, 9 more were drying as I was prepping these for posting).
In general these were more problematic than the Dillas. I used more elements that had already been collaged in these (see the concentric circles, wavy lines and Q-Bert squares in some of the pieces). Additionally, the design itself is a lot more detailed than the Dillas. Thicker materials plus more detailed cuts mean more headaches with the cutting machines. I had to throw out 1/4 to 1/3 of the materials I tried to cut. That doesn’t matter much when it’s a sheet of newspaper, but is a real pain in the ass when you have to throw out a collage that took a few hours in itself to create.
The results are generally worse than last week. I think 2 of these came out well, The rest range from serviceable with reservations to kind of terrible. Strangely, the 9 I prepped yesterday seem more successful despite being made of the spare parts from this. Anyways, I got the 1 or 2 that I’ll need for the larger project.
I made 9 of these simple J Dilla Collages this weekend to help with another project. I made so many in order to ensure that I got 2 that met my needs. I got that, so now I’ll find a way to group the rest and either sell them or give them away. I actually have another 8 drying right now (a byproduct of making these actually). I’m going to be spitting out a lot of different collages like this the next few weeks.
First, a group of 4:
Each Dilla is about 10 x 7. Multimedia.
Close Ups:
These are the best 4 to me, hence including them in a set. After the jump I’ll include the other 4, including the 2 I’ll be using in the future product. I didn’t use the best ones for that product because they’re going to be cut up further so there’s not as much reason to.
I posted the rough sketch that became this last week.
Here’s the result, now collaged with a mix of paint, fabric and print media. This is 1 of 16 tiles for a large piece I’m making for a friend (hence the curved edges where it’ll be joined to another tile). It’s 12: x 8″ more or less.
In it’s current state it’s a lot harder to read what’s going on. The worm head stands out, but the body doesn’t. The dust clouds fade into each other. On the other hand, it’s still kind of pretty, and I don’t entirely mind that the represented object isn’t totally clear. It’s something the viewer can work on if they want to.
I still reserve the right to make changes if I feel like it, but I’m satisfied for now.
This week the weather decided to turn rainy so I had the opportunity to get back to cutting up some paper. I worked a little bit on JD’s book that I have had in my possession for far too long, but got a little stuck so moved on to something else. For awhile I have been thinking about exploring the layering of some very fine lined pieces in much more subtle color choices. This is one that is in progress and needs a few more layers to pull it together, but in the end I am hoping it will evoke some kind of floral
something or other.
I was laid up this weekend with a twisted ankle so decided to make a quick book for this.
In a hurry, I went to my standby, the target, with a line through it that rotated clockwise over the course of 6 pages. I hadn’t made a book comprised of actual premade quilts before, so this was a nice exercise. The whole thing is about 8″ x 8″ I think. Maybe 7″. It’s made of Acrylic on Canvas, drawings and pre-printed collage materials sewn together.
Here’s the progression:
I’ll post larger images after the jump.
Here’s the covers. I had to take these while at work.:
Front Cover
Back Cover
Ready to ship. In theory. In practice I had to buy a huge sticker that covered up my handwriting and got smudged and may not have fit right.
So there’s a healthy chance this never ends up anywhere.
Bigger images of the inside after the jump. Read more »
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darteboard
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